Digital Blog Post #A - Chapter 1 - Chelsea Arato

First, I would like to explain my theory of the importance of being a 21st century teacher. Technology is becoming more advanced every day. Some people may think that this is a bad thing, but teachers should not because it can benefit and help students learn drastically. I believe it is important to be "up to date" with today's technology as a teacher because it also makes students feel that you understand them and are on their level. For example, I once had a teacher who did not know how to use a basic computer. She was very old and did not have any interest in learning about it, so all the students would take advantage of her not knowing certain things. In my classroom I will be teaching younger students, so technology will be fairly new to them. Not everybody will adapt to using computers, phones, or tablets, so that is why I will also be teaching the "old fashion" way and hands on as well to accommodate all student learning styles. 

Second, I enjoyed reading about the seven key categories of technology in our class textbook. They consist of internet technologies, information management technologies, problem- solving/ inquiry- learning technologies, social media technologies, multimedia technologies, differentiating learning technologies and assessment technologies. Before reading this chapter, I did not know that technology could be broken down into this many pieces. I believe that teachers can use all of these strategies instructionally, interactively and professionally. One way that I can use one of the technologies in my future classroom is by having students research projects online. 

Third, I was blown away by the number of statistics that proved what an "iGeneration" we have become. One fact that caught my eye particularly was found in our class textbook, "95% of 12- to 17- year- olds are online and 80% of those adolescents use sites such as Facebook or Twitter (Lenhart, Madden, Smith, Purcell, Zickhr, & Rainie, 2011). If social media can cause such an impact on young students lives, I can only imagine how teaching with technology can as well. Students are learning how to use devices such as iPhones, and iPads at such a young age, it is incredible. I remember when I first activated a Facebook, I was in high school and thought it was the coolest thing. 

In conclusion, being a 21st century teacher will help guide students in the right direction for their future. That is what teaching is all about. I am very supportive when learning knew things about technology. It may take a while to comprehend, but in the end it will help students grow, as well as myself. Below is a video about becoming a 21st century teacher.

21st Century Teachers

Resources

YouTube.Becoming 21st Century Teachers - YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8jf2TN_-8Q

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc