Stormboard and Bag The Web

I have been exposed to so many good tools on the web to add to my classroom.  One of my favorites has been Stormboard.  It is a real time word wall that allows teacher control while students contribute.  Pictures, videos, links and comments can all be left on the wall for others to see.  All participants are also given the ability to vote for posts that are good, helpful, and meaningful.

I plan on using stormboard with my AP world history course in just a few days.  I will be creating a board, with the help of my students to leave behind for my new crop of AP kids next year.  The advice being left behind will be from students not the teacher.  Hopefully, making the information more "useful" in the minds of my new students and a way to recap good study skills, the importance of not procrastinating, and a sense of community for my current students who will be moving on in just a few days.

I have also had fun using Bag The Web.  A very nice way to accumulate WWW resources and make them available to students.  Takes the immensity of a google search and brings it down to things that the teacher has looked at and approved as a solid source of information.

Course Application

While working through the tasks of this course I have often thought there are many things that I will try next school year.  I have also thought I would have loved to have worked on this course at a different time of the year.  State testing, final exams, and the end of the year processes have taken more of my spare time than I would like.  Thus giving me less time to work and tinker with this course.

I certainly have enjoyed the wealth of tools and resources that are a part of this course.  On my Symbaloo web mix I have links to 40 plus tools for me to consider in the future.  Allowing access to my students within this mix is also exciting.  I am hoping that I can enhance their "homework" at this point and maybe even classwork if our technology access increases in the near future.

I teach an AP World course where we write early and often!  Having the time with each kids essay to sit and discuss my written comments is impossible.  So I really like the idea of the voice thread application so I can give feedback.  It will probably take me more time......I think.........but it will be well worth it in the end.

Another favorite application is Padlet.  I was excited to try to use Padlet with my classes this year as a way of community review for an exam.  I just couldn't get the computer time in order to do it.  But I think this can be a powerful way of increasing the community environment inside of my classroom and from home as well.

I think one of my most pressing concerns about all this digital enhancement to classrooms comes from my concern for my own children first.  Too much screen time is not a good thing.  My wife and I regulate how much TV, computer, ITouch, etc....  I am concerned that if I send my kid to school with a highly integrated digital curriculum that their screen time will easily hit 6, 7, 8 hours per day.  That I am not sure is a good idea.  So to be honest with myself and my few blog readers....I am not sure that all digital all the time is the way to go.

21st Century Skill Set?

At my school we have been having this discussion.  We have to prepare our students to have a 21st Century Skill Set in order to compete in this world.  I am looking for input.....what is the 21st Century Skill Set?