Promote the Gateway in Print Media
Joining GEM as a State Editor
Creating Connections between States and GEM
Uploading a State Logo
Joining GEM as a General Member
GEM and Affiliates - Facts and Figures
Promoting the Gateway in Print Media
Tell your members about the Gateway to 21st Century Skills in your newletters and other print publications. Here are download links to Gateway to 21st Century Skills logo images in Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) suitable for resizing and print publication. Our popular Gateway to 21st Century Skills Bookmark has been modified to accomodate your state affiliate logo for use in promoting the Gateway. We have provided it as a .PDF file.
Gateway logo with border 4.9MB
Gateway logo without border 4.7MB
Gateway to 21st Century Skills Bookmark Template 3.4MB
Joining GEM as a State Editor
Each state designates one or more authorized editors who are authorized to manage the state's content on the Gateway.
Over the coming months, the state editors will be given a growing array of useful functions to make it possible to communicate effectively with state members through the state's own customized view of the Gateway.
State editors are authorized to upload the official state logo for display and automatic linking back to the state Web site (see section below on uploading logos).
Creating Connections between States and GEM
State can download a script for use on the state Web site that creates a GEM search form that supports teacher searches of the GEM repository of educational resources. GEM provides a powerful faceted search engine that gives teaches a simple, intuitive means of finding useful classroom resources.
The script:
- executes a search of the GEM resources;
- opens a separate browser window into GEM for the returned results of the search; and
- permits the teacher to explore the resources returned through simple, powerful faceted browsing
[ instructions for creating connections ]
Uploading a State Logo
Designated state editor(s) can customize the view of GEM for their state members. Initially, we are providing the means for the designated state editors to upload their official logo into GEM (see section below on uploading logos).
GEM then automatically:
- links that logo back to the state Web site;
- Upon logging into GEM, state members see the Gateway through an interface that includes their state logo linked to the state Web site;
[ instructions for uploading state logo ]
Joining GEM as a General Member
In order for state members to enjoy the benefits of the state custom view of the Gateway, they must register as GEM Members. Additional benefits for the member include creating useful comments on the use of educational resources in the classroom. Comments are reviewed and published on the Gateway under the commentor's name. Select members may be designated as "Gemologists" and granted rights to create quality ratings for resources. Additional functionality for GEM Members will be provided in the coming months.
GEM and Affiliates - Facts and Figures
April 2008 – March 2008 shows 45% increase in visits to the Gateway over March 2007. The Gateway community keeps growing and growing as Web 2.0 empowers collaboration!
The Three “R’s” and Web 2.0?
How many of you remember the song about school days with the chorus that gave rise to the expression the three R’s. It has been a long time since I sang the song but I believe it went something like this:
“Reading and ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic taught to the tune of a hickory stick.”
Fortunately, these days few of our students would understand the reference to the hickory stick but, ask them what Web 2.0 is and the tech savvy among them will have answers as unique as their individual personalities.
“It’s like Facebook, it’s wiki’s, it’s MySpace, it’s blogging, it’s file sharing, it’s YouTube,” are all common responses. Each one is correct and there are a host of other responses that fit the concept of Web 2.0. That is what Web 2.0 really is, a concept that allows the formation of communities.
Web 2.0 is a reference to a set of functionalities, design elements, web-based applications and ideas that share one common theme. Where the World Wide Web was once a place for ordinary citizens to go to “get” information, it is increasingly a place for ordinary citizens to go to “put” information. In other words, Web 2.0 is the Reading and ‘Riting Web for everyman to share information within a community.
So what does Web 2.0 have to do with 21st century education and The Gateway to 21st Century Skills in particular? In a single word, everything!
The Gateway to 21st Century Skills was designed from the very beginning to be a community to share information about learning resources. From the almost 50,000 learning resources that can be searched on the Gateway to the ability for members to share comments about those learning resources, the YouTube videos that inform members on discovering learning resources, to the metadata and technologies that allows that to happen. The Gateway is the Reading and ‘Riting Web community for educators.
Just as Web 2.0 is a collection of ideas and functionalities that allow for ordinary people to access and share information, the Gateway is a collection of tools and technologies designed for the educational community to collaborate with other educators, students, parents and non-traditional education stakeholders. This month we are adding another new Web 2.0 tool to the Gateway.
Digg is an online service that allows people in a community environment to share information with one another. You can recommend resources and the Digg community will see and be able to respond to your selections. As more members of the community agree with your assessment of a learning resource the higher it will be rated and the more attention the resource will receive. You will find the Digg icon in the Full Record View of resources you discover. Click on the Digg icon to go to the Digg site and create a membership and join in the collaboration.
“Collaboration is a key aspect of the 21st century skill set,” says Diny Golder, the co-founder of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. “The information available through electronic means is overwhelming. The ability to find the best information when it is needed, incorporate that information in a meaningful way to address the task at hand and share that information with others is the essence of what we need to teach students in order to compete in the 21st century global economy.”
Reading, ‘Riting, ‘Rithmetic taught in a chorus of community collaboration. It might not rhyme but come on, let’s all sing along!
What’s New?
NEA and your state affiliate recognize that great public schools are the result of motivated students, involved parents, and well-prepared, innovative educators. The Gateway is a great opportunity for educators to expand their professional repertoire, exchange ideas, and individualize instruction.
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:
Smoking: The Real Cost
This is a great lesson to use anytime but especially during Red Ribbon Week or on National Smoke Out Day. Students calculate the cost of smoking over a period of time and construct graphs to display the data.
Search for the Missing Pi
Students actively investigate measuring circular objects, recording data accurately to derive the formula for the relationship known as pi.
Skateboard Renegade
What does skateboarding have to do with showing responsibility? Reading skills and strategies are taught while students use the novel "Skateboard Renegade" to explore responsibility. A variety of simple machines is identified and their uses explored.
Octopus Legs
Have oceans of fun transforming a hot dog into an octopus kids can eat! After counting, cutting halves and fourths, observing steam and the effects of heat, they learn about mixing colors as they create a yummy dipping sauce from mustard and ketchup.
Range and Measures of Central Tendency
Students are introduced to range and measures of central tendency with a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation. After practice in calculating and analyzing data, students will create a table in Microsoft Excel.
The Skeleton Within
We know that dancing skeletons aren't real, but are our bones alive? Through an article and various activities, students learn about the bones, joints, and other attributes of the skeletal system. Students create outlines and graphic organizers.
The Human Jigsaw
Using Thomas Paine's "The Crisis, No. 1" from The American Crisis, students form a human jigsaw as they find the main idea, supporting details, persuasive arguments, imagery, and emotional appeals. Prior experience with the elements listed is assumed.
Quickly learn to search the huge collection of free learning resource. (Click this link to view our video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYqho-SN-m4) Our brief, seven minute, instructional video is now available on the home page of the Gateway. It’s never been easier to boost your professional skills, add more fun and individualized instruction to your repertoire of competencies. Join our cadre of 21st century educators today.
Make your search for resources from the Gateway or great benefit from your NEA membership easier and faster. Simply visit: http://www.thegateway.org and download the National Education Association Toolbar from the link in the middle of the page. The toolbar is ready for you! It easy and it’s FREE!
Did You Know?
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.
Monday and Tuesday, in that order, were the busiest days for the Gateway in the month of March. In fact, the Gateway is such a valuable and powerful tool that over 53.4% of the visitors added the Gateway to their browser Favorites or Bookmarks! In the last month, over 56% of the traffic came from people who have already bookmarked the Gateway to 21st Century Skills.
Spread the word, invite a friend and help your fellow educators to participate in this special community that NEA has provided for its members.
Are Your Members Using the Gateway?
Welcome Connecticut! 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 up student achievement.
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.
Gateway to 21st Century Skills Statistics for April 2008
Speaking of broken records, we are beginning to sound like one! And that is a great thing for which we are very grateful. The Gateway Community keeps getting bigger and we keep breaking records! March 2008 set another huge new record for traffic to the Gateway with 62467 visits, a 45% increase over last March. In the month of March 2008, adjusted measures of traffic showed visitors visited 202,581 pages and created 1,760,671 hits.
Who’s Joining the Gateway?
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 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.
Here are some excerpts from the biographies of recent Gateway applications for membership. Members show their support for the Gateway by joining and it is Free! Membership allows you to make notes and comment about the resources you find on the Gateway. 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 almost 50,000 quality learning resources.
A.M.-Arizona
Special Education Coordinator/Teacher; M.Ed. Special Education, BA Journalism. Coordinate special education program at a small charter high school serving at-risk, predominantly Title 1, Hispanic students. Certified also in secondary English. 13 years working in technology: desktop publishing, graphic design, software training and support services.
L.T.-Arizona
I'm a qualified lawyer who decided to change career to teaching. I've been teaching ESL for almost two years, and I am currently Student Teaching in Spanish. This summer I will earn my Master's degree in Secondary Teacher Education from the University of Phoenix.
D.C.-Florida
I have been in the teaching profession for the past thirty years. I have taught at both the elementary and secondary levels. I am presently in the reading/literacy coach position at my school site.
J.W.-Tennessee
Veterinarian in the Teach Tennessee alternative teaching licensure program. Currently teaching second year high school chemistry and physical science.
T.K.-Wisconsin
I have a BS from University of Wisconsin Madison, masters degree from Viterbo University (LaCrosse, Wisconsin). I currently teach Advanced Biology (Botany, Genetics/biotech, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Comparative anatomy), AP Biology, and Electronics as applied Physics at Sauk Prairie High School (WI).
P.K.-Wisconsin
Grade 7 - 12 math teacher. Graduated with a degree in math and a minor in computer science in 1973. I have taught for 25 math and computers and now I am a technology coordinator for the district for the last 10 years.
M.S.-Massachusetts
I have been a secondary school teacher for the past six years. I worked in the construction industry for 25 years prior to my teaching experience. I teach construction technology and woodworking to high school students in Massachusetts.
J.H.-Texas
I teach 5th grade Language Arts and have taught for 14 years. I'm always looking for creative ways to deliver lesson plans other than the old boring way.
PRAXIS pressure?
