Many of the readers of this blog have taken part in focused conversations in the past with Solution Tree authors, including the Voicethread that I moderated earlier this year around 21st Century Skills.  Well, friend and fellow edublogger Bill Ferriter is at it again.  Over on the Tempered Radical, Bill is running a Voicethread conversation about teaching in the 21st century with his co-author Adam Garry and another fantastic Solution Tree author, Meg Ormiston.

I invite everyone to swing by and check it out today through Saturday.  I’ll be there (as my alter ego, Mister Monkey) chiming in, learning, and asking questions.  I hope to see you there, too!

From Wikimedia Commons

My new Barnes & Noble nook has me reading more than ever and finally getting to some of the books that have been on my “to read” list for months.  One example is Superfreakonomics by the two Steves: Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first book (Freakonomics) and am finding the second one to be equally fun to read.  The authors basically use research studies to draw connections between seemingly unrelated forces.  They aren’t without their critics, but one issue piqued my interest and I followed some of their references to learn more.

Read more »

flickr user Andy Hares

Every time I read another fantastic post from The Tempered Radical, Assorted Stuff, Larry Ferlazzo, or dozens of other teacher-bloggers, I become more and more amazed that these folks manage to be such thoughtful and informed writers while still planning/teaching/grading/meeting (and all of the other verbs that dominate my day-to-day life as a classroom teacher).  How do they do it? Read more »

This weekend brought an end to our four-day Voicethread conversation between Scripted Spontaneity readers and several of the experts behind the new book, 21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn.  I’ve posted a lot here recently about the conversation (here, here, here, here, and here), and the purpose of the entry is to share what I personally learned from the participants.  Keep in mind that while no new comments can be added at this point, the Voicethread will continue to be viewable for the foreseeable future at this link.

Before doing that, though, I want to reinforce the importance of conversations like the one that we just completed.  First, the asynchronous, web-based nature of Voicethread yet again proved it to be an excellent tool for bringing together colleagues from all over the world and all over the education spectrum.  Second, an opportunity to interact with other eager educators and experts (that’s a mouthful, huh?) is a rejuvenating experience for us.  We are reminded that the work ahead is mammoth in its scale but critical in its importance, and that we are supported by some very smart people at every level.  Finally, we must remember to make the best of these discussions to reach out to the novice teachers around us inducting them into “the club” while pulling in veteran teachers who are stuck in the kiddie pool.

Throughout the Voicethread conversation, several strands stood out as contentious or engaging enough to stimulate a lot of discussion.  When I look back on what I learned over the past week, three themes pushed my thinking the most:

1. While change most often comes from outsiders, this term is difficult to define in education.  Participants like Bethany, bplibrarian, and Chris Dede made it clear to me that an ideal educational leader has elements of being an insider (understands the system, knows the challenges firsthand) as well as some of the characteristics of an outsider (willingness to challenge the status quo, objective perspective).
2. The various frameworks that define and describe 21st Century Skills are exceedingly diverse, and this may not be a bad thing.  While several of the book’s contributors chimed in about the challenges posed by this diversity, it also became clear to me that the “competition” among various frameworks brings new ideas and strategies to the table.
3. The key to well-prepared modern educational leaders is a combination of training and assessment.  Simply identifying those with the greatest potential as leaders is not enough.  We must put into place processes that actively train would-be administrators and school leaders and then require them to show proficiency in the areas that we deem most important.

I would like to take this opportunity to show my gratitude to the many folks who helped make this conversation so successful.  To the book contributors, especially Chris Dede, Nancy Frey, Brian M. Pete, and Jim Bellanca, thank you for the time and effort that you put into this project.  To the participants who added their views and experiences–bplibrarian, Stephanie, Luke, and Bethany, in particular–I know firsthand how difficult it is to find “free time” to engage in meaningful personal and professional development.  Thanks to the good folks at Solution Tree for their help in putting together the conversation, recognizing the power of digital tools to facilitate interactions between authors and their audience.

As we enter the final day of our engaging Voicethread conversation about 21st Century Skills, the discussion has become much more dynamic and exciting.  Both experts and visitors alike have raised interesting questions related to the vast diversity of frameworks for understanding and defining these skills.  John Barell addresses the question of expense when it comes to Problem-Based Learning, making a convincing argument that these methods can actually cost less than traditional paper-based educational materials.

Thanks to everyone who has participated so far, making this a fantastic learning experience for all of us.  Remember, you still have one more day to add your voice.  The final Voicethread will remain archived on the site for you to view and share in the future.

So, take a few minutes and express yourself: http://voicethread.com/share/1185437/