Blog Post #2

What Will Teaching in the 21st Century be Like?

Mr. Dancealot's video is a great example of the importance of a teacher to the class. Mr. Dancealot, who taught a dance class, was a good teacher but not teaching in the right way for this particular class. The teacher was teaching dance through a powerpoint presentation and lecture with no interactions from the students. The students were not allowed to even get out of their seats to participate in the class. The message to educators I believe is to show that your students then to be stimulated in class, participating, and learning the material. It is the teachers job to TEACH in the best way possible and get the information across to their students.

Teaching in the 21st Century Outline

• Teaching
• Obsolete
• Students can find info on
• Anything
• Anytime
• Anywhere
• Blogs
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google
• Cell phones
• Wiki
• Youtube
• Limitless
• Teachers are the FILTERS
• Facts 
• Content
• Skills
• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create

After watching, Teaching in the 21st Century by Kevin Roberts (John Strange version), I was very interested in the way that Roberts sees teaching changing in the 21st Century. My way of interpreting Roberts beliefs is that as technology grows, teachers must grow with their way of teaching. I really love how Roberts says "Teachers are the filters", this quote is so perfect, because it is true that students can get information everywhere and it is the teachers job to filter and direct students to the "Facts, Content, and Skills" As technology continues to grow in the 21st century information will continue to become easier to find online and educators will have to evolve with the technology.

The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler, was a great video that showed just how much a student can do with all the technology available to them. The teacher in the video pushed the students to become connected with others and be in charge of their own learning. It may seem like in the video that the teacher isn't really being a teacher and making the students figure it out all the information on their own, but that is not the case. The teacher in the video helps the student build his network and take advantage to all opportunities, and like the video above, Teaching in the 21st Century, teachers are the filters for the information found on the web.

The video of Vicki Davis and her class, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, was a great preview of what the modern day class room should look like. I interpreted Davis' thesis from the video to be that the kids should be thinkers, and the teachers are there to guide, but not give the students all the information. The site Edutopia where this video was located, is a great teaching site and such a great resource for educational videos and information for deeper learning techniques.

The movie Who's Ahead in the Learning Race? by John H. Strange asks the who is ahead in the learning race elementary students, undergraduates, and graduate students? It is obvious from Dr. Strange's detailed video of his time in Gulf Shores Elementary School that students from kindergarten through third grade are ahead in the learning race. They are able to do things on Macs and IPads, that many college students are unable to do. This video was very interesting to show that even teachers of younger students can incorporate technology in the classroom.

Flipping the Classroom is a great innovative way of learning that is very new to me. I believe this is an incredible approach and can be useful to me as a teacher! I loved how the teacher in the video was so excited about this particular approach to learning, and she seemed certain that this will help her students become more free thinkers, and her students will come to class with background and knowledge of what she plans to teach that day. Below is the Enganeering Design Process involved with "Flipping".

The article, Bringing the Locker Room Into the Classroom by Craig N. Owens, was interesting to show the comparison and contrast to classroom learning and being on an athletic team. I played volleyball all  through high school and could really see the points how similar they are. "Coaching in the Classroom" is a great way to keep students involved and stimulated just like they would be in an sports practice.