While the underlying value of the Gateway remains in its role as a digital library of Web-based learning resources with Web 2.0 and Semantic Web friendly data, the topic of conversation during our meeting was definitely about our loyal and ever expanding cadre of Gateway members.

With the rise of social networking sites and the increasing “tech-savviness” of today’s educators, those in the room agreed that the Gateway should evolve to a more collaborative environment. The technological underpinnings of the Gateway provide a rich and powerful platform for building this type of experience for our users.

At the time the Gateway was originally built, populated with learning resource records and launched, many tools for collaboration were incorporated into the basic architecture. But, just as libraries are a place where silence prevails and people can pursue their singular investigations, the Gateway designers kept many of the “informational exchange” features in the background. There are clearly tools for creating comments and ratings as well as features that allow you to use lesson plan data outside of the Gateway; however, those tools were not the original focus.

These are the days of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and the whole panoply of online networking sites, fueled by big advertising revenues and big software development budgets.

Our discussion at NEA headquarters turned to ideas that would capitalize on the Gateway’s strength while preserving the ‘digital library of online learning resource’ nature that has been so successful. The ideas that surfaced can be summed up in three questions:

1. Wouldn’t it be great if the Gateway could be a teaching website with our already fantastic collection of teaching resources and with the social networking features that people most appreciate from other social site? But, without the “noise” of flashing banner ads, links to suspect offers and promises to make you bigger, faster, richer and better in everyway?
2. Wouldn’t it be great if we could make our members more visible so that their talents, experience and knowledge could be Gateway assets that compliment the high quality of our existing learning resource record collection?
3. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if users could come to the Gateway and find not only great lesson plans but also a platform for exchanging great ideas?

In the coming months, we will begin to incorporate more social networking capabilities and we will also be changing the look and feel of the Gateway to 21st Century Skills. With the help of some experts in the Semantic Web and experienced developers familiar with social networks and our technical platform, we hope to build a more robust tool for information exchange with the focus remaining on our high quality collection, their implementation in the classroom and the dialogue surrounding best practices in 21st Century teaching. We have ideas but we want your ideas too.

We want to hear from… you! What improvements would you like to see? Send your suggestions, thoughts and observations on how we can make the Gateway to 21st Century Skills a more valuable tool for you, your students and your fellow educators. Contact Bruce Walker at brucew@jesandco.org.

Who’s Joining the Gateway?

All over the nation and from around the world, from students and pre-service teachers to experienced educators in all parts of educational enterprise, everyone finds value in the Gateway collection of learning resources. What a tremendously diverse and interesting group of people find their way to the Gateway! The community is growing in size and harnessing the awesome power that comes from a huge set of teaching and life skills. To show you what we at the Gateway have noticed we did some research on the diversity of members in the biographies written by new members applying for Gateway membership.

BJH-MA
Career changer. After 20 plus years as a technical editor and writer in high tech field, I felt it was time for a change that allowed me to interact with students and literature. I love teaching, planning curricula, and many other aspects of teaching! I am currently teaching seventh and eighth graders ELA and Social Studies. Challenging, but I'm slowly getting a handle on the many aspects of the school requirements and students' needs. Love integrating many different aspects of technology in all my classes; students seem to enjoy this approach, too!

SS-CA
I am a senior at CSUF, doing a presentation for my art class (for future teachers). The lesson I have chosen is to look at the aboriginal culture (as part of a social studies integrated lesson. I want students to understand where Australia is, who the Aboriginals are, and how the elements of their environment and spiritual beliefs influenced the various art forms.

DB-CA
High School Video Production Instructor 12 Years in Secondary Education 13 Years in Corporate & Broadcast TV Production B.S. Degree in Television & Film, San Diego State Univ. Emphasis on post production - Final Cut Studio, Photoshop

JFM-na
I am an arts instructor who works with programs within county school and recreation programs. I work across all age and skill levels to integrate arts instruction and established curricula.

SA-na
I am a college student majoring in Middle Childhood Education. :)
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JF-IL
I am a sixth grade teacher in Crete, IL. I have been teaching for the past twelve years. I am currently working on my administrative degree.

CL-na
I am a kindergarten teacher in a school with primarily English Learners. I am always looking for and sharing lessons that help in teaching these students content as well as English at the same time.

KK-CA
Director of New Teacher Development for a charter organization

AJ-OR
I am a special education teacher for grades 3 - 5. Along with teaching and case managing, I am taking courses towards my Master's in Education, Special Education degree.

JH-IN
I am an 8th grade algebra teacher who loves working with middle students. I am investigating a more inquiry approach to teaching math as well as more problem-based and project-based learning in the classroom.

ND-OH
I am currently a third grade teacher and teach in an urban school district. I am always searching for new innovative ways to teach in order to achieve successes.

MR-WA
Associate professor of mathematics and science education at Seattle University

LB-NH
I am a high school business education teacher at the Mt Washington Valley Career Technical Center at Kennett High School in North Conway, NH.

IS-IL
I am a Special Ed. Resource Instructor at Waukegan High School, Waukegan, Illinois

GC-CA
I am a California State University Student. I am enrolled in a Teaching certificate program. I am writing a course outline and syllabus. I will be teaching a class called Student Success and am looking for the above samples so I can complete my course assignment. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

JF-NM
I am a Montessori primary teacher from Albuquerque, NM. I am always searching for ideas to improve my practice as a guide and educator of young children.

NM-MS
I have been teaching for 10 years. I have a bachelors and a Master’s degree in Biology. I have 2 daughters, a husband and a puppy.

