Smith,+Robert


 * Use the course materials to help you respond to these questions for each Module.**


 * Module 1 Notes**
 * 1) ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍What skills you think today's students will need to be able to live and work in the 21st Century?
 * 2) How you are preparing your students to gain these skills? If you are not currently teaching: How are educators preparing students to gain these skills?
 * 3) What is the difference between ’Foundation Skills" and "Functional Skills"?
 * 4) How well your curriculum and current instructional strategies are helping your students acquire these skill? If your are not currently teaching how well do you think our schools are using instructional strategies to help students acquire these skills?
 * 5) Think about today's students and the potential professions they might go into. Which of these skills might each student need? How can we make sure that all students are prepared with the skills necessary to enter the 21st Century Job Market? \
 * 6) What patterns are beginning to emerge between the various resources you’ve been exploring? How do these skills compare with the list you made in question 1? ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍


 * Module 2 Notes**
 * 1) How can we make personalized learning a part of our schools and classrooms?
 * 2) How do we help our students become real learners?
 * 3) What is/should be the role of assessment in student learning? How can we improve upon our assessment practices in order to really help all students be engaged, life-long learners?
 * 4) What is the role of e-learning, and how will/isl this change(ing) the educational paradigm?
 * 5) How do your students compare with the 21st Century learners described in Mark Prensky"s article on "The 21st Century Digital Learner"?
 * 6) HotChalk’s article on 21st Century Learners? If you are not a teacher: How do you as a student or your children compare with the 21 Century learners described in this article?
 * 7) To what extent to you see your students (or your children, or yourself as a student) possessing the qualities shown on thegraphic on the wiki for the International School in Bangkok? If you see any gaps, what do you consider the reason for these gaps, and how might educators help students gain these skills and qualities?
 * 8) To what extent are you, your children or your students Effective Learners, Effective Communicators, and Effective Global Collaborators.?
 * 9) To what extent is your school (or your children's school) and classroom meeting these needs?
 * 10) How might you rethink your classroom to make it a 21st Century classroom? What are the barriers you face to making your class a 21st Century learning environment? If you are not currently teaching how should classrooms be re-thought?


 * Module 2 Assignment**

When I think about the students I interact with daily and how they are different from the students I taught earlier in my teaching career (a LONG time ago!), I note huge differences. Although there are, admittedly, some things about young people that never change, today's students seem to reflect a number of dichotomies, several of which were described in the Hot Chalk article:


 * They know more and have almost unlimited resources at their fingertips to find out what they don't know,but they seem to take for granted that the information is correct (or accurate)
 * They don't seem stressed out about the amazing complexity of their world and the almost crushing weight of the problems we face as a global society
 * They have a different global perspective and are much more accepting of diversity but still suffer from the same teen angst that plagues all generations
 * They have higer expectations of themselves, their peers and their leaders but also seem to accept things as they are
 * Have greater social pressures to be accepted and liked at the same time they have broader social connections than previous generations
 * Seem less consumptive than my earliest groups of stiudents although this does not apply to technology - which they MUST have

The International School in Bangkok utilizes a graphic to represent the skills students need in order to be productive citizens in an increasingly complex global society that I found compelling. It indicates that, overall, students need to be effective learners, effective collaborators, effective communicators and effective creators. In order to achieve these qualities, they need to be reflective, creative, inquisitive, open-minded, tenacious, flexible, collaborative and efficient. Although I have been considering this for some time, I was inspired by the readings to start to consider how I might //actually// redo my instructional methods to better meet my students’ needs. I love the idea of empowering my students to self-select their learning approach even more than I currently do (advanced students already choose, design, execute and evaluate their own projects). I also, currently, ask them to approach their work as if it were a professional assignment, but I think I could go even further with this. We could think of ourselves as a design, engineering and architecture consulting firm and I could present my “team” of students with a series of “client” design problems that self-selected and -directed smaller project-based teams could resolve. Since the design process is a “given” due to the curriculum, I was thinking I could make it a given of our firm – or our specific “brand”. Clients come to us because we use a specific, proven design process that values clients and produces the best results. We could incorporate deadlines, budget restraints, competitive analysis, contracts and other real world parameters into the instructional methods this way as well. This approach would allow me to incorporate many of the principles of Universal Design for Learning in order to better personalize the curriculum. I could use learning style assessments, career path assessments, and even the Myers-Briggs type indicator or similar tools and have the students prepare a “personnel file” that they then would use to develop their personal learner profile. The profiles could then be used in their small project teams to help them determine which tasks should be assigned to which team member. We could also include some team building activities that would build trust and create a learning community. Mistakes and trial and error would be encouraged. The “client” projects would allow us to unpack the final project standards together, allow the small project groups to design their own goals and timetables, and, so, co-design their lessons as they determine what needs to occur in order to prepare for their final client presentations. These presentations would include opportunities to practice their public speaking skills and could include an audience such as parents or business leaders who might pose as the clients. I like the idea of a rubric for the “clients” to use to evaluate the projects and the presentations. The rubrics could also be part of our corporate practice so that the students would have them when preparing for the final presentations. Our “branded” design process includes a research step that could incorporate e-learning tools as the students use global resources to identify best practices, what the “competition” is doing, and ideas to help develop the solution to their particular design problem. They could also use e-learning tools to get advice from outside experts if they encounter issues during the project and could also seek feedback in this way during their evaluation step. ‍Two main barriers exist to implementing this approach. The first is a physical barrier as my classroom is currently configured with FIXED countertops in rows including all the network cabling and power for the computer stations. I would prefer to configure it “Facebook” style (my wife and I recently had a tour of their new buildings in Menlo Park) with flexible work spaces and groups of desks where teams could meet and collaborate. I am concerned that the costs of this reconfiguration might be prohibitive since it would mean not just moving desks but re-doing all the cabling or purchasing wireless equipment. Secondly, I am concerned about the reaction that I might get from administration and parents when my classroom does not look or feel or act like a traditional classroom. Overcoming these barriers would be challenging. The physical changes to the classroom would require a proposal to the administration and might require school board approval, depending upon the costs. The changes in the perceptions of parents and administrators would be much easier as I am willing to be an advocate for 21st century learning and there appears to be a wealth of accessible resources supporting this approach as well as good evidence that it reaps great rewards. ‍


