Working Toward Excellence

Using Classroom 2.0 techniques and tools, teachers in ABPC’s 21st Century Schools are helping students gain skills that will be highly valued in a world dominated by digital technologies. [Read more]

Smart schools and districts are finding ways to accelerate the adoption of technology-infused teaching practices that address 21st Century skills. [Read more]
Educators in some high-needs Alabama schools declare their students will not be left behind in an era driven by technology and innovation. [Read more]
In the Trussville City Schools, administrators, principals and teachers are bulding a joint commitment to new ways of teaching and learning. [Read more]

news

Talking about 21st Century Learners

What does it mean to be a 21st Century learner? In January 2008, ABPC president Cathy Gassenheimer joined technology teacher Jennifer Dempsey to explore this question on For the Record, Alabama Public Television’s news-interview show. Dempsey, who leads tech-integration initiatives at Wright’s Mill Road Elementary School in Auburn, described some of the characteristics of students who are “digital natives” and how teachers are responding to their unique needs. Gassenheimer highlighted national and global trends that are creating an urgent need for new approaches to teaching and learning that emphasize creativity, problem-solving and teamwork. You can watch the interview here!

Fayetteville High's Awesome Ellis Island Project

Juniors in Jennifer Barnett's elective class at Fayetteville High School researched primary sources, built a wiki, and chose period photographs to illustrate their studies of American immigration and "Coming to America." They also documented their schoolwide "simulation" of the Ellis Island experience in a video (complete with Neil Diamond soundtrack) that's now available at YouTube. Finally, using VoiceThread, they described their roles in the simulation and evaluated their work. Awesome!

http://fhswolvesden.wikispaces .com/Ellis+Island+Project

Business Week Highlights Alabama Schools and ABPC's 21st Century Learner Project

" There's a growing awareness among some educators that American public schools may not be adequately preparing children to compete in a global economy ," says a story in Business Week magazine (09/05/07), which highlights the work of schools involved in the 21st Century Learner project of the Alabama Best Practices Center.

The story, titled "Back to School 2.0," quotes ABPC President Cathy Gassenheimer: " It's an understanding that having teachers stand up and talk to kids all day long isn't going to cut it," she told Business Week writer Rachael King. The story also highlights activities at George Hall Elementary in Mobile and in the Trussville City Schools that demonstrate how students can acquire higher order thinking skills through the use of digital technologies and Web 2.0 tools.

Business Week Article here.

The Partnership For 21st Century Skills Updates Framework for 21st Century Learning

The U.S. education system must move beyond its current focus on basic competency in core subjects to promoting deeper understanding and real-world applications of content. Weaving 21st century interdisciplinary themes and learning projects throughout the core curriculum will go a long way toward engaging students in acquiring essential 21st century skills.

So says the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which has released an updated version of its Framework for 21st Century Learning that creates "a clear vision for 21st century student outcomes in the new global economy." The new version defines how school systems can best support these outcomes "by focusing diligently on 21st century standards, assessments, professional development, curriculum and instruction, and learning environments."

Web Pulls the World into Your Classroom

"I used to think that a blog was a large clog in my kitchen sink,"
says Mark Franek, an English teacher in Philadelphia. "Then last
year, I took the plunge and required my students to create and
maintain their own blogs, where they showcase their essays, stories,
images, podcasts, and videos." Franek describes the positive effects
in this column from the CS Monitor. And he warns: "The first
dinosaurs into the tar pits of tomorrow will be teachers who refuse
to adapt to new technology."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007 /0910/p09s03-coop.html

21st Century Teacher Team at Fayetteville School Will Attend Prestigious Microsoft Innovation Forum

Each year, schools from across the U.S. compete to attend The U.S. Innovative Teachers Forum sponsored by Microsoft Corporation. This year’s select group of participants will include a team of teachers from Fayetteville School in Talledga County who are part of the Alabama Best Practice Center’s 21st Century Learning initiative!

The 2007 Forum, supported by the National Staff Development Council and the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, will bring together exemplary K-12 learning teams for two days, September 27-28, 2007, on the Microsoft corporate campus in Redmond, Washington.

Read our WTE story on the Digital Divide to find out more about the Classroom 2.0 efforts at Fayetteville!

National School Boards Association Says It’s Time to Bring Social Networking to School

The internet isn’t as dangerous as people think, and teachers should let students use social networks at school.That’s the surprising new recommendation from the National School Boards Association - a not-for-profit organization representing 95,000 school board members - in a new study funded by Microsoft, News Corporation, and Verizon.

The study warns that many fears about the internet are just overblown. “School district leaders seem to believe that negative experiences with social networking are more common than students and parents report,” the study reports. In light of these findings, NSBA is recommending that school districts may want to “explore ways in which they could use social networking for educational purposes” - and reconsider some of their fears.

“Safety policies remain important, as does teaching students about online safety and responsible online expression - but student may learn these lessons better while they’re actually using social networking tools.”

Also see our story on safety and access: “It’s Spooky Out There.”

Maine Study Finds that Laptops Improved Middle School Writing

A study of the one-to-one laptop initiative in Maine's middle schools has found that students' writing scores "have improved on a standardized test since laptop computers were distributed," according to an Associated Press story published at theTeacher Magazine website. The study focused on eighth-graders' scores on the Maine Educational Assessment.

The state's Education Commissioner says the study is the first "concrete evidence" confirming the impression of educators and students that providing individual laptops to students in the middle grades has led to higher orders of learning. Read the AP story at the link above. Also:

Download a research brief on the study by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute.