If there is something in between a digital native and a digital immigrant, that would be the best descriptor for me. I remember not having a computer in the classroom... but just barely. I remember what it was like to not be connected at all times with a cell phone... but I did have a really awesome pager in high school! I have used a typewriter for homework assignments, I had to take a keyboarding class in high school, and I am still quite private in the midst of all my over-sharing Facebook friends. But, I'm quick to tell those friends "OMG! TMI!", I have a website and blog for a small home business I started, and my five-year-old will tell anyone who speaks a question aloud, "Just look it up on the Internet!"
My educational philosophy as it relates to teaching in the 21st century...
The formal education system gives all children opportunities to learn and grow to be productive members of society. We want to increase each child’s potential to be successful and to contribute in a positive way to our communities, by increasing literacy, communication skills, and giving them other valuable competencies.
With that in mind, I believe that the most effective learning happens when a student and teacher find balance in the learning partnership. I see it as a co-dependent, or mutually beneficial relationship; an educator’s success is the student’s success. A teacher is as responsible for connecting with each child on an individual level as he or she is for being knowledgeable of subject content. As an educator, my degrees, my knowledge, my plans are all for naught if I fail to create learning experiences for each of my students, based on what I assess during those connections.
Educators need to realize that kids are receiving much more information than they used to, and they will start tuning out sources they feel are irrelevant. If I want to continue to be a trusted resource for my students, I have to find ways to engage them, understand them, and connect their school experiences with their extracurricular experiences.
21st century learners are growing up in a world without “borders.” We should use this world to teach our children, not limit ourselves to the materials contained within our brick and mortar classrooms. Further, we need to understand our students ability and need to connect to other people, and use that as a guide ourselves in creating a network of support for each child, fully reinforcing the notion that we are providing them skills to be lifetime learners and drawing the family and community into this new era of digitally enhanced learning.
Even as the methods and trends change, it is still important to maintain measures of etiquette, treating others in the school or wider community with respect and expecting that in return. In an ever-changing world, I believe that balance and moderation are critical, and I will remember that students learn an abundance of things by observing my actions. Mostly, I hope to instill a sense of satisfaction and worth in my students by challenging them to grow while providing them opportunities to succeed.
While examining my own education and the experiences I found most enjoyable or effective, I realized that these moments are not necessarily over the content, but during the connections. It is important to note that digital technology is especially geared toward improving connections - how could you not want to embrace that in a place of learning? By understanding my experiences and values in education and putting it into a statement, I now have a springboard for relating to other educators and students, and for identifying my strengths or areas where I may want to pursue additional knowledge or abilities. And, I am amazed and excited at the possibilities for the generations of students that I will see come through my classroom. When used thoughtfully, technology is allowing us to teach outside the box, to personalize education, and to authenticate learning and relate it to what students experience outside the classroom, in the communities in which they will be living and working as adults.
While I get most excited talking of the possibilities of digital technologies in the classroom, I was alarmed at a thought Alan November provided in his article Creating a Culture for Teaching and Learning. He states, "If we do not invest and move technologies and capacities to the home, I fear that unwittingly, unconsciously, schools will actually be contributing to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer." Wow. I have encountered topics such as critical thinking skills, getting tech-resistant teachers and administrators on board, and privacy. But I had not considered how socioeconomic status might play into this shift in teaching and learning. I wonder what his ideas are for "building capacity in the community for learning."
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