Teaching has changed a lot over the years. Technology is playing a big part in the way we educate and the way our children learn. The following videos shed some light on what we have been doing wrong and what we can change to better teach students in this modern day.
Professor Dancealot
Professor Dancealot is a humorous video showing the consequences of teaching from a purely lecture-based point of view. The main message that the author wants to relay is that the best way to learn is by doing. This is sometimes referred to as project based learning. Obviously, no one would attempt to teach a dance class wholly through lecture (probably not through any lecture at all!). But so we sometimes do this with science, history, math or even reading? After a certain grade level, reading out loud is done on a voluntary basis, if at all. This often keeps the struggling readers from gaining the practice they need. It also prevents the teacher from recognizing that they need additional help. This video certainly was successful in opening my mind. My wheels are already turning, thinking of ways to engage students in subjects that are traditionally taught via lecture, like history and science.
Teaching in the 21st Century
What Does it Mean to Teach in the 21st Century?
I. Previous Roles of Teachers (Fact-Based)
A. Providing content, facts, and information
B. Providing stories
C. Providing dates
D. Providing formulas
E. Providing research and theories
II. Resources Making Previous Roles Obsolete
A. Blogs
B. Social media: facebook and twitter
C. Cell phones and iPods
D. Youtube
E. Wikipedia and Google
III. New Roles of Teachers (Skill-Based)
A. Validating information
B. Synthesizing information
C. Leverage information
D. Communicate information
E. Collaborate with information
F. Problem-solve with information
IV. Bloom's Taxonomy
A. Remembering
B. Understanding
C. Applying
D. Analyzing
E. Evaluating
F. Creating
V. How Does "Creating" Apply in the 21st Century Classroom?
A. Blogging and Podcasting
B. Animating and Recording
C. Planning and Designing
D. Programming
E. Other Technological Skills
VI. Professionalism With Technology
A. Pirating
B. Plagiarism
C. Slander
D. Copyright
E. Crowdsourcing
F. Confidentiality
VII. Relating to the Classroom
A. How could you gather and discuss data?
B. How could you talk about reliable sources?
C. How could students publish and evaluate work?
D. How could students collaborate?
E. How could struggling students benefit from integrating technology?
F. How could students in all disciplines create an e-portfolio to store work and reflect on their progress?
G. How could students be challenged to solve problems online?
VIII. Managing Technology in the Classroom.
A. Technology including
1. Laptops
2. Cell Phones
3. iPods
B. Lessons Should Be
1. Relevant
2. Challenging
3. Engaging
IX. Entertainment v. Engagement
A. Passive/Active
B. For Enjoyment/For Learning
C. Short-Lived/Long-Term Results
D. Irrelevent/Meaningful and Applicable
E. Escape From Problems/Problem-Solving
F. Uses Creativity of Others/Uses Creativity of Participants
X. How Do Teachers Get Started?
A. See What's Out There
1. Find Some Sites
2. Try Some Software
3. Do Some Research
B. Start Small
1. One Unit At a Time
C. Collaborate
1. Don't Do It Alone
2. Plan Carefully
3. Ask Others What They Have Found Successful
D. Take a Risk
1. Change Cannot Occur Without Conflict
2. Try It and See What Happens
Roberts' opinion of teaching in the 21st century is that the job of educating is changing. The knowledge that students would normally gain from their teachers or textbooks is readily available online from many different devices. We have unlimited access to information. Want to know the square root of 225? Who needs a calculator when you can simply plug it into google to find out that the answer is 15. You don't even have to know what a square root is. The job of educating is shifting. The internet is no longer a tool used for cheating like many of my teachers thought it was. Teachers need to shift their roles and begin teaching their students how to correctly and effectively use the internet as a resource. As a teacher, I will need to focus on the skills that I am teaching my students. Personally, throughout my academic career, I learned the skill of memorizing. I did learn to think critically and to read and write well, but mostly I learned how to memorize material for a test. If teachers focused on the skills that each lesson was teaching their students rather than solely the content, I believe that there can be a radical change in the education of our students. I think at first this will be difficult for me because it will require me to learn, and I will have to take the initiative to learn. There is so much that I do not know about online resources. In watching "The Networked Student" I had not heard of most of the resources that the student was taking advantage of. I feel that integrating technology into classrooms is really where teachers will find out if they truly want to educate. Do I still want to teach even when the job shifts to something unexpected and quite different? For me, the answer is yes.
