Over the past few weeks, regular readers (and anyone who stands still long enough to hear me talk about it) are aware that Wednesday marks the beginning of our four-day asynchronous conversation with several of the expert contributors of 21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn.

For those new to Voicethread, here are a few tips:

Voicethread is one of the easiest—and most engaging—digital forums for discussions available to educators today. It’s a tool that my students have embraced completely and that I’ve used to participate in other conversation with other teachers and experts on Web 2.0, Grading, Reading Instruction and Professional Learning Communities.

Our conversation with the 21st Century Skills contributors will begin on June 16 and end on June 19.

During that time, the authors will be stopping by our Voicethread a few times a day to lend their advice and to answer your questions about the challenges of identifying and implementing 21st century skills—-but the real value in our conversation comes from the collective wisdom of all of our participants! My hope is that we’ll wrestle with challenging topics together for four days—-answering and asking questions, pushing back against controversial ideas, letting our own preconceived notions be challenged.

The cool part about Voicethread is that there are no set times for participating in our conversation. Far from a full four days of constant interaction, Voicethread conversations allow users to choose when they’d like to stop by and learn.

That means you can stop by as your schedule allows—before school, after changing the baby’s diaper, just before bed—-to read comments from other participants and to share your wisdom with the digital peers that join together to reflect on professional learning communities.

It should be a great example of what collaborative dialogue between accomplished teachers can look like—and it should bring out some ideas and issues that affect the future of everyone in education.

To be best prepared to use Voicethread during our conversation, consider:

1. Creating a free educator account by visitinghttp://voicethread.com
2. Viewing this Voicethread tutorial, which will show you how to add comments to a conversation.
3. Viewing this Voicethread tutorial, which will introduce you to the idea of Voicethread identities.

You can also practice by adding a comment to one of the following professional development Voicethreads that Bill Ferriter has created (and I’ve been a part of) for teachers:

• The Great Grading Debate
• Wondering about Web 2.0
• The Power of Professional Learning Communities

You might also be interested in these “digital conversation suggestions” that Bill uses to introduce to teachers and students whenever they tackle new tools:

While commenting, try to respond directly to other readers. Begin by quoting some part of the comment that you are responding to help other listeners know what it is that has caught your attention. Then, explain your own thinking in a few short sentences. Elaboration is important when you’re trying to make a point. Finally, finish your comment with a question that other listeners can reply to.

Questions help to keep digital conversations going!

When responding to another participant, don’t be afraid to disagree with something that they have said. Challenging the thinking of someone else will help them to reconsider their own thinking—and will force you to explain yours! Just be sure to disagree agreeably—impolite people are rarely influential.

If your thinking gets challenged by another participant in a conversation, don’t be offended. Listen to your peers, consider their positions and decide whether or not you agree with them. You might discover that they’ve got good ideas you hadn’t thought about. Either way, be sure to respond—let your challengers know how their ideas have influenced you.

Finally, know that you can always leave questions for me in the comment section of this entry. I’m really excited about our upcoming conversation and want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable with the tool that we’ll be using to interact with one another.

As regular Scripted Spontaneity readers know, next week I’ll be hosting and moderating an asynchronous discussion on Voicethread about a new book that has really got me thinking.  It’s called 21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn, and I think what I like best about it is that it isn’t really one story.  It’s an anthology of essays by experts in various fields discussing how they connect with the idea of 21st Century Skills.  Under the umbrella of its central theme are fourteen diverse and engaging chapters that address every level from policy maker to classroom teacher.

The list of contributors to the book really reads like a “Who’s Who” of educational thinking today.  Howard Gardner (of multiple intelligences fame) describes the five types of minds that are needed for this new era.  Ed reform heavyweight Linda Darling-Hammond discusses national education policy changes that are needed to bring these skills to the forefront.  Rick and Becky DuFour make a strong argument for the role that PLCs can play in implementing 21st Century Skills, especially as teachers become models of critical thinking.  Will Richardson, author of the first educational technology book that I ever read (a dog-eared copy of which is still on my classroom bookshelf), explains the impact of a future in which education is increasingly global and self-driven:

“Instead of learning from others who have the credentials to “teach” in this new networked world, we learn with others whom we seek (and who seek us) on our own and with whom we often share nothing more than a passion for knowing.”

One of my personal heroes, Alan November, writes a powerful chapter about the dangers of assuming that more technology means more information.  Like several other of the contributors to 21st Century Skills, November stresses the need to develop a “global work ethic”.  This idea is what has got me really thinking about the changes that await my students.  What can I do now to help them think of themselves as global citizens and to compete with job-seekers from all over the world? Alan lays out a clear and convincing strategy.

