Hello Everyone!
My name is Nilay Karamemis and your listening to my podcast addressing what skills I will need to make use of as a teacher in order to teach effectively in the digital age we live in today. The world is forever changing. Everyday we are introduced to a new technological approach with the daily tasks we are assigned to. Well I guess if there is an alteration to certain elements, such as technology, it simply means we have to modify our skills to make use of the amazing resources we are provided with. If we are not literate with these procedures, how can we best benefit from them?
This question introduces the skill of digital and technology literacy. If I don’t know it how can I promote it and encourage students to engage with it? Living in the 21st century, teaching in the digital age, is not just about incorporating a technological aspect along with the content you are trying to teach. Furthermore it is predominantly more about making use of that technology in the form of inspiring students to understand and enhance their knowledge accordingly and manage that information qualitatively.
If I am applying the content or resource incorrectly I wont be able to stimulate the advantage it has on student learning therefore, will not be able to urge students to think productively about the digital world. Newmannn, Bryk and Nagaoka in 2001 suggested that students learn more when they are engaged in meaningful, relevant, intellectual stimulating work. The digital age is engaging all together. In the ever-changing world we live in it seems like it is the golden key to a successful future. Anne O’Brien (2015) a blogger on Edutopia suggests that ‘While individual educators can develop the skills necessary to help students succeed in the new economy, if that capacity does not spread throughout the classroom, and if the school lacks the tools needed for teachers to effectively instruct in the digital world, ultimately, students will suffer.’ (Briggs, 2014)
Then there is the skill of effective communication. According to the 21st Century Literacy Summit in 2002 information and communications technologies are raising the bar on the competencies needed to succeed in the 21st century. The effective communication starts with the teacher. I must illustrate the vitality of communication and collaboration through out the lesson plans so that students can approach situations with a diverse range of communication skills. Whether it is participating in a team or teaching others new skills effective communication skills are essential for success in todays knowledge based society. (Saavedra & Opfer, 2012)
Effective communication involves teaming and collaboration, interpersonal skills, personal responsibility and interactive communication. I would need to promote and apply collaborative skills to a variety of situations and then further reflect on group interactions by assessing the experience to make future collaboration and communications more productive. In todays society it is imperative that’s students learn to communicate effectively using a range of media, technology and digital environments. This adds a new dimension for enhanced communication through online learning environments, chat rooms, threaded discussions and emails. I plan to start the mentioned skills as soon as I am registered to manage my own classroom. If my students are growing up in the forever changing digital age, they need me to effectively assist them and assure they are on the expected level of living in the 21st century..
Thanks for listening to me this week. That is all for now but will definitely see you all next week on my blog discussing the challenges in teaching in the digital age.
Bye for now…
References:
O'Brien, A. (2015). School Leaders: Guiding Teachers into the Digital Age. Edutopia. Retrieved 30 July 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-leaders-guiding-teachers-digital-age-anne-obrien
Briggs, S., & Briggs, S. (2014). 20 Things Educators Need To Know About Digital Literacy Skills - InformED. InformED. Retrieved 30 July 2015, from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/digital-literacy-skills/
21st Century Literacy Summit. (2002). 21st century literacy in a converent media world (White Paper). Berlin, Germany: Author. Retrieved April 14, 2003 from http://www.21stcenturyliteracy.org/white/WhitePaperEnglish.pdf
Saavedra, A., & Opfer, V. (2012). Learning 21st-Century Skills Requires 21st-Century Teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(2), 8-13. doi:10.1177/003172171209400203
Since there is a major shift from the 20th century learning it is evident that school leaders and educators also need to further extend their knowledge and skills to cater for the learners in current society. We are in an era of change where as teachers, we have to assure that we have the attributes to further extend and facilitate the learning of students by integrating a technological approach to our lesson plans.
This is closely related to the expectations of an educator and the approach we imply to our classroom practices. An assessment I had completed, available to view, in the subject Teaching in Australian Schools, closely looks at the seven standards of teaching. The National Professional Standards for Teachers published by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), is the preliminary approved manuscript of Initial Teacher Education Programs within Australia. The document is recognised as a specialised standards rubric manual that plays a vital role in schooling foundation; and is purposely composed to guiding teachers towards professional learning and further advance their excellence of teaching, assuring they are competent with a collection of defined principles.
In this case it is essential that teachers to fulfil the expectations of the standards in order to become immaculate problem solvers and connect learning opportunities across different contexts. This can be best exemplified with the Connected Communities 21 Project conducted by Macquarie University and New South Wales Department of Education and Communities by exploring how leaders approach change when confronted with the pressures of adopting new technologies and re-thinking pedagogies for a digital age and changing curriculum.
A sound cloud I recently ore oared for one component of this assessment closely examines the expectations of a teacher facilitating in the digital age. I have come to understand that if there is an alteration to certain elements, such as technology, it simply means we have to modify our skills to make use of the amazing resources we are provided with. Living in the 21st century, teaching in the digital age, is not just about incorporating a technological aspect along with the content you are trying to teach. Furthermore it is predominantly more about making use of that technology in the form of inspiring students to understand and enhance their knowledge accordingly and manage that information qualitatively.