The Networked Student
Before watching this video, I had never heard of Connectivism. It is a theory in which students take advantage of technology and connections with classmates and other students in order to control their own learning. The first teacher that I ever remember being honest with me about connective learning was Dr. Forbes in the chemistry department at USA. He told us that even after all these years of practicing and teaching chemistry, he still uses the periodic table as a resource and if there is ever something he doesn't understand or can't figure out, he consults textbooks and collaborates with his colleagues to find the answer. This is what professionals do every day. It is unreasonable to ask someone to memorize everything they could ever need to know about a given profession. I work with pharmacists every day who consult online resources to find drug information. Yes, they completed pharmacy school and passed the tests, but new medications are released constantly and medicine is always evolving. I think this video is exaggerated in order to include all of the different methods of networking. I don't agree with the teacher relying wholly on networking to teach. I think it should be a joint effort. I do believe that it is important to teach our students how to think for themselves and not hesitate to ask a colleague if they need more explanation.
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis' teaching method is very interesting. She is a teacher and the IT Director at a school in rural Georgia. She firmly believes that every student can learn, but that each student or group of students learns differently. Because of this belief, she accomplishes her curriculum by customizing her teaching methods to each group of students. However, one thing always remains. She expects her students to be active learners. If they don't recognize a word she uses, they are expected to google it or look it up. If they don't know how to do something on their computers, they are expected to try to figure it out and help each other. This method of teaching is incredibly empowering for her students. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and ambition. When students are allowed to find new ways of doing things or figure things out for themselves, it also opens the door for continued learning for the teacher. However, this doesn't mean that she sits back and lets the students do all of the work. Mrs. Davis is constantly working to engage her students in the day's activities. Her goal for all of her students is that they will leave her classroom having learned how to learn. I love what Mrs. Davis is doing in this school. She is giving her students opportunities beyond what they expected for themselves growing up in a small community.
Who's Ahead in the Learning Race?
As I watched this video, I felt that it was incredibly persuasive. It is obvious that technology is integrated much more in these elementary classrooms. However, I'm not sure that it's fair to say that all elementary classrooms are the same as those in Baldwin County. The classrooms in my son's Mobile County public elementary school have smart boards, but he was not issued an iPad or MacBook. I'm not saying that the education he is receiving is sub par by any means, but technology is not integrated to the same degree as in this Baldwin County school. I think it is wonderful that these children are gaining exposure, not only to the computers themselves, but to the many different things that you can do with them. Computers aren't just for accessing games and social media. They are a wonderful tool that can be used to increase knowledge, and I hope that Mobile County can one day give their students these same opportunities. It seems that these elementary schools are certainly ahead in the learning race. I can't help but wonder if our colleges and universities just assume that we are all tech savvy simply because we are adults. I've only been in Dr. Strange's class for two weeks, and I've already learned a lot about blogging and html. I'm sure there will be a lot more to learn in the coming weeks. I always thought that I knew a decent amount about computers because I have tons of experience with Microsoft Office, but now that is expected of everyone. I, personally, am lagging behind in this race, and I can't wait to catch up!
