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21st Century Workforce        TPACK          UDL  

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Overview of standards addressed

21st Century Workforce

Many teachers feel that one of the primary goals of teaching is to prepare students for college, but I disagree.  Teachers prepare students for life and some of those will head to college, but many will not.  If all we do is prepare students for college then students who do not go to college, or go for a limited amount of time, are not taking any skills they will require to succeed in life.  Sure Cornell notes are a great thing to learn and know, but they have little value outside of an academic setting.  The 4 C's of 21st century learning (Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking) are a set of skills that every student needs to have mastered in order to be successful by the time they leave high school.  This section explains why PBL is the perfect platform for developing these skills.

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Integrating technology into the classroom can be a challenge for some teachers, especially when developing a new teaching style.  These tools are ones that I have found useful in my PBL classes even though my campus is not yet technology friendly with student laptops.  This is one of the big things students want; using technology as a tool in education and this section has a link to each type of technology I've used in class.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Teachers are faced with a population that requires us to think differently and make minor or major changes to accommodate the entire classroom.  Students with special needs and English Learners typically need more individualized support during class.  The three principles of UDL in this section are geared toward problem based learning and show how easy it is to adjust a lesson to include everyone in the class, not just the majority.