Tuesday, February 2, 2016

What is 21st Century Learning to Me?


Technology…21st century learning is all about technology and its growing trend. Not only in schools, but also in careers, technology is always growing and changing. Working in a school, I hear all the time that teachers sometimes may not even have work sheets for a lesson because everything is done on an iPad or computer. This in a way can be helpful since so much of the workforce industry is driven off technology, that students can merge right in after graduating with the knowledge of already knowing how to maneuver around on devices and in programs. I like how our teachers use ELMOS and projectors and other devices to interact with students and showing them how to learn. The touch screens help with more hands on learning, and I believe this holds attention span a lot longer than a lecture or a work sheet. As a future teacher, I am trying to prepare myself to always stay a little head of the game when it comes to technology and how it can help me be a better teacher. I receive emails often about new apps or websites that are for students and teachers, from our central office in the county I work in. Our technology specialist, at our school, often is showing us how to drive around in a new website that will help better prepare a lesson or help show students a new way to learn a concept. With technology, the sky is the limit and I truly believe there is no end to learning. Students can always discover new information and new ways to indulge in their class and homework through the use of technology. No matter the learning level a student is on, there is always an app or website that can assist and help each student excel. 

2 comments:

  1. Haley,
    I do agree that touch screens affect students' attention spans. We had a Smartboard in every classroom at my last school in Korea. The students loved taking turns to use the puffy star or candy corn to complete activities. It was a great interactive tool that could go anywhere on the internet. The kindergarten teacher I worked with purchased Smartboard calendar programs for every month of the school year. The slides covered everything from the weather to math, science, reading, and social studies. We also used the Smartboard as a math center and a literacy center. It was nice to see their knowledge of the Smartboard grow throughout the year.
    Tamara Coon

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  2. Haley, you are completely correct when you said that many days educators do not even have worksheets for their students to complete. I substitute in my county and I am amazed with how often the students complete their assignments and tests without paper. It can be difficult for me sometimes, because a teacher will always forget to leave a password so I can access the lesson plan. 80% of the time, it seems that students are working on their iPads or chrome-books. And while this may prepare them for the future, I sometimes worry that students are becoming too reliant on technology. I know that students whom I tutor in the evenings, have the most difficult time spelling because they are so used to auto-correct, not to mention their handwriting.

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