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=Welcome to Our Somers 21C Wiki!=
 * This is a place where we can share resources, pose questions and keep a record of our journey as we begin our work together!**

I just picked up a new text from the PNWBOCES library - __21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn__ - edited by Bellanca and Brandt and containing chapters from many renowned leaders in education - including the DuFours, Howard Gardner, Linda Darling-Hammond, Jay McTighe, Alan November, Will Richardson, and others.

I've also started using a Kindle! And downloaded a text called __The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains__ by Nicholas Carr - interesting stuff! Well - happy viewing, reading, creating, communicating! See you in September, Julie ====**Take a look at this!** **These are student responses to an AP Language exam prompt. See** [|**http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap10_frq_eng_lang.pdf**] **for the actual question. //What are your thoughts about the students' positions on the incorporation of technology in the classroom? -// Post in the discussion tab!**====

Is there something innovative that you'd like to use? Something that might transform teaching and learning in your classroom? **Apply for an SEF grant!** You can find the application on the grants page of the SEF website: []

Please be sure to include your **Name, Grade/Subject, Type of project and Goal of the Work**
 * Let's post our curriculum project goals here publicly - so that we can each decide if there might be any working partnerships/teams:**

Next steps: Take the weekend to decide on how you'll work together to use summer curriculum hours this summer - you may want to connect with/talk to others - from within the group or not - to collaborate with you on your 21st C curriculum work.
 * Thanks to all for your attendance and great contributions to today's (4.16.10) meeting. Check out "Meeting Notes" for Chris' capture of our discussion . . .**

As agreed, your curriculum work proposals should be submitted by April 26th (certainly no later than April 30th). Please communicate your curriculum needs with your building principals and Anna or I before submitting.

Thanks to Linda and the LMS team for a framework that connects 21st C. skills to Bloom! Please be sure to take a look at this more closely and share your thoughts, ideas.

Sharon's idea for a 21st C Teaching/Learning Seminar Day is **very exciting** - please begin gathering your ideas for presentations - and keep your eyes open to others in your buildings who we might also invite in to share. We might also begin brainstorming about an inspirational keynote. . . even if we can't get them in person - there's always skype!


 * WE NEED your students' work! Please share any student work (along with the context or lesson plan that prompted the work) - with me and/or Anna - we are collecting student work samples to share at our Curriculum Leaders' retreat in August. The student's name (and yours, if you wish to remain anonymous) should be removed if at all possible. Work can be in paper or electronic format. THANKS!**

And a final challenge - anyone like to sum up the work of our Somers21 group thus far - with a unique 21st C web 2.0 tool? a glogster, maybe? :-)

Click here

**Just a reminder - we will be meeting this Friday, April 16th - from 9:00 - 11:00 at** **Somers Middle School - in the new conference room - room # 246 on the first floor - near the Guidance Offices.****Since our time is limited - here's our agenda:****1. Sharing the //highlights// of our learning since our last meeting - especially those outside experiences that we've had at workshops and conferences.****2. Summer Curriculum Work - including plans for a "Summer Institute" on June 28th - during which several curriculum teams - including Somers21 - will be invited to explore the guidelines for 21st C curriculum and instruction****and** **3 - if time, continuing our discussion about how best to share work within our group.****Looking forward to seeing you all on the 16th - at SMS.**


 * Happy Spring to All!**
 * Hope you've enjoyed your learning experiences to date - please remember our goals for our April 16th meeting - see below.**
 * How might we share our learning?**
 * - through application to our teaching and student learning - with samples of student work?**
 * - with some electronic presentation - video podcast? glogster? prezi?**
 * - through a communication tool? this wiki? a blog?**
 * Remember - this work can also be shared outside of our group - think about a presentation that other colleagues would respond to.**

[|**American Education Spring 2010 - The Most Daring Education Reform of All**]
 * If you receive American Educator - the spring edition was pretty interesting - critical of P21 - worth a look!**


 * I'm also attaching a document that may look familiar - our UBD template for Unit Design - if we were now thinking of creating curriculum for the 21st Century - how would we note this - see this new version.**
 * Looking forward to seeing you on April 16th - in the meantime, enjoy Spring break!**


