Blog Post #2 Teaching in the 21st Century

MR. Dancealot

Mr. Dancealot is a professor that teaches a dance class. The catch is that he teaches a dance class without ever teaching the students how to actually dance. I believe the central message is that as teachers you cannot just give notes and expect the students to be ready for the test or real life situations. Taking notes and reading what is on the board will only get students so far. In the conclusion note taking is not the answer for teaching life skills and learning hands on. I agree that if the students are not expose to hands on learning they will never be prepared for the TEST.

"Teaching in the 21st Century "

Kevin Roberts big question is what does it mean to teach in the 21st century? For me, to teach in the 21st century you must be able to talk and relate to your students in a way in which they can understand. The big word I saw in the video was engaged, and I think to teach in the 21st century you must be able to engage with the students to maximize their learning. In order for students to learn in this time period teachers have to provide the basic fundamentals of learning and ways to learn. Robert sees teaching changes from books, pencil, and paper to social networks, blogs, and online web browsing. I feel that Roberts is right that teaching is not the same and that if we continue to teach facts, dates, and theories then what are we really teaching?

If Robert is correct this will affect me as a future educator because I will have to learn how to adapt to this new change. Future teachers themselves have to pick up the new technology and use it to teach children more about life and how to survive instead of just basic learning. Teachers must be open-minded and willing to try new things to accomplish the main goal, which is to educate their students. To me teachers are role models for kids and we must get them to express their thought and feelings openly while respecting them and learning from them. So instead of giving notes daily and forcing uninteresting lists of dates and facts into student’s minds, as a teacher we must give assignments that allow them to apply their own knowledge of a subject to expand their thinking.

Network Student

Connectivism is the belief of learning from social networking. The network student is about a student who has a teacher that never lectures but believes social networking is valuable. After gathering information, Wendy Drexler creates a blog in which he shares what he is learning through a blog.   

Why does a network students need a teacher? I believe the teacher of the network students is there to provide insight on questions, along with bringing in the meaning behind assignments and information. The teacher should guide students to ask more questions in which they can search answers to provide to the teacher. The teacher is just the branch that connects what students learning to how they can use it in real life.

Wendy Drexler is using this video to show students, teachers, and parents what to expect in the new era of 21^st century learning. Social networking is a valuable tool and learning has and will continue to change. Technology is the force behind learning and it must be accepted and understood.

Harness your students' digital smarts 

This video is by a teacher name Vicki Davis who uses technology to connect her students to the world. Her class is similar to Dr. Stranger’s EDM 310 class, where she has her class blog on a webpage. Vicki Davis is a true believer in using technology to enhance her students learning.  Her students have their own blog in which they post what they are learning and things involving their new learning experiences. Vicki is ahead in her learning experiences that she shares with her students.

Flipping the Classroom

Ms. Munafo video provides a new aspect of learning. By flipping the classroom she explain how using technology to learn about information about lesson that has not been taught yet. This strategy provides students an encounter with problems and provides them with questions before they even enter the classroom. This strategy is a foundational learning tool that provides students with something to build on when they actually learn about the given lesson. This also provides the teacher with understanding of what she needs to focus on and guides her teaching style and lesson.