#6710 Last Discussion Post

Discussion 7 (Week 8)

From a teacher-centered to a student-centered environment.  Many teachers that I have met are fighting this change.  Yet according to Dr. David Thornburg, (The changing role of the classroom teacher: Part 1, 2015h) this is not a bad thing and I agree.  For too long education has been telling students what to think and what to read and learn.  That attitude has created learners that need to be spoon-fed and not explore the world with freedom.  If anyone has heard about Dr. Maria Montessori and the Montessori Education Method, then you may see a technology version of what she started so many decades ago.  In Montessori education is student lead and centered and teacher observed and guided.  By controlling students, we have almost eliminated the natural curiosity out of them.  That is damaging.

Dr. Chris Dede ( The changing role of the classroom teacher: Part 2, 2015i) explains clearly about teachers and facilitators and that they do not have to know everything, but they do need to be flexible to find the answer.  He speaks to me when he talks about teachers needing to be flexible to teach in various ways.

This week at my school we have had everything from an Active Shooter Drill with students to a regular class day with students.  It has given me an opportunity to observe and talk with other teachers.  The conversations have been from teachers saying how they had teaching today because they must do all this ‘new’ stuff.  They just want to hand out papers, lectures and then students due as they are told.  Then there are teachers like me, we are happy to have the new technology to teach with.  We like to be a guide and not a lecturer.  We like guiding and being present for our students. Teachers that can see in themselves (reflect) (Nieto, 2014) that they need to change their teaching process to keep students engaged is an aware individual.

Applications that I am doing in my classes are creating pages for students to go to for support with lessons and topics.  I am using interactive excel documents with due dates of assignments to communicate to dates to students. I have been researching and sharing through Edmodo.com (I do not have access to Google Classroom through my school) and encouraging input from students.

My personal goals for a 21^st Century Classroom are many.  My primary focus right now is to learn what it is that I am teaching my students.  To continue my education and my training in courses that I was hired to teach.  Another goal is to be more instructive with basic technology use.  I have so many students that can navigate on their cell phones so quickly that they do not think about what they are doing, but they can not save a document to a drive or a folder.  So my goal to help with this is to work in a component into many, if not all, lesson extensions that will teach them how to perform basic computer skills so that when they leave high school they will not be kept from a job, training or collegiate education because of a lack of basic computer skills.

References

The changing role of the classroom teacher: Part 2. (2015i). Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education.

Jonassen, D. H. (2006). Modeling with Technology, Mindtools for Conceptual Change. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2015). RWRCOEL Technology Proficiencies. RWRCOEL Technology Proficiencies. Walden University. Retrieved from https://class.content.laureate.net/2565b7a77954cee53d16c82a78cc0726.pdf

Nieto, S. (2014). Why We Teach Now. Teachers College Press.

The changing role of the classroom teacher: Part 1. (2015h). Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education.