Flipping the Classroom
Wow, flipping the classroom is an interesting concept. At first, I was completely against this idea, but after listening to Mrs. Munafo explain the way it works, I am definitely intrigued. I think it has potential to be a great tool for me as a teacher. It seems that it will require a lot of support from parents and guardians at home, though. And I'm sure, as with most new things, there are people who aren't fully supportive of it. I was one of them at first! Just like Mrs. Davis in "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts," Mrs. Munafo is offering her students a chance to empower themselves through their own learning. This method also introduces children to networking. If, after watching the videos, they still have some trouble, they can use technology to help clear things up. This gives the students a chance to think for themselves. Also, if one student catches on quickly, they don't have to waste their own learning time waiting for the teacher to explain the concept to everyone else. This new method of flipping the classroom is very interesting and vastly different than what most of us are used to when it comes to education. I wish we could see a follow up video showing how this program is working for that school or even another one.
Bringing the Locker Room Into the Classroom
I was never a big athlete. I played soccer for a few years in elementary school and one or two years of softball in middle school. Neither one of these sports was super competitive in my school, so we didn't have big team discussions on strategies and the weaknesses of our opponents. Because I have friends who played football at the high school and collegiate level, I know it is a different story in those locker rooms. Never having actually been in one, I had no idea that the locker room would be such a collaborative environment. Like the article says, I always imagined players huddled around their coach listening intently to instructions and encouragement. I love that these professors are looking to coaches for new ideas on engaging their students in the classroom. Many times coaches are laughed off as not being real teachers, but coaches share a bond with their players that is rare in the regular classroom setting. They are bound to have insights into getting to know the students and encouraging conversation and independent thinking. All of the athletes I know have fond memories of their coaches and the life lessons that they learned on the field. It's encouraging to see educators collaborating with coaches because, after all, as educators we are charged to teach our students how to be successful in life - not just 4th grade history.
Roberts' opinion of teaching in the 21st century is that the job of educating is changing. The knowledge that students would normally gain from their teachers or textbooks is readily available online from many different devices. We have unlimited access to information. Want to know the square root of 225? Who needs a calculator when you can simply plug it into google to find out that the answer is 15. You don't even have to know what a square root is. The job of educating is shifting. The internet is no longer a tool used for cheating like many of my teachers thought it was. Teachers need to shift their roles and begin teaching their students how to correctly and effectively use the internet as a resource. As a teacher, I will need to focus on the skills that I am teaching my students. Personally, throughout my academic career, I learned the skill of memorizing. I did learn to think critically and to read and write well, but mostly I learned how to memorize material for a test. If teachers focused on the skills that each lesson was teaching their students rather than solely the content, I believe that there can be a radical change in the education of our students. I think at first this will be difficult for me because it will require me to learn, and I will have to take the initiative to learn. There is so much that I do not know about online resources. In watching "The Networked Student" I had not heard of most of the resources that the student was taking advantage of. I feel that integrating technology into classrooms is really where teachers will find out if they truly want to educate. Do I still want to teach even when the job shifts to something unexpected and quite different? For me, the answer is yes.
The Networked Student
Before watching this video, I had never heard of Connectivism. It is a theory in which students take advantage of technology and connections with classmates and other students in order to control their own learning. The first teacher that I ever remember being honest with me about connective learning was Dr. Forbes in the chemistry department at USA. He told us that even after all these years of practicing and teaching chemistry, he still uses the periodic table as a resource and if there is ever something he doesn't understand or can't figure out, he consults textbooks and collaborates with his colleagues to find the answer. This is what professionals do every day. It is unreasonable to ask someone to memorize everything they could ever need to know about a given profession. I work with pharmacists every day who consult online resources to find drug information. Yes, they completed pharmacy school and passed the tests, but new medications are released constantly and medicine is always evolving. I think this video is exaggerated in order to include all of the different methods of networking. I don't agree with the teacher relying wholly on networking to teach. I think it should be a joint effort. I do believe that it is important to teach our students how to think for themselves and not hesitate to ask a colleague if they need more explanation.