 * Module 3 Notes**
 * 1) List how your school and classroom environments support 21st Century learning outcomes. If you are not teaching, think about your school experience of the your children's school. Consider:
 * the extent to which faculty at your school collaborate, share best practices and integrate 21st century skills into classroom practice
 * students learn in relevant, real world 21st century contexts such as project-based and applied learning experiences
 * students experience equitable access to quality learning tools, technologies and resources
 * to what extent architectural design of your classroom creates space for for group, team and individual learning
 * to what extent you provide opportunities for both face to face and online interaction with community members and experts in their field for your students
 * to what extent does your school and classroom reflect the 21st Century Learning environment

Because I have been doing project-based learning for many years, my classroom is already set up to support many 21st Century learning outcomes, including: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Although the school environment, built in 1960 at the height of the "factory model", supports 21st Century skills sporadically as a few teachers have actually changed their practices. The vast majority are aware of these skills and know that they should be making changes, but, for various reasons, have not. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">I, personally have a few examples of collaborative activities with integrating mathematics into my woodworking projects. Math teachers, when covering graphing and charting, have a difficult time conveying the concepts of an X and Y axis to kids. The projects students create in my classroom not only demonstrate these concepts directly through the use of the CAD system, but also include the introduction of the z axis. I've seen lots of students have "ah-ha" moments when working on these projects. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students in my classroom do not experience equitable access to quality learning tools, technologies and resources. Currently, my classroom has only six CAD stations (purchased just last year through a State Allocation Board grant) for classes that average 30 students each. School wide, things are worse as there are just two computer labs that are booked months in advance and have limited software tools. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Some modifications were made to my classroom that help support group, individual and team learning, but it is a 60 year old woodshop. Last year when the new CAD machines were being installed I requested that the room be painted (the custodians told me the room had not been painted in 60 years) and that request was denied. There are really no funds for any type of renovation. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Students do have opportunities for face-to-face interactions with experts when we have guest speakers (periodically). I do make it a point to introduce these speakers by connecting the speakers' careers with the work students are doing. When electricians or other maintenance people need to work in my room, I encourage them to come during class so students can see how the skills they are learning are applicable to the real world. We currently have no on-line interaction with outside sources - again, because I only have six (very slow) computers in my room and most of my students cannot afford their own device -- I would estimate only 10-15% have a cell phone with a data connection. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;"><range type="comment" id="547735">Easily-made physical changes to my classroom include implementing a BYOD policy for research, including interaction with outside experts and continuing to seek grant and corporate sponsorship opportunities to add appropriate technology. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">I think I could present my ideas as a "pilot" project to the administration, who have been supportive of the grant applications and other innovations I have been making.
 * Module 3 Assignment**
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Outcome-based / grades based on what was learned
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Focused on what students know, can do, and are like
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Active learning
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Collaboration and team work
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Student centered
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Student freedom
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Integrated curriculum / connected to students' lives and the real world
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">High expectations
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Authentic assessments


 * Module 4 Notes**
 * 1) In what ways are your assuring that the 21st century skills taught discretely in the context of core subjects Is your curriculum interdisciplinary? If you are a middle or high school teacher how can you or do you collaborate with teachers in other departments to create multidisciplinary projects?
 * 2) How does your curriculum focus on providing opportunities for applying 21st century skills across content areas and for a competency-based approach to learning?
 * 3) What instructional strategies do you use to enable innovative learning methods that integrate the use of supportive technologies such as inquiry-based, project-based and problem-based approaches as well as promote higher order thinking skill?
 * 4) How do you encourage the integration of community resources beyond school walls?
 * 5) How can you better integrate 21st Century skills into your curriculum.

