Blog Assignment #2

What Will Teaching In The 21st Century Be Like?

Mr. Dancealot

After viewing the video Mr. Dancealot, I can honestly say that though the video was meant to humor, the underlying idea behind the video was shown in a clever way. Though his name was Professor Dancealot, the instructor of a dance course did not, in fact, dance a lot! He simply stood at a podium and taught his students how to dance through lengthy lectures. The main point I gained from the video is that as a 21st century teacher, I must be flexible! Lecturing can be a great source of information, but just as this video implies, sometimes the best way to learn something is not always through listening to an extensive lecture. One of my favorite quotes is one that states, “If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.” With students, the idea is the same. As future teachers in a rapidly evolving technological world, we must make sure that we are giving our students the information they need that they can use to not only advance for a moment in time, but for the rest of their lives.

Teaching in the 21st Century

I. Virtually Limitless Information
A. Teachers are no longer sole sources of information.
1. Blogs, Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, etc.
2. Anytime, Anywhere, Anyplace
B. "Teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge--we are the filter."
II. Becoming “The Filter”
A. Teaching students valuable skills
1. Focus on teaching students to analyze, synthesize, and validate information, etc.
B. “Facts and content OR skills?”
1. Solving real-life problems requires more than just a search engine
2. Teach student to use technology to their advantage by creating, applying, understanding, etc.
III. Professionalism
A. Show students how to avoid crowdsourcing, plagiarism, pirating, etc.
B. Focus on teaching students to build technological skills while maintaining professionalism
C. Rethink how we could use Facebook, twitter, cellphones, etc to view and discuss data, share resources, or collaborate
IV. 21st Century Teachers
A.Use technology the same way we used paper and pencil
B. Create Relevant, Challenging, and Engaging Lessons
C. “Entertainment is not the same as engagement.”
D. It all starts with the teacher
E. Tips

As a teacher, Roberts feels that we should keep up with the times. He states that students have “virtually limitless information” and that teachers are no longer the sole sources of information. This means that we must not only provide them with resources, but we must instill the knowledge of how to make wise decisions when using new technology. Not only should teachers teach students to become technology savvy, but we should teach students to use this technology to their advantage, instead of downfall. Personally, I feel nervous about incorporating so many new forms of technology into the classroom because it feels like the more technology advances, the less privacy we all have. It can be a bit nerve-racking, but I am up for the challenge. I see this affecting my future career as a teacher positively; however, I definitely still have my doubts.

The Networked Student

In such a technologically advanced generation, students are being taught to stray away from previous norms when it comes to education. In the video "The Networked Student," the idea of connectivism is discussed. The video uses the character “21st Century Student” to show the many possibilities when it comes to learning. Not only is the networked student able to take a more independent approach to learning, but the possibilities are endless. By being taught to use technological tools correctly, the student is able to come across several opportunities that may not have come about had it not been for the resources that networking provided. From listening to other expert professor's podcasts on iTunes U, to bookmarking sources with Delicious, and skyping with filmmakers, the student is able to stumble across some of the best resources possible.

So why does the networked student even need a teacher?

The answer is simple: to teach. The teacher is there to provide the student with knowledge and resources to get started. The teacher helps the student learn how to take advantage of these opportunities and build their network. Personally, I believe networking is a great thing. These days it is not just not about who you know or what you know, but instead it is about being able to use those things to your advantage. I would love to see more connectivism in the educational system, however, I do feel as though we should still remain somewhat personal. Technology has its pros and cons, so in order to be successful, we should have a balance.

Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts

In the video “Harness Your Student’s Digital Smarts,” Vicki Davis discussed the importance of media literacy in education. The thesis, or main idea of Davis’ video was that despite where someone is located, it is possible to be connected with the world in numerous ways because of social media and that we can all learn from each other and through exploration. In fact, through the use of blogging and other networking skills, Davis states that her students are now teaching her things. She even comments that she did not even know how to do a particular skill until her students showed her that day. “Where children have trouble is when you only have paper and only pencil. Only certain students are going to succeed,” says Davis. Davis allows her students to work independently and in groups. She also does not explain everything to students; however, she expects them to look certain things up and use their resources. This increases their media literacy.

I personally agree with Davis’ argument because I believe that media literacy is one of the most important things for a 21st century teacher to stress in their classrooms. Technology is here to stay, so by teaching students to utilize technology for their own benefit will only help them more in the long run.

Who’s Ahead in the Learning Race?

Honestly, I find it funny that “who is ahead” is still a question! When it comes to technology, without a doubt, the children in elementary schools could run circles around undergraduate and graduate students by the time they have reached middle school. When I was in elementary, my classes were still trying to effectively use a floppy disk and computers were the speed of a turtle. Now a days, it seems like children are being raised with an iPad in their hands, and the technology that is constantly being improved is only going to get better and better with their generation. In order to keep up, teachers are having to modernize their teaching styles to incorporate this, as well. I feel that the improvements in technology have helped make things easier, however, it may be hard to keep things personal these days. It seems as though a computer screen is shoved in my face every time I look around, and sometimes I miss when things were not so high tech. I do think it is a great idea to invest in laptops for elementary students. I would suppose that they will be much more prepared for higher learning in high school and college.

Flipping the Classroom

Yes, flipping the classroom is entirely new to me. I have never heard of this concept. I do feel that this approach will be quite useful to me because I am sure that many schools may begin to practice this technique to measure the success rate. I personally would have hated this as a student because I was quite lazy in my younger years; however, as a teacher, I feel that this idea is GENIUS. I think it is a great way to get students to branch out and become more independent. Independent learning can be a great approach when done correctly, so I feel that by allowing students to work at their own pace and explore resources for themselves, that it will allow them to use more brainpower than ever.

Bringing the Locker Room Into the Classroom

After reading the article about "coaching in the classroom", I think of this tactic as a normal thing instead of something new and innovative. In previous years, I remember as a high school senior, many of my teachers "coached" us. We were always active participants because of my several teacher's true concerns for each of us feeling free to speak our opinions. In my classes where this tactic was not used, I can remember that classroom participation was significantly lower! I plan to definitely engage my students into the lesson as much as possible. Providing stimulation for each students mind is essential, and I want my classroom to accomplish this. I have noticed that as a college students, a few of my professors "coach" in the the classroom, however, majority just lecture. I am sure that most of my classmates agree that our favorite classes are usually those that encourage us all to participate, as well as those that challenge our minds.