Back from ISTE

Well, I'm back from the ISTE conference. A couple of things I wanted to say:
1. It was a great and wonderful thing. It's not that I learned so much, but that I heard so and could envision so much about what the future of teaching could be....and IT IS NOT a future without teachers...some people are afraid of that. It is a future where we (teachers) have to share, and that is not a bad thing.
2. I was not scared or anxious to any great degree, which meant I could be independent, grown up, open to hear and to learn and to experience. That is a gift. Maybe only a gift if you experience not having it. I am grateful

Today

Hi,

Was fortunate enough today and yesterday to attend a seminar about what 21st Century Skills are, what they are not...not that anything is black and white...but there is a confusion about 21st Century Skills and the prevalence of technology without the "beef". Later I will write about what I learned. So now it is later and I want to write a bit about how the skills we talk about in relation to the 21st century ARE NOT  technology dependent. Skills (not even sure that is the right word) like creativity and innovation, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem solving are enhanced by technology, but not dependent upon. Maybe a litmus test is: if you take the tech out of your "activity" is it creative, innovative, or collaborative? What do you think? More later.
Noreene