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis' teaching method is very interesting. She is a teacher and the IT Director at a school in rural Georgia. She firmly believes that every student can learn, but that each student or group of students learns differently. Because of this belief, she accomplishes her curriculum by customizing her teaching methods to each group of students. However, one thing always remains. She expects her students to be active learners. If they don't recognize a word she uses, they are expected to google it or look it up. If they don't know how to do something on their computers, they are expected to try to figure it out and help each other. This method of teaching is incredibly empowering for her students. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and ambition. When students are allowed to find new ways of doing things or figure things out for themselves, it also opens the door for continued learning for the teacher. However, this doesn't mean that she sits back and lets the students do all of the work. Mrs. Davis is constantly working to engage her students in the day's activities. Her goal for all of her students is that they will leave her classroom having learned how to learn. I love what Mrs. Davis is doing in this school. She is giving her students opportunities beyond what they expected for themselves growing up in a small community.
Who's Ahead in the Learning Race?
As I watched this video, I felt that it was incredibly persuasive. It is obvious that technology is integrated much more in these elementary classrooms. However, I'm not sure that it's fair to say that all elementary classrooms are the same as those in Baldwin County. The classrooms in my son's Mobile County public elementary school have smart boards, but he was not issued an iPad or MacBook. I'm not saying that the education he is receiving is sub par by any means, but technology is not integrated to the same degree as in this Baldwin County school. I think it is wonderful that these children are gaining exposure, not only to the computers themselves, but to the many different things that you can do with them. Computers aren't just for accessing games and social media. They are a wonderful tool that can be used to increase knowledge, and I hope that Mobile County can one day give their students these same opportunities. It seems that these elementary schools are certainly ahead in the learning race. I can't help but wonder if our colleges and universities just assume that we are all tech savvy simply because we are adults. I've only been in Dr. Strange's class for two weeks, and I've already learned a lot about blogging and html. I'm sure there will be a lot more to learn in the coming weeks. I always thought that I knew a decent amount about computers because I have tons of experience with Microsoft Office, but now that is expected of everyone. I, personally, am lagging behind in this race, and I can't wait to catch up!
Flipping the Classroom
Wow, flipping the classroom is an interesting concept. At first, I was completely against this idea, but after listening to Mrs. Munafo explain the way it works, I am definitely intrigued. I think it has potential to be a great tool for me as a teacher. It seems that it will require a lot of support from parents and guardians at home, though. And I'm sure, as with most new things, there are people who aren't fully supportive of it. I was one of them at first! Just like Mrs. Davis in "Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts," Mrs. Munafo is offering her students a chance to empower themselves through their own learning. This method also introduces children to networking. If, after watching the videos, they still have some trouble, they can use technology to help clear things up. This gives the students a chance to think for themselves. Also, if one student catches on quickly, they don't have to waste their own learning time waiting for the teacher to explain the concept to everyone else. This new method of flipping the classroom is very interesting and vastly different than what most of us are used to when it comes to education. I wish we could see a follow up video showing how this program is working for that school or even another one.
Bringing the Locker Room Into the Classroom
I was never a big athlete. I played soccer for a few years in elementary school and one or two years of softball in middle school. Neither one of these sports was super competitive in my school, so we didn't have big team discussions on strategies and the weaknesses of our opponents. Because I have friends who played football at the high school and collegiate level, I know it is a different story in those locker rooms. Never having actually been in one, I had no idea that the locker room would be such a collaborative environment. Like the article says, I always imagined players huddled around their coach listening intently to instructions and encouragement. I love that these professors are looking to coaches for new ideas on engaging their students in the classroom. Many times coaches are laughed off as not being real teachers, but coaches share a bond with their players that is rare in the regular classroom setting. They are bound to have insights into getting to know the students and encouraging conversation and independent thinking. All of the athletes I know have fond memories of their coaches and the life lessons that they learned on the field. It's encouraging to see educators collaborating with coaches because, after all, as educators we are charged to teach our students how to be successful in life - not just 4th grade history.
Wonderful and thorough!
ReplyDeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on this post! I can see you being a wonderful teacher one day. You and I agreed on a lot of the same things. I totally agree that we need to get kids involved in ALL subjects. I think the flipping the classroom is a neat idea but in reality I fee like it would not work to well. I am like you I would like to see a video of how it is actually going now.