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Interdisciplinary Learning

The Effects of Budget Tightening on PD

"For me it is a no brainer. Equip teachers to do their own PD through the building of PLNs and leverage the potential of Web 2.0 tools to bring experts in at relatively low cost. Teaching teachers to create their own free PD represents a lifetime savings for the school or district."

For more information, go to:

http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/

Still at Risk?

Reccommendations for Obama

• Coordinate the policies and actions of federal agencies in promoting and creating an aligned, 21st century public education and workforce development system, including the reauthorization of ESEA and other federal legislation.
  
• Establish a senior advisor for 21st century skills and workforce development at the White House.
  
• Form an Office of 21st Century Skills within the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
  
• Create an Office of 21st Century Skills within the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Labor at the U.S. Department of Labor.
• Support states and communities with investments to build a strong infrastructure and capacity for preparing students, workers and citizens with 21st century skills.
  
• Create a significant Global Competitiveness Research and Development Fund for U.S. education, and target a quarter of the funding to innovation in 21st century skills.
  
• Make the assessment of 21st century skills a priority.
  
• Support states’ ability to meet accountability requirements and foster 21st century skills.
  
• Ensure that schools are equipped with a 21st century technology infrastructure and 21st century technology tools.

Project-Based Learning

Project-Based Learning is a way for teachers to focus on an overarching question that is relevant to the students, on identifying related key concepts and skills, on identifying the products and related criteria for exemplary performance, and on developing lessons that tie vertical skill development to content provide a strong framework for making it happen. the following article specifies how to do this:

http://www.catholicteacher.com/archive/articles_view.php?article_id=1112

Sloan Survey of Online Learning

The 2008 Sloan Survey of Online Learning reveals that enrollment rose by more than twelve percent from a year earlier. The survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities nationwide finds approximately 3.94 million students were enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2007. The sixth annual survey, a collaborative effort between the Babson Survey Research Group, the College Board and the Sloan Consortium, is the leading barometer of online learning in the United States.

Teacher Tube

On TeacherTube, educators share material, such as instructional math videos, with classrooms around the world. Another site, SchoolTube, mainly hosts videos produced by students in class with the help of their teachers. Teachers who use the sites say they value the opportunity to see what other educators are doing in their classrooms, and students say they enjoy having an outlet to showcase their work.