Blog Post #2 What Will Teaching in the 21st Century be Like?

Mr. Dancealot
In "Mr. Dancealot" video, I believe the central message is that not everything can be taught on power point or on computers. Sometimes you need a hands on approach. If you do not get your students involved and actively thinking they will not remember it. You must do things yourself to really learn. The author makes the case for his conclusion by making it obvious that the class does not understand what is going on. They never actually got to dance, therefore they really do not know what to do. A person can not simply sit in a classroom, listen to a lecture, and actually retain the information, such as dancing. I do agree with his conclusion, that not everyone can sit through a class and retain that type of information. Everyone is different. Some need a hands on approach. If they are engaged in what they are learning they are more likely to actually remember it; not only for a test but for a long time.

"Teaching in the 21st Century" by Kevin Roberts

The Role of the Teacher
A. Teachers are no longer the main source of information.
1.Today students have access to all sorts of information through Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, etc.
B. Instead, teachers must facilitate learning. As Roberts says, "Teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge; we are the filter."
Building Skills
A. Teachers must teach students how to use information from sources.
1. Students need to be able to analyze, synthesize, and validate information.
B. Students need to learn and foster skills, not just facts and statements.
1. These skills will help students to solve real-life problems as well as communicate information and ideas in a group setting.
2. Students will able to use their creativity and expand their thinking in learning skills.
Using Technology to Become a Professional
A. Students can build technological skills and use their creativity by creating blogs, social media accounts.
1. These tools can connect students and teachers to each other on a global scale.
B. In addition, they must also learn of internet dangers such as plagiarism, pirating, and online bullying.
C. For students to become professionals, we must integrate the prevalent use of technology in today's society into the classroom. They must be given assignments that will help them build their skills with internet, technology, and critical thinking.
The "New" Teacher
A. Computers and tablets are a now essential school supply items just as paper and pencil once were and teachers must use them.
B. Teachers must create engaging lessons.
"Entertainment is passive. Engagement is active."
C. It is all up to the teacher to make sure that the classroom is making the most of the learning opportunities in the 21st century.


I must agree with the way Robert shows how teaching is changing. With society changing, what engages children also changes. It is hard to keep their attention with a simple "read the book", or lecture strategy. Looking up things on the internet should not be frowned upon. He is also correct in the sense that they need to learn how to tell if a source is valid or not. It will not only help them finding solutions to problems, but in every day life. It will affect my teaching skills in ways such as online activities. Less paper and clutter in classrooms. They can take test this way, and it will tally the results faster than having an assistant. I can see where this all is changing, and how it will eventually affect me and my classroom.

The Networked Student
In the video, the network "The Networked Student", by Wendy Drexler, Her proposition is that the most effective way for students to learn is by networking. It is all about connectivism. People can learn by being connected to sources that are all around them. She uses Google Scholar for research, Itunes U for podcast, and Delicious for bookmarking resources to use later. The teacher uses these tools to teach her students how effective they can be. Networking skills help keep the students engaged and thinking. I agree with Drexler in the sense that building connections help students to more sources than they probably ever knew existed. They can build so many ideas and propositions from all of the different networking sites.


Harness Your Students
In the video,"Harness Your Students", the teacher, Vicki Davis, has her classroom completely turned upside down. She states in the video her students should be thinkers and doers. She is connecting her class to cities and countries around the world. Her students are constantly engaged in learning different things from people all around the world. They are actively learning, but also teaching her how to do new things as well. I believe she sees the potential in all of her students. They in return see the potential in themselves. They are broadening their horizons in more ways than just doing research. I personally would have loved to take a class like this one in high school.

Who's Ahead In the Learning Race
In Dr. Strange's video "Who's Ahead in the Learning Race", Who's ahead in the learning race, it is evident that the children of Baldwin Country are ahead of college undergraduates and even graduate's at South Alabama. It is mind blowing that they can learn how to use their Ipad and Macbooks in less than two days. I got my macbook my junior year of high school, and I still to this day could not tell you what all it could do. I am constantly learning how to use this computer on a daily basis. I can use my Mac much better now that I have learned so much over the past few years. I hope to continue to learn new things so I can hopefully be fortunate enough to have Ipads or Macs in my classroom and use them effectively.


Flipping the Classroom
In "Flipping the Classroom", the main idea is to prepare the students in a more timely manor about subjects. By watching the lectures for the next day and following an outline while watching it will simply cut out "lecture time" in the classroom, and leave more room for explanation and practice. I believe it could have either a really positive effect or a really negative effect. I would be hesitant to try this in my classroom partly because in the public school system you never know what the families have access to. What if they did not have a computer, or somewhere with internet. It would put stress on the parent of finding time to find someone with a computer/internet. It would also make the child stressed about getting to school earlier because they did not have the right tools at home. I think lecturing in class is a good thing if you keep it interesting, it can have a positive effect. You could always record yourself and put up the lectures for those at home who still are having problems understanding. Then the parents could be more involved, and learn with their child as well.


Bringing the Locker Room into the Classrom
"Bring the Locker Room into the Classroom" by Craig Owens is very relatable. He simply notices the enthusiasm and skill it takes to make a team, a team. They use skills like asking questions to their teammates, and discussing options to better learn how to make the correct moves. I agree that this can be taken to the classroom. By simply making the class work like a team, learning becomes more effective. Talking things out, getting new ideas, helping one another in a positive way pushes for better results.