tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19790871328394754862024-02-08T00:18:41.172-06:00Teaching in the 21st CenturyA blog to encourage teachers to become 21st century teachers for our 21st century kids!Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-2931729774814621362010-03-28T10:30:00.000-05:002010-03-28T10:30:09.691-05:00Online Learning NetworkI've done it! I have officially established my business. This was done for tax purposes for the online courses I'm already teaching, but also because I hope to began to create online professional development for teachers - something that helps them to better understand how to use technology in their classroom...at least in the beginning. I would eventually like to be able to hire people, say an Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-23099144410622088062010-02-10T15:54:00.000-06:002010-02-10T15:54:11.334-06:00TCEA 2010I write this as my short, but very worthwhile TCEA 2010 experience comes to a close. It is sad to think that this year I only really got to go to the convention one day. It's just how it happened, but even with that, the sessions I attended were great! If you're interested to read about some of the learning, visit my TCEA 2010 Wiki page.
I will also say that my first TCEA presentation experienceCoffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-27882489211130899142010-02-10T08:36:00.000-06:002010-02-10T08:36:39.279-06:00Today I Present...It's my first time to present at Texas Computer Educator's Association (TCEA) and I must admit I'm a little nervous. It's the unknown. I don't usually get nervous about speaking in front of people, but not knowing how many people will be there, knowing if everything is going to work right, knowing if my topic is too "dated"...all those things - the unknown - is making my tummy turn over and over.Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-62683899866586305872010-01-27T12:08:00.001-06:002010-01-27T12:08:30.545-06:00When Technology Fails...To say technology can be frustrating is an understatement. We've all felt it. You know how it's supposed to work, but it doesn't seem to do what you want it to do (or it crashes, etc.). An experience like that happened to me just this afternoon and I thought, what a good learning opportunity. I hear all the time, our kids know how to use this stuff, but I just can't seem to understand it or I getCoffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-44052246305061544702010-01-14T11:56:00.004-06:002010-01-14T12:11:34.966-06:00Information, Media, and Technology SkillsInformation, Media, and Technology Skills is another cog in the Partnership for 21st Century Skills framework. These, in fact, are emerging as the new set of literacies that today's students really need to understand: Information Literacy; Media Literacy; ICT (Information, Communication, and Technology) Literacy.The Partnership for 21st Century Skills address the fact that we live in "technology Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-76880371736740828012009-09-08T12:53:00.005-05:002009-09-08T13:23:54.844-05:00Eight Habits of Highly Effective 21st Century TeachersWith this blog posts come a great article as well as some news concerning my career.First of all the great article! When I was at Region 16 ESC one of the trainings we offered was a Web 2.0 Boot Camp. I have written about the details of this training in the past, but I bring it up now because we ran a 2009 version as well. One of the participants of that course shared some great bookmarks with meCoffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-56418454246807095752009-03-18T14:31:00.002-05:002009-03-18T14:38:51.775-05:00Wes Fryer's Landscape of 21st Century LearningWesley Fryer, a leader in educational technology and someone that is in my Personal Learning Network, recently spoke at a conference in New Zealand. He posted his presentation on slideshare. I highly encourage you to watch/listen to his presentation. It is an hour long and definitely gives you something to think about.Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-79609562016011890482009-03-03T08:31:00.004-06:002009-03-03T11:47:16.408-06:00Why 21st Century Skills are ImportantDr. Scott McLeod, someone that I follow on Twitter, read his blog posts, and learn from, has recently posted the first in a series about 5 key levers he feels like will move schools forward. He is specifically speaking about schools in Iowa because that is where he lives and works; however, I feel as thought the same applies for schools everywhere.The very first lever he wrote about is 21st Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-23569403544928624932009-02-24T15:13:00.003-06:002009-02-24T15:35:03.213-06:00Microsoft's Career Resource for StudentsMicrosoft has created a FREE (love that word!) online course that aims to prepare youth for 21st century job. How cool is that!This course, called Career Forward, is all online and is organized into four modules. The course can be given in a classroom type setting or the students can complete individually and the project aims to get students thinking about what they want to do with their lives. Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-72182942424299528252009-01-16T15:45:00.002-06:002009-01-16T15:56:51.131-06:0021st Century Skills - Learning and Innovation SkillsIt has been said, by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and several other people, that learning and innovation skills are the skill sets that will set students who are prepared for this ever changing world and work force and those who are not.Because teachers of today are preparing students of tomorrow for jobs that don't yet exist, knowing how to learn is a must for our kiddos. Not only Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-31016822670943644982009-01-08T10:32:00.003-06:002009-01-08T10:40:54.155-06:00Blogging as a Tool for 21st Century LearningGreat article! I highly encourage you to read this article and reflect on the possibilities for doing something like this in your classroom. Not sure who you could collaborate with? Get out there and start "talking" to people or even start a blog yourself and put the request out there. You might be surprised to find someone else who would be willing to join you!Blogging in Place: Writing That Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-92104946027796200992008-12-19T09:27:00.003-06:002008-12-19T09:42:32.646-06:00Merry ChristmasToday I am only in the office for half a day. This is a good thing (just like before Thanksgiving) because I need this break more than I've ever needed a break before. I need the break for my mind as much as my body. I'm tired.Being the only Instructional Technology Specialist has really eaten away at me, though my supervisors would tell you I'm doing a great job. I have kept my head above water Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-68997681250641370982008-12-15T14:40:00.003-06:002008-12-15T14:49:37.991-06:0021st Century Skills and English MapOn November 24th, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills released the 21st Century Skills and English Map which is:a new framework that provides educators with teacher-created models of how 21st century skills can be infused into English classes.How wonderful is that! A map that will help English teachers infuse 21st century skills into their classroom. And, better yet, it's using a Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-72800291558699267832008-12-01T09:18:00.004-06:002008-12-01T09:35:15.414-06:00Good 'Ol Days of Wheelwright, KentuckyI have subscribed to receive notifications of any new Edutoipa articles and this one caught my eye. The title of the article is Community Connect: The Bluegrass State Blends Technology and Service Learning by Suzie Boss.Students have taken pictures from Wheelwright, Kentucky (a former coal-mining town that has basically become a ghost town) and perserved the history by restoring these photos. Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-5487845751082440362008-11-21T09:56:00.004-06:002008-11-21T11:06:24.604-06:00Core Subjects and 21st Century ThemesMany (notice I said many - not all) teachers have a fear/belief that technology could quite possible make their job obsolete. Could this happen? Doubtful! I am here to say, though, that if educators don't get on board with the changing face of education, they may become obsolete. They will not, though, be replaced by technology, but by educators who get on board with bring education into the 21stCoffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-10911177903996099562008-09-09T11:51:00.003-05:002008-09-09T12:18:43.771-05:0021st Century Skills FrameworkI have not been able to post to this blog as often as I intend and would like, but I am not giving up. I hope this information, though few and far between, will still help a teacher on their journey to move their teaching into the 21st Century. Today's topic is the 2nd installment in a series of postings about what 21st Century Skills look like for our students. If you have not read the 1st Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-17774656372546892342008-08-14T11:27:00.004-05:002008-08-14T11:41:42.519-05:00What are 21st Century Skills?I felt it important, if this blog is to be used to move teachers toward 21st century teaching, that I write to the idea of 21st century skills. What does this mean? What skills does this include? What can I do to ensure I am teaching these skills?I plan to address some of these questions in the next few blogs. I know everyone is gearing back up for school (if you haven't already started) so I Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-34083625141021526282008-07-01T15:18:00.005-05:002008-07-02T09:43:54.031-05:00Tuesday Afternoon - NECCWhile I leave things like this very encouraged, quite typically I am very overwhelmed and walk away feeling like I'm fighting an uphill battle I will never win. I'm at that point today. I have attended some wonderful and very informative sessions, but it makes me realize how far we have to go in the Panhandle. I get up and fight another day, but it sure makes me tired! :)The Adobe breakfast this Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-37680561070002211672008-07-01T06:38:00.003-05:002008-07-01T06:56:06.338-05:00Very Early Tuesday Morning - NECCIt's very early in the morning and I am not a morning person. On top of that, I stayed up late working on an online professional development that I am taking. I didn't get much sleep, but that's what conferences like this tend to do. You stay up late to have fun and wake up early to continue the fun.Some cool things that happen here that have never happened at a conference before (and I've been Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-60886297900833944462008-06-30T14:13:00.004-05:002008-06-30T14:53:23.775-05:00Monday Afternoon - NECCI'm a little overwhelmed at the moment, but more than that, I'm frustrated because I can't seem to get a wireless connection in any sessions I've attended except at the very beginning and very end. It could be there are many people trying to access the wireless (this is a technology conference anyways), it could be my computer (it's been giving me fits...it's time for a new computer), or a Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-13587638459477318462008-06-30T09:06:00.004-05:002008-06-30T09:51:53.065-05:00Monday Morning - NECCI'm here! OMG! So much stuff...and I'm loving it. :)My co-worker and I arrived on a plane from Amarillo, TX yesterday about 5:00. Unfortunatley we missed the opening keynote, but we did make it to Rhonda Curtsinger's poster session. Rhonda Curtsinger is a teacher in one of our Region 16 distrists - Hereford ISD - that does amazaing things with her students. She will be presenting what she did Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-38314527615648930912008-06-13T14:48:00.004-05:002008-06-13T15:17:33.139-05:00The End ResultOver the past week I have been thinking about my next blog posting. I started work on my next class for my Master's Degree and have been moved to talk about things I've been learning. I do plan on posting information, but at a later date. I am also currently involved in two different online learning opportunities. One is an online class that I am taking as part of professional development for my Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-63184646400370046832008-06-05T09:06:00.003-05:002008-06-05T09:27:11.890-05:00Ready to Face The World...I have been gone on vacation. I was out all last week. I didn't go anywhere. My husband still had to go to work; however, I used the time to rest...and get my house cleaned. I needed that break. Going to school (working on my Master's Degree in Instructional Technology) and working full time...a combination for being tired. :) I know many of you have experienced and/or are experiencing that rightCoffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-78588977971840353992008-05-21T10:52:00.003-05:002008-05-21T11:38:07.032-05:00Reshaping High Schools - Is That Really Possible?I got to work this morning, started my laptop and sat down to read the newest issue of Educational Leadership (May 2008; Vol. 65, No. 8) from ASCD. The entire issue is on reshaping high schools. I'll be honest with you - I read the articles and a real passion for change was ignited.Then I began to read new blog postings and came across a posting from Dr. Scott McLeod of Dangerously Irrelevant, SoCoffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1979087132839475486.post-75530473224279554432008-05-20T10:32:00.002-05:002008-05-20T11:02:43.386-05:00Thoughts for the last days of schoolWesley Fryer is a well respected advocate of technology usage in education, which I believe is a key component of being a 21st century teacher. If you do not subscribe to his blog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, I highly recommend adding this to your "must-read" blog list.Wesley's blog post last night truly hit the nail on the head when it comes to teachers attitude of the last few days of Coffee Drinkin' Mommahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17341236797907958040noreply@blogger.com0