Success!

Ask the students in my classroom and they will tell you that they are twenty first century learners.

When you ask them what that means they will explain that all of them were born in the 21st Century, with birthdays after the year 2001.  They will tell you that they are being educated in a manner that is different than their parents and their grandparents, because our world is different than when their family members were in school.  They will tell you that they don't wait for a teacher to tell them the answer, that they are learning how to problem solve on their own!

It does my heart good to know that I will help them know that they can succeed.  It also challenges me, who started teaching before computers were ever in any school!  They are kind and gentle and never laugh when I don't know how to do something that they do.  Instead they say things like "Would you like me to show you how to take a screen shot?" (like I know what a screen shot is!!)

But here's the best part....that's exactly what 21st century learners are supposed to do.  It's not about learning in isolation.  It's not cheating when you talk and help and support your peer.  Problems are easier to solve when more people put their heads together.

Here's the next step in our learning...the reports are done and now, the students are taking movies with the iPads of a peer reading their report.  The plan is to upload the movies to a secure location 'in the clouds' (??!!) and then create QR codes so that people in the school community can use their device with a QR reader to scan and then see the movie.  Won't that be cool?!!!!