Leading 21st Century Schools

Throughout the chapters of Schrum & Levin's book, Leading 21st Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement, the authors continuosly refer to "Web 2.0". They define it as "a trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to facilitate creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users." This Web 2.0 contains tools such as wikis, blogs, and podcasts, among other items. Web 2.0 furnishes educators with the tools, it is now our responsibility to use them. But before we start jumping into the technology, we can assess our own technological philosophies to see where we are in relation to where we are required to be. How can we do this?

We can start by self-assessing our instructional practices. In what ways are we using techonology now? Fortunately, I think it would be difficult to find an educator anywhere that does not use some form of technology. Once we determine how we are using technology, we have to make sure that the four components of the 21st Century Skills are being addressed. Are we allowing them to collaborate? Can our students communicate, both among themselves and with us? Are we giving them room to be creative? Are we demanding them to think critically?

If we answer "no" to these questions, there is a lot of work to do but the effort will be rewarded. We can start by creating new lesson plans, modifying our district's curriculum, use more webquests, or blogs, or other tools of Web 2.0. Continuously refering back to these questions, essentialy making these our Essential Questions for our units of instruction, will keep us on track into the 21st century.

The Common Core State Standards emphasize not only the use of technology in our classrooms, but stresses the 4 C's as well. As 21st Century Educators, we are now being required, not suggested, to allow technology into our classrooms and demand that our students use the technology in ways that will give them the greatest chance for success.