Add to that chapters from Doug Reeves (on reforming assessment), John Barell (about the role of Problem-Based Learning), Jay McTighe and Elliot Seif (the Understanding by Design guys), David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson (experts on cooperative learning), and even Bob Pearlman writing about design of our school buildings, and you end up with one book that tells many stories.  In the end, these stories make it clear that huge changes are needed if we are to ready our children for the challenges that await them.  The way forward is mapped out, leaving all of us in the education business with the choice of whether to follow it.

If all of this has you interested, consider dropping by next week for our Voicethread conversation with several of the book’s contributors.  You can download a non-printable PDF copy of the book to prepare for the discussion by clicking here.  Come back early next week for some simple Voicethread beginner’s advice and more details about how you can participate in the conversation.

As a classroom teacher–and a deep-ender–I find myself always looking for ways to improve the way I teach.  This requires me to do some research and stay abreast of some of the latest techniques and tools.  And, as a technophile, I remember being particularly excited when I heard the term “21st Century Skills” for first time some years ago.  It reeks of laptop computers, interactive whiteboards, and education out of a futuristic sci-fi movie.

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photo credit: Kathy Cassidy

It seems that every day I read another article or blog post about twenty-first century skills, their merits, and the hype that surrounds them.  Some question the significance of skills that have been championed for decades, and others cringe at the use of buzzwords like “twenty-first century” and “digital natives”.  I have found myself on both sides of this issue, and seeking more information about it.

I just finished reading a new anthology that has opened my eyes to some of the biggest issues related to this idea, and really pushed my thinking on the topic.  It’s called “21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Student Learn”, and it includes chapters from the likes of Linda Darling-Hammond, Will Richardson, and Howard Gardner.  PLC experts, Rick and Becky DuFour have contributed and so have Problem-Based Learning guru John Barell and cooperative learning experts David and Roger Johnson.  You can find out more about the book at the publisher’s page here.  I am lucky enough to be moderating an online conversation with several of the well-known contributors. It’s sure to be both informative and a bit contentious.

Since we all have some sort of opinion about the future of education, I encourage you to bring your views and expertise and join the discussion June 16-19 on Voicethread.  Check back here for more information in the coming weeks.

Disclaimer: There is nothing like getting scooped by someone whom you respect.  I mean, you have to swallow your indignity and your jealousy and put on a good face.  I imagine it’s like showing up at the prom in a gorgeous dress, only to watch the most popular girl in school make her appearance in the same dress (looking better than you).  Check this out to see what I’m rambling about.  Thanks, Bill, for showing up right before me wearing the same pink chiffon.

I really wanted this to be one of those “reminiscing about a tough-but-loving educator to turned my life around” kind of posts to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week.  I wanted to regale you with tales of a ship adrift in the water until a shining beacon illuminated the way.  I wanted to be able to share a story of heart-wrenching self-discovery at the hands of a veteran teacher who carefully guided me to find my true self.

But, here’s the thing: That’s never really happened to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some FANTASTIC teachers in my 28 consecutive years in a classroom (learning and teaching).  I’ve known both seasoned and green educators who had a knack for making connections and engaging young people.  I look back with respect on many of them.

But, my ship never really drifted off course.  My path has been much more of a railway journey.  From an early age, I was encouraged to pursue certain tracks of study.  When I excelled in Science during middle and high school, I was recommended for more challenging college-level courses.  When I showed a penchant for research and presentation, graduate school positions (and Fullbright opportunities) were made available to me.  Later, when it became clear that my skills were best suited to teaching, I was lucky enough to enter a lateral entry program that got me into a classroom in less than three months.  There weren’t any detours or big blunders.

Along this journey, however, much like a passenger builds a scrapbook of sights seen and attractions visited, I’ve collected memories and lessons from those whom I’ve interacted with.  Some taught me that being quirky and a little strange can captivate teenagers (Thanks, Mr. Magnuson).  Others made me see that putting one’s nose to the grindstone can yield unimagined results (Hats off to you, Professor Liddle).  A few even helped me to see the invisible hand of politics in the decisions that large educational organizations make (All the best, Professors Shumway and Burkholder).

And one, more than any other, has demonstrated a path that (whenever possible) I’ve sought to follow.  He challenged me with a smile, and was casual enough to joke with students while commanding our respect for his tremendous body of knowledge.  To him, I say, thank you for the lessons that you didn’t have to teach.  I learned more from the way you live your life than from any lecture.

And I still have that aged bottle that you gave me at graduation.  I hear they only get better with age.