The world inhabited by today’s
digital learners looks drastically different from that of past generations. Computers,
cell phones, and video games have surrounded today’s students since they were
born, classifying them as “native speakers of the digital language” (Prenske,
2001). Dr. Bruce Berry, of the Baylor
College of Medicine, suggests that these “different kinds of experiences lead
to different brain structures” (as cited in Prenske, 2011). While not all
experts agree that current students’ brains have been altered by their exposure
to technology, most will agree that the way in which we need to teach these
students has changed. Advances in technology have broken down barriers in
communication and created new forums for worldwide collaboration. According to
Will Richardson (2010), “the walls of the classroom are literally made
irrelevant by the creation of communities of learners that span oceans, races,
genders, and generations” (p. 148). The opportunities for learning through technology
are endless and are constrained only by the willingness of educators to delve
into its integration.
Looking back on myself as a teacher
and individual prior to participating in the “Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work,
and Society” course, I can now see that I have experienced growth in my
knowledge and understanding of the teaching styles and pedagogy I need to use to
teach in this digital world. Gaining first-hand experience in the use of web
2.0 tools such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts, has improved my technology skills
and provided me with the background training I need in order to model the use
of these programs to my students. In collaboratively building a wiki and
creating a blog and podcast, I have developed trouble-shooting skills that will
be helpful in the classroom. As an offshoot to the Walden coursework, I have thoughtfully
begun to consider specific ways in which I can integrate these tools into my
standing curriculum.
Prior to this course, I recognized differences between the
middle-school students I currently teach and those I attended middle school
with a decade and a half ago. While these differences were evident in my
personal experiences, the course readings and videos introduced me to Prensky’s
(2001) classifications of individuals as either digital natives or digital
immigrants. Prensky’s characteristics of digital natives were immediately recognizable
within my students in their capabilities of multitasking, expectation for and enjoyment
of readily available information, and their abilities to function best when
networked with their peers (Prensky, 2001). Exploration of the Partnership for
21st Century Skills website opened my eyes to the specific skills
set my students need to leave school with in order to be prepared to
participate in and compete in the global economy of the future. The
correlations between the 21st century skills described on the website and the data
on the skills currently lacking in graduates provided by nationwide employers through
the Critical Skills Survey were blatantly apparent (P21, 2011). This
information highlighted the imperativeness of the incorporation of these skills
into my instruction in order to ensure that I am adequately preparing my
students for their futures. My growth in understanding of the teaching and
learning processes has left me considering ideas for ways I can alter my teaching
in order to meet the needs of my digital native students.
One of the most valuable qualities that a teacher can model
to their students is a commitment to life-long learning. Through learning new
ideas and theories, I can expect my teaching practices and perspectives to
change over time. As the students and available technologies change, so, too,
should the classroom. One shift in education that this course has presented to
me is the switch from teacher-centered to learner-centered classrooms. In an
effort to support the development of 21st century skills, a teacher
should adjust their role in the classroom from that of the “owner” of the
content knowledge to that of a facilitator (Richardson, 2010). Allowing
students the opportunity to work collaboratively to solve problems transfers
the learning into their hands and gives them practice with working in an
environment similar to one they can expect to see in their future careers. My
learning does not stop with the conclusion of this class. With postings from
various educational blogs popping up in my RSS Feed daily, I have the
opportunity to constantly learn from experts and peers around the world. The
practical application of the resources presented in this class (blogs, wikis, and
podcasts) will certainly provide learning experiences, as well. The most
important way that I can continue to learn though, is by listening to my
students. In giving them a voice, an opinion on how they should be learning new
material, I will be able to stay relevant and familiar with the technological
advances that come along, and I will be able to integrate these innovations
into my teaching in an effort to increase student achievement.
One
long-term goal that I have for myself is to adapt my classroom and activities
so that the environment is more learner-centered. In order to accomplish this,
I plan to provide more opportunities for my students to determine the methods
in which they learn. My goal is to establish a classroom climate in which my
students feel comfortable in sharing their ideas for accomplishing goals and
solving problems. Ideally, I would like to do this by presenting them with a challenge
or project and allowing each student group to creatively and collaboratively
complete the task, utilizing any technological resource they have available to
them. I also will need to make a concerted effort to alter my role in the
classroom. Through the incorporation of more problem-based learning, I want to
take on the role of facilitator and help to guide my students through their
learning.
A second
long-term goal that I have for myself is to incorporate each of the web 2.0
tools that we were exposed to during this course. During the upcoming school
year, I plan to revamp the blogging program that I have previously used so that
students are able to communicate more frequently and authentically with one
another. I plan to utilize wikis during my science unit on meteorology. Instead
of creating a mini-book on a topic from the unit, I will be splitting my
classes up into groups to create digital mini-books with the help of a wiki. I
do not currently have any specific plans for the incorporation of podcasts.
However, I would like to develop a lesson utilizing this tool for the following
year. While I am expressing a commitment to utilizing these three examples of
web 2.0 resources, I do not want to be limited to just these. Through my
ongoing participation in a number of educational technology blogs, I would like
to stay abreast of any new technologies developed in the next two years, as
well.
Looking
back upon the “Practices to Support 21st Century Skills” checklist
that I completed at the beginning of this course, I am able to see specifically
how I have grown. Due to the fact that school has not been in session during
this course, I have not been able to actually make any changes to my teaching
practice. However, I have been able to edit the ways in which I hope to be
teaching. I now have a greater understanding and level of comfort with various
collaboration tools. I intend to allow my students the opportunity to use
various forms of collaborative technology in the upcoming school year. My
participation in this course has helped me to gain an understanding of how to
design a technology-rich classroom environment. It is my intention to model
appropriate technology integration and appropriate and effective technology use
in my work environment to my peers. Through my continued participation in
educational technology blogs, I also hope to connect with other education professionals
and participate in professional learning communities to further professional
development.
References:
Prensky, M. (2001a). Digital
natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful
web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
The Partnership for 21st
Century Skills. (2011). The partnership for 21st century skills
[Website]. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org.
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