You may have heard about the new 21st century skills in the news.  But is the way we teach really changing?  Is the way students learn changing?  Last year the district embarked on an ambitious program to bring technology ideas to teachers in the form of LAN parties.  In those six sessions teachers were invited to learn something new and discuss ways to make education more meaningful to students.

The response was overwhelming.  Teachers began to understand terms like blog, wiki, and social media.  They began to see ways to incorporate these new tools into their practice:

• Some began using Delicious as a way to keep track of their favorite sites anytime anywhere.  Group Delicious accounts have been started for Secondary Social Studies, English, and Science.  An account for Math44 is in the works.

• Some began joining the wider conversations online by signing up for a Twitter account.  See who’s tweeting from NVSD!

• Others bravely began to blog for and with their students. See the side bar here for NVSD blogs.

• Some tested out a wiki.

Many agreed that there are new and engaging ways to help students become lifelong learners, collaborators and producers of information in an online environment.  We hope to extend and expand the conversations started last year. We will continue to ask 21st Century Skills: How do we get there?

How will you get there?
Please join in the conversation by leaving a comment on this blog post and taking advantage of the learning opportunities in upcoming LAN events.