**Module 4 assignment** 1. My architecture curriculum, mainly because it is designed to prepare students for real-world, technically-based careers, provides a multitude of opportunities to apply 21st century skills across content areas for a competency-based approach to learning. This course is inherently project-based as students demonstrate their competency through completion of a final home design using Computer-Aided Design software. The course is also inherently problem-based as students are required to develop a series of solutions in response to design problems or challenges created by the context (locality and geography) of their <range type="comment" id="92717">home design assignment. I think I can easily modify the course to include more inquiry-based methods in the initial stages of the class where students are considering the conceptual issues that must be addressed when starting the design process, such as global best practices minimizing environmental impacts, promoting a healthy lifestyle, minimizing civic impacts all while addressing financial, economic and business requirements.

2. My instructional strategies will benefit greatly from the ideas I’ve learned in this course. Although my architecture course, in particular, inherently enables innovative learning methods integrating supportive technology and promoting higher order thinking skills, I now have lots of great ideas for increasing the use of inquiry –based approaches to integrate a number of 21st century skills. From this module’s analysis, I see that I have been missing 21st century skills such as global awareness, civic and health literacy, environmental literacy and communication / collaboration. Improving my instructional strategies in these areas in order to better support the architecture and structural engineering pathway standards should now be relatively easy given the resources this course has provided. Thank you! 3. I integrate school resources beyond school walls through my required career tech advisory body, working professionals who appear as guest speakers and through my current student exhibition. Again, this course has given me the opportunity to consider adding a “judging panel” for final architecture projects that could be made up of appropriate professionals in the design, architecture and structural engineering fields that would further help students link their education to the real world.

4.The strategies I am currently using to ensure that my curriculum and instruction meet 21st century criteria include: the course project, which is a final home design meeting real-world site, structural and legal requirements; the mastery of technology tools that allow expression of creative ideas as a finished product; the development of critical thinking, problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills through the introduction of a series of design problems into their final project; and some opportunities for inquiry-based learning in the initial, more conceptual portion of the course where students are exposed to historical, social and contextual issues that have influenced architectural designs and could influence their final project choices.

5. Additional strategies that have been prompted from this module and previous modules include: changing from individual project assignments to group projects; more clearly connecting the course to a real world model by emulating a corporate design firm with “real” clients” ; <range type="comment" id="556234">utilizing a professional expert panel of outside community members to provide feedback to students following oral and written presentations of their final projects; and using more intentional driving questions to support an inquiry-based approach in the initial, more conceptual phases of the course.

1. What are the best uses of technology to promote student learning in a 21st Century Classroom? The best uses of technology to promote student learning in a 21st Century classroom is when the technology appears seamless with the person. Technology is just a tool to accomplish the real goal of helping students become productive participants in our society. I believe the short video we watched early on featuring Professor Heppel who said “Technology is disappearing into the person” was the perfect illustration of that idea.
 * Module 5 Notes**

2. What strategies can teachers use to assure their students are acquiring the 21st Century skills necessary for their future?
 * Balanced assessments, including high-quality standardized testing along with effective classroom formative and summative assessments
 * Emphasize useful feedback on student performance that is embedded into everyday learning
 * Require a balance of technology-enhanced, formative and summative assessments that measure student mastery of 21st century skills
 * Develop portfolios of student work that demonstrate mastery of 21st century skills to educators and prospective employers
 * Enable a balanced portfolio of measures to assess the educational system’s effectiveness at reaching high levels of student competency in 21st century skills

What aspects of Finland's educational model work in the United States?
 * Module 6 Notes**
 * A striking similarity the United States has with Finland of 40 years ago is the realization that it must become more globally competitive. In the early 70s, Finland realized they had to become more globally competitive and couldn't rely on its manufacturing or scant natural resources and instead had to invest in a knowledge-based economy. Today, America’s once dominant manufacturing is in decline and many now realize that in order for The United States to remain competitive, it must invest in the knowledge-based economy. Three aspects of Finland’s educational model I would like to see happen in the United States is the teachers autonomy to create curriculum, freedom to assess student results differently and the trust Fins have in their teachers.

How can we best reshape education so that all students gain the skills they need to live and work in the 21st Century?
 * We can no longer be the sage on the stage. We must relinquish that control and get out of the way. The inevitable is going to happen with or without our (teacher) participation. We must lead by example and become champions of this reshaping of education. The end result will speak volumes for the effectiveness of this effort.
 * Provide More opportunities for team-based work and collaboration
 * Provide More opportunities for students to identify and use their strengths
 * Provide More opportunities to emulate “real world” applications for the lessons and the work
 * Provide More opportunities for authentic assessment
 * Use community resources beyond school walls
 * More explicit integration of 21st century themes such as business and financial literacy, global awareness, creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication and accountability
 * Use of BYOD