CE-NY
Graduate Student, School Media Program, Syracuse University's School of Information

We want to hear from you! What would you like to see added to the Gateway? What improvements would you like to see? Send your suggestions, thoughts and observations on how we can make the Gateway to 21st Century Skills a more valuable tool for you, your students and your fellow teachers. Contact Bruce Walker at brucew@jesandco.org.

You can share those observations with your peers or make comments that are only for your use. It’s like your own personal Gateway to over 50,000 quality learning resources.

What’s New?

From sweets to tweets, from mapping to napping, we have lessons for you to explore, use and adapt for your students. A 21st century education requires not only historical context but a reflection of the rapidly changing world around us. That’s why the Gateway to 21st century skills is such a valuable asset for educators. We keep fresh lesson ideas and timely topics coming to you so you don’t have to search all over the Internet for them. And, with our advanced search techniques you can find just the right combinations for your teaching challenges. Engage your students like never before with free lessons like these. Your students and your peers will notice the difference!

Tweet a Little Tweet: Examining the Rise of Twitter and Micro-blogging and Applying It to the Classroom
In this lesson, students consider the impact of micro-blogging and engage in this type of communication in an academic context.

Sizing Up Servings: Assessing Definitions of Recommended Food Portions
In this lesson, students learn the definition of a suggested serving size and re-define their daily food intake in terms of these recommended amounts.

Good For You? Investigating the Health Benefits of Chocolate
In this lesson, students share opinions about nutrition. They then compare the nutritional values of a snack product claiming health benefits with a candy product. Learning is synthesized by reflecting on the responsibility of companies, individuals and the government in determining whether a product lives up to its claims.

Getting Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed Every Day? Examining the Effects of Sleep Deprivation in Teenagers
In this lesson, students explore the effects of sleep deprivation in teenagers and pose reasons why sleep may not be a priority in their own schedules. They then determine changes that can be made in their regular schedules to afford them more sleep, make the changes for a period of time and evaluate the impact of being better rested on the rest of their daily activities.

An Arm and a Leg: Measuring the Impact of the Recession on Families and Communities
In this lesson, students consider the loss of health care coverage among the unemployed and other ways that the recession affects the U.S. economy and families. They then examine and collect evidence of its effects on their own communities.

In Over Their Heads: Investigating the Economic Effects of the U.S. Housing Crisis
In this lesson, students consider the effects of the housing and credit crisis on other aspects of the economy and learn about one town's difficulties. They then write fictional narratives from the point of view of a struggling homeowner trying to stay afloat.

Show and Tell: Exploring the Early Americas Through Museum Exhibits
In this lesson, students examine images of artifacts depicting the early Americas. They then analyze two distinct museum exhibits on the topic, debate how to present relevant information, and act as curators to prepare their own exhibits online.

Thematic Maps of Your School
This lesson develops a student's understanding of how to design, research, draw, and use thematic maps to depict geographic information and problems. It should follow fast on a general introduction to thematic maps. The exercise is a good stepping stone to a mapping of your town, and then to country maps. If it is used in a year-long geography course, it should be done early in the year.

Polar Projects: Exploring and Analyzing Research Being Conducted During the International Polar Year
In this lesson, students will examine categories and research topics relating to the Arctic and Antarctic regions. They will then select one area of study and create related projects to share with the class while assessing the importance of this topic to the scientific community and the world at large.

That's the Spirit: Examining Historical Perspectives on Commercial Ambition in the U.S.
In this lesson, students explore the commercial roots of the American Dream and analyze a historical or literary text that supports this philosophy in conversation with an Op-Ed column.

Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright
Discover how and why industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie chose libraries to be among his greatest benefactions to the U.S., and assess the impact of libraries on American society. The lesson could be used in units on American social history between 1865 and 1919, particularly the widespread efforts of reform. Students will better understand the role of philanthropy in U.S. history and the place of libraries in American culture.

NEA has partnered with the GEM Exchange, Gateway to Educational Materials, and JES & Co to support Gateway to 21st Century Skills, a website that combines state-of the art search technologies and a complete database of state academic standards for core subjects. The Gateway is your link to the resources you need to make learning meaningful and fun for your students.

New information about 21st century learning resources is being added every week to the Gateway. Don’t miss out on these great new additions. Here are just a few more recent examples of new items that you can find on the Gateway for you and your students.

Are Your Members Using the Gateway?

The Gateway to 21st Century Skills receives thousands of visits a month from dedicated educators all over the world. The community is developing into a diverse and interesting group with tremendous talent to share! Come and join us as we pioneer the way to the vision of a 21st century education. Become a member and network with other educators. Use the information from the Gateway learning resources in other Web 2.0 friendly applications, your portfolio, store it on your calendar for easy planning or share it with your student, parents and administrator. The Gateway is here to help you easily meet your needs and make your teaching day easier!

If your NEA state affiliate website doesn’t link to the Gateway to 21st Century Skills as a resource on your state website, they are surely missing the 21st Century. Tell them you need resources and a link to the Gateway! In terms of a teaching tool, it is one of the greatest benefits that NEA has ever made available to its members.

Iowa and Georgia are the newest additions to our growing list of states and organizations that display their logos on customized versions of the Gateway! Both of these new states and Connecticut Retired Education Association, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Wyoming, Wyoming Student Education Association, Hawaii, Maryland, Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Washington, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, South Dakota and Tennessee and have all created versions of the Gateway that displays the state affiliate logos.

And now, not only will your affiliate members be greeted with a view of your logo but anyone who declares that they hail from your branded state will also see that affiliate’s logo. This will underscore your local commitment to provide the members of the profession with the tools and resources they need to succeed in driving improvements to student achievement.