21st+Century+Skills+Met

= SUMMARY STATEMENT = Because our mission at Ohio Middle School is “to continually implement educational programs that provide students the necessary knowledge, problem solving skills, and technological tools to be prepared for future success in the 21st century,” we are confident that the technology-rich learning experiences our teachers have designed for Eighth Grade Technology Day will be beneficial to our students. = = = = One of our school’s primary goals is providing students with opportunities to use 21st century technologies to make learning relevant and even fun. As students use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, the GarageBand 09’ Music Application, Polar Heart Rate Monitors, and E Series Heart Rate Software in their art, music, and P.E. classes, they will be prepared to use this technology in their lives outside school if they don’t already. = = = = Using podcasts, wikis, the GIZMO Polling Neighborhood activity, GoogleEarth, and Scrapblog in their language arts, math, science, and social studies classes will connect them and their learning with one another and with the rest of the world. By providing the opportunities available on Technology Day, we are allowing our students to practice integrating technology and learning, a skill that will serve them well throughout their lives. = = = RATIONALE = = = The technologies selected for each content area were selected in order to enrich student learning while preparing them to be effective participants of the 21st-century. The Partnership for 21st-Century Skills (2009) note that:

People in the 21st century live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked by various characteristics, including:


 * 1) access to an abundance of information
 * 2) rapid changes in technology tools
 * 3) the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale.

To be effective in the 21st century, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology (p. 5).


 * Technology will be used in an effective manner to support student learning.
 * Technology will be used to create relevant learning experiences for students.
 * Technology will be used to increase students' critical thinking skills.
 * Technology will be used to increase student achievement in the classroom.
 * Technology will be used to teach students essential skills to become productive citizens.

**References:**
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2009). The partnership for 21st century skills-framework for 21st century learning. Retrieved on March 15, 2010, from []