How Can I Become a 21st Century Educator?

IT’S A NEW DAWN, IT’S A NEW DAY, IT’S A NEW LIFEEEE, AND I’M FEELIN’ LIKE A 21st CENTURY EDUCATOR 

(love me some Michael Bublé)

I’m pretty sure back in the 20^th century people thought that by the 21^st century life would be as depicted in The Jetsons with the flying cars, cities in the sky, etc. 

Sadly, that is not the kind of technology we have today.  We just have plain ol’ tablets, and smartphones, and iPads, and iPhones, and computers, and laptops, and Internet, and YouTube, and Instagram, and Snapchat, and a whole lot of other apps.  Such a shame we don’t have Rosie the Robot Maid ... Oh s***, does the iRobot Roomba count as a robot maid? 🤔 🤔 🤔 🤔

Although life in the 21^st century is not exactly like life in The Jetsons cartoon, it is still an age of technology – it’s the “digital age.”  Being a teacher in the digital age places a new responsibility on teachers. As an educator, it is essential to incorporate 21^st century technology into our classrooms to help our students develop 21^st century life skills. According to my class textbook, Transforming Learning with New Technologies, “To prepare everyone for productive lives and fulfilling careers, teachers are expected to convey 21st century skills to students.  21st century skills represent the knowledge and understandings that students will need to succeed in our highly technological, information-based society, including the ability to think critically, make informed judgments, solve complex problems, think creatively, communicate and collaborate with others, use information in innovative ways, and take responsibility for one’s personal and civic life” (Maloy, Verok, Ruth-Ellen, Sharon, & Woolf, 2017, p. 23). The image below incapsulates the variety of 21^st century skills and its intersection with the teaching realm. 

Now, how can I become a 21^st Century Educator? This is a GREAT question. Let me create a list:

·      I can use 21^st century technologies in my lessons.

·      I can blend the content I want to teach and the activities I originally planned with technology to create a more interactive, meaningful, and exciting experience for my students.

o   Cells phones and social media is super popular among middle school and high school students (the age a plan to teach).

o   As a 21^st Century Educator, I could create an assessment where students use Instagram to showcase what they learned about WWII.

o    For example, a student can choose the Holocaust – their Instagram will consist of pictures, documents, etc. from that event they think is important. Each image will have a thoughtful caption with hashtags, students can tag individuals, and even put a location of the image.

·      Lastly, to become a technology-leading teacher, I should develop a professional learning network (PLN).

o   “A PLN demonstrates your talents and competencies as a teacher— showing what you know how to do instructionally and professionally with the latest interactive tools (Trust, 2012)” (Maloy, et al., 2017, p.  19)

o   It is important for me, a new teacher, to be a life-long learner and to constantly develop myself, learn about the latest technology and educational trends, and to network by sharing my ideas and my resources.

o   In my graduate course we even discussed certain platforms to build PLNs and digital portfolios to showcase our work.

§  Platforms: Weebly, Wix, Blogger, Google Sites, PB Works, EMaze

§  What it should showcase:

·      Teacher work as a digital resume

·      Reflections on teaching practices and growth

·      Lessons

·      Philosophy of Teaching

·      Contact Information

·      Work Experiences

Reference

 Maloy, Robert W.; Verock, Ruth-Ellen A; Edwards, Sharon A.; Woolf, Beverly P.. Transforming Learning with New Technologies (What's New in Curriculum & Instruction). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.