Blog Post 2- What Will Teaching Be Like in the 21st Century

Mr. Dancealot

     As time progresses, scientist are studying more in depth of how the human brain works, and with these new discoveries, the ways of teaching are quickly progressing. The key to learning anything is doing, which is exactly what Professor Dancealot teaches. Mr. Dancealot lectures to his class for the entire semester, but he does not allow the students to actually dance. Instead, they must sit and listen while taking note of what Mr. Dancealot lectures. When the time comes for the students to take a final exam, which is actually dancing, the students have no idea what to do. This scenario proves that one must actually practice a skill in order to master it. At the University of South Alabama, some classes are beginning to perform team-based activities in order to enhance the ability to learn by practicing the skill. Practice really does make perfect, and without practice, no skill will be fully mastered.

Teaching in the 21st Century

     So what does it mean to teach in the 21st Century? According to Kevin Roberts in his video Teaching in the 21st Century, teachers must fully understand this question in order to be successful in teaching our students. Roberts informs viewers that students can find information virtually anywhere and at anytime, meaning teachers are no longer the main source of information, rather the source that shows them how to use the resources. Questioning whether we need to focus on facts or skills, Roberts understands that we, as teachers, need to "rethink the tools we use and the types of problems we ask students to solve". For instance, students not only use the internet to collect and discuss data and publish and evaluate work via facebook, blogs, twitter, and more, students now can publish artwork in e-portfolios to reflect on progress made.

     Roberts asks the critical question of how teachers manage cell phones and other electronics, and his answer is simple- just like pencils, notebook paper, and other classroom supplies. Electronics are just another resource, and they "provide temptation, but are not the source of negative behavior". He goes on to say that students need to be engaged rather than entertained. Whereas entertainment is passive, for enjoyment, and not relevant, Roberts explains that engagement in active, for learning, and meaningful and applicable. Furthermore, entertainment allows individuals to escape problems by using the creativity of others, engagement teaches individuals to solve problems by using one's own creativity.

     Roberts ingeniously informs teachers and future teachers of the ways in which the methods of teaching need to change. Technology is taking other the world and it is important, as teachers, to teach students how to use these resources at their full potentials. Roberts's statement "students do not need to be entertained, they need to be engaged" could not be more applicable to teaching students in the 21st century. We, as educators, need to learn how to engage our students in order to teach them skills that our needed in today's society.

The Networked Student

      Wendy Drexler provides another example of how teachers play a role in the 21st Century in The Networked Student, where the narrator states that connectivism is taking over to world of learning. Connectivism is "a theory in which learning is a part of a social network of diverse connections", which simply means that others strengthen the learning process. Drexler suggests that first, students must learn how to validate information and use Google Scholar to find websites in which they want to keep on bookmarking sites. Blogs are a source in which one can comment on others viewpoints after learning about the topic, then the student can create a new blog with the information he or she has learned. Drexler informs viewers of the convenient tool of video podcast, such as iTunes U. The internet provides useful tools to learn from others, so why do students need a teacher? Drexler says that teachers show students how to use these resources, provide guidance on how to differentiate between positive and negative articles and how to get organize, and most importantly, help to develop a student's passion for learning.

     Although connectivism is taking over the world of learning, teachers still need to teach students information. Online learning can have many positive effects, but overall, reading material then having a teacher review the information in his or her own terms allows information to be better retained in the brain. As a teacher, I will teach my students in the classroom and provide the resources if some students desire to further learn.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

     Adding to the world of technology in the classroom in the Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, Vicki Davis believes that if students only have a pen and a sheet of paper then only certain students will succeed. She instead believes in turning school upside-down and customizing her lesson plans to fit individual classes, emphasizing that a teacher must teach how to learn. For instance, Davis uses new terminology hoping that her students will use resources to determine what she is talking about. Davis has taught rural children how to connect with the entire world, which assists in teaching students to use knowledge in a social setting. Vicki Davis has found a perfect balance of teaching and using technology, because she teaches what she knows but allows the students to learn individually as well.

Flipping a Classroom

     Dr. Lodge, a professor at NC State, has developed a new innovative way of learning called Flipping A Classroom, which allows direct instruction to occur at home while homework is completed at school. The students watch a pre-recorded instructional video at home, where they practice problems and prepare questions for the following school day, which allows for a higher level of learning in classrooms. As elementary students begin learning more advanced material and the parents can not assist with homework help, I believe that this method would help parents interact with children after school if desired, but if the parents do not have time to spend with the children, which is an unfortunate reality, the child can do this independently.  For more information on this innovative system of learning, please contact visit the website that Dr. Lodge has created to further explain this innovation learning technique or email the teacher currently teaching math with this method.