 * Feb 10, 2010 NEWS: Happy Snow Day to All . . .**
 * Wonder what 21st C. kids do on snow days?? Click on IDEAS (in the left menu) and then the DISCUSSION tab on the top of the IDEAS page . . .**
 * REMINDER - Deadlines are approaching so, if you haven't already done so, please sign up for the LHRIC courses - or let us know if you have a change of plans**
 * remember our goals for Apr 16th**
 * - share learning from each of these experiences (we can talk about a format for sharing) and**
 * - begin to bring evidence of changed student learning in your classrooms (perhaps as a result of your new learning)**
 * Conferences:**
 * Tuesday, Mar 2: Pam Berger, 21st C Learning, Southern Westchester BOCES, Elmsford (sign up through My Learning Plan by Feb 16th)**
 * John Griffiths, Linda Chapman, Paula Pica **
 * Thursdays, Mar 4, 11, 18 and Apr 1, 8: Pam Berger, Using Web 2.0 Tools to Support Inquiry Learning (sign up through MLP by Feb 18th)**
 * Sharon Wiggins, Deb Hendrie, Mary Ellen Klock, Linda Chapman, Carolyn Shilinski **
 * March 5, 2010Tech Expo 2010/Edith Macy Conf Ctr. Keynotes: Michael B.Horn, Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns and Dr. Gary Stager, Creativity 2.0 – the Quest for Meaning, Beauty, and Excellence (sign up through MLP – LHRIC**
 * Chris White, Haidee Anaya, Rob Paulmeno, Sharon Wiggins, Daria Louch, Deb Hendrie **

Please check the resources - to the left - for offsite learning opportunities - prior to our meeting. New opportunities will be added as they come up!


 * What's on your mind? Post your musings on our discussion page! **


 * Our first meeting is on January 13, 2010. See you then!**

Here's a link to our first reading - Shaping Tech for the Classroom by Marc Prensky


 * If you'd like to hear Marc Prensky and a host of others talk about 21st C Teaching and Learning - **
 * Check out Digital Nation - a PBS Frontline program **Digital Nation: life on the virtual frontier

And some other interesting resources to get us started:

The 21st Century Learner - An interesting slide show

A great toolkit from School 2.0 - we may use some of these exercises

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills Our Rainbow graphic comes from this organization. "The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has emerged as the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. The organization brings together the business community, education leaders, and policymakers to define a powerful vision for 21st century education and to ensure that students emerge from our schools with the skills needed to be effective citizens, workers, and leaders in the 21st century."

Extracted from our longer Framework for 21st Century Learning - here's what we believe. . . [|Somers Framework - two page document.doc]
 * Somers Framework for Education in the 21st Century**

[|Did You Know? You tube video 3.31.09] A quick glimpse of the progression of technology

Edutopia: Small World: How to Bring Your Students into the Global Classroom What does the Global Classroom look like? How the web is changing the world.

The Lost Generation? A young woman's interesting take on her generation.

A summary of Michael Fullan's book: The New Meaning of Educational Change Published in 2001, "For school leaders, who want an insight into future possibilities, the book paints a powerful picture and offers those with the courage a real creative challenge."

Time Magazine: Sunday, Dec 10, 2006: How to Bring Our Schools out of the 20th Century "There's a dark little joke exchanged by educators with a dissident streak: Rip Van Winkle awakens in the 21st century after a hundred-year snooze and is, of course, utterly bewildered by what he sees. Men and women dash about, talking to small metal devices pinned to their ears. Young people sit at home on sofas, moving miniature athletes around on electronic screens. Older folk defy death and disability with metronomes in their chests and with hips made of metal and plastic. Airports, hospitals, shopping malls--every place Rip goes just baffles him. But when he finally walks into a schoolroom, the old man knows exactly where he is. "This is a school," he declares. "We used to have these back in 1906. Only now the blackboards are green." **Click on the link above to read the entire article . . .**

e-School News - Technology News for K-20 Educators features best practices using School Technology - check out the 2009 and other editions.

What is 21st Century Education? Seeing learners in a new context: "First - we must maintain student interest by helping them see how what they are learning prepares them for life in the real world. Second - we must instill curiosity, which is fundamental to lifelong learning. Third - we must be flexible in how we teach. Fourth - we must excite learners to become even more resourceful so that they will continue to learn outside the formal school day." This is a great resource for the big picture.

Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom - thoughts by Alan November. Read this article about students as contributors in 21st Century Classrooms. ..

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