21st Century Skills

Mark your calendars; the 2008 Texas ASCD Annual Conference is coming up on October 19-21, 2008. Our first Keynote Presenter is Dr. Gene Carter. In 1992 Gene Carter became the Executive Director of ASCD. He will be speaking about ASCD’s Whole Child program, and 21st Century Learning.

The Whole Child Program promotes all children to be knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, motivated, civically engaged, prepared for work/economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world. Basically, ASCD would like to produce well-rounded individuals who will thrive in and outside of the school doors. There is a known gap between the skills and knowledge that children learn in school and what they will need after high school, when they are out in the communities, work places, and colleges. Children who are not healthy physically or emotionally have a hard time blocking this out while trying to learn new and exciting information. In order for the whole child program to work teachers, parents, and the community must buy into this program and help give children what they need.

The 21st Century came with many great ideas, information, technology, communication, and careers. Students need to be prepared for this infrastructure. Factual information is not the only thing needed in today’s society. Skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, communication, global awareness, and direction are needed to succeed. We can’t keep teaching the same way that we learned in school; we must work with all the new innovations to keep our students motivated and on par with the rest of the world. Gene Carter will be the first keynote presenter, but there are many more experts that you will hear from during this 2 ½ day conference.

Please feel free to comment or answer any of the questions below.

1. Are you familiar and agree with the 21st Century Skills: Career and Life Skills, Learning and Innovation Skills, Information, Media, and Technology Skills which are supported by the core subjects as stated by The Partnership for 21st Century Skills?
2. What is your reaction to these skills and what they mean?

Please join us on Sunday, October 19th to hear more about 21st Century Learning from Gene Carter.



Upcoming Texas ASCD Events:

Improving Mathematics in the Elementary Grades in Cedar Hill ISD on March 13th. Call the Texas ASCD office for more information or visit our website at www.txascd.org.

Welcome

Welcome to the new Texas ASCD Blog! 2008 is going to be an exciting year for us and you can hear all about it here on this blog. The Texas ASCD office opened up after the holidays this past Monday, January 7th and the staff has been busy ever since.
On Wednesday, January 9th the Local Arrangements Committee (LAC) met in Dallas to discuss the upcoming conference. The 2008 Annual Conference theme is Leading for 21st Century Learning. The strands for the conference will cover subjects such as: technology, literacy, engaging instruction, capacity building, and multiple assessment measures. The LAC is committed to getting teachers, schools, and students ready for the ever-changing world. The 21st Century brought with it many new ideas and resources, but no explanations of how to change our way of understanding and teaching. The committee hopes that by committing to helping leaders prepare for the future, our children will in turn be ready for what the world throws their way.
The 2008 Annual Conference will be held at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas over October 19th through October 21st. Please continue to check back with our blog to learn about our conference as well as what Texas ASCD can do for you. Also, let us know if you have a suggestion or comment for Texas ASCD or our annual conference.