The future of education is a mystery. However, there are some growing trends that teachers can adopt in the classroom to better suit the needs of their students, which, in turn, will benefit society as a whole. In order to create this ideal student Teachers need to supply their students with a sophisticated amount of tools such to work collaboratively with others, basic technologies to function in a technology-driven work field, and tools the ability to foster creativity and imagination.
We are at the point in our educational journey in the United States where some basic practices can no longer be accepted. No longer can the teacher be the sole bases of information. No longer can the teacher teach from an outdated textbook, while not keeping up with current news, trends, and discoveries in their fields. We need to create a classroom without borders. The classroom without borders needs to be where the students are the main source of their own educational findings and where they are able to explore, learn, and create in a student-centered environment. As John Dewey once said, students need to “learn by doing.”
However, student-centered learning cannot simply be the silver bullet to solving education. Teachers should be aware that any learning/teaching style needs to be coupled with great content knowledge and educational technologies. Teachers will also need to adapt various technology practices to facilitate and support this style of learning. For example, teachers can use blogs as a way for students to showcase their creations and to reflect on how their project went. Students could use social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook to research and find current, up-to-date information and findings. Finally, another technology that could be used to facilitate project-based learning are presentation tools such as Prezi, Haiku Deck, Google Presentation, and Keynote.
Shifting education more and more into the hands of the students is only one of the solutions to empowering students and to better societal changes. We also must gear our education to encompass technologies that the students already use. I believe that it’s important to create a school environment where students are encouraged to bring their devices to school (Bring Your Own Devices – BYOD.) If we can teach students the skills incorporated in using BYOD (best practices, safe use, apps/skills to fostering work efficiency), then they will be better prepared for the work force which has seen an increase in BYOD in various employment positions. However, it needs to be more than students bringing their devices to school. Teachers need to create and design lesson built around these devices. Besides the basic uses of such devices (blogging/discussions, taking/uploading pictures and videos), teachers need to be able to allow students to connect with other people around the world through their devices in order to fully understand concepts and cultures around the world.
Besides incorporating mobile devices inside the classroom, I think it’s important to also to allow students to show and display their growth of knowledge over time. Students in my classroom will be creating online portfolios (e-portfolios) through the use of Google Docs to keep, store, and share their information that they have gathered in my classes. Each student will create a classroom folder that will showcase each chapter, their notes, and projects that they have created. Hopefully, students will use the knowledge that they have gained in my classes to help them with future classes they will take.
Teachers also need to be able to prepare students for the future by creating and designing activities and lessons that are data driven. No longer can we simply create and design lessons that aren’t effectively researched. We need to look at data given to us by the district and the state to figure out where the holes in our instruction are located. Though this may not be a fun task, it’s important for us to be responsible and to reflect on our practices. (video tapes of themselves, think alouds, combine with the other paragraph about student-centered)
A teacher must not only be able to use technology but be able to use it in a very efficient manner. They must combine the best teaching methods, add their best content knowledge, and an effective use of technology. A successful teacher should be able to incorporate all these concepts into their teaching in order to produce a knowledgeable, well-rounded, and creative student.
The future of education is a mystery in the United States. However, there are some growing trends that teachers can adopt in the classroom to better suit the needs of the student and society. I believe that as educators we need to be able to have a bag of sophisticated tools at our disposal to accommodate the ever changing and diverse needs of our students. Students should leave the classroom with those same tools such as the ability to think creatively, to imagine, to work with others, and to problem-solve and the skills to be able to compete with a challenging and skilled national workforce.
First, teachers need to be able to educate students through a variety of methods. No longer can we simply lecture them and expect great results. We need to deliver content in a way that encompasses a variety of learning methods. Teachers should combine effective use of technology with deep rooted content knowledge, using multiple and diverse methods of instruction. In my classroom, you will see a great amount of technology usage incorporated with group work, student-centered activities, and individual research. Due to this type of teaching, I believe that my students will be more creative, imaginative, and better prepared for the world ahead of them.
We are at the point in our educational journey in the United States were some basic practices can no longer be accepted. No longer can teacher be the sole bases of information. No longer can the teacher teach from an outdated textbook while not keeping up with current news, trends, and discoveries in their fields. We need to create a classroom without borders. The classroom without borders need to be where the students are the main source of their own education and where they are able to explore, learn, and create in a student-centered environment.
Jeffrey Fisher 