What does it mean to you to be an educator in the digital age?

What does it mean to you to be an educator in the digital age? 

Much of being an education in the digital age means the same as being an educator has always meant to me. I love to learn and inspire others to learn as well. Effective educators create experiences, build relationships and engage their students in meaningful endeavors to solve problems. The 4 C's (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, & Creativity) are not skills exclusive to 21st Century. 

More than once I've seen a first grade student walk up to a land line phone, leave the receiver on the cradle and begin to dial. It always reminds me of how much is new and different from when I was in grade school. We had a family desk top when I was in college and I had to tear the edges of the papers I printed. I've had to be constantly learning to keep up in the world. My students will need to do the same, no matter what their professions are.

I have shifted my thinking of my job.  I do not know what future I am preparing my students for. Therefore, I have no desire to teach my students a lesson. It is my job to facilitate their learning by organizing experiences where they are involved in actively pursuing knowledge. They don't need to be told what they should know. They need to be able to persevere in figuring things out. I want to teach them how to learn 'n love it. There are more tools available now for me to do this. It is my responsibility to know how and when to use them.

Bee-Bots Summer School 2015

 

Summer School runs 10 days 8:30 - Noon. Students can come from any school in the district. With Bee-Bots, students were planning, collaborating & problem solving with new friends in no time! 

Task: 1. Use cubes to create a maze for Bee-Bot to complete 2. Create the code needed to program Bee-Bot Using the program cards 3. Program Bee-Bot 4 (They decided clear twice at the beginning and go at the end are important details). Adjust as needed until another group can come and use the created code to program Bee-Bot. 

Note: It doesn't matter the oder introduced:  Bee-Bots or  Kodable. The reaction upon introduction was the same: 'This is just like when we used (insert what was used first).' Generalization at its finest. 

Reflection on SHIFT Symposium and DALLA

Reflection on SHIFT Symposium and DALLA

It is a privilege to be a part of DALLA. I am learning with professionals that make me a better and more knowledgeable teacher.

The SHIFT Symposium was a valuable experience. Presenters and speakers were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Hearing the perspective of high school students was a good reminder that students are bringing a great deal of knowledge to the table and have valid options on what their learning experiences should be.

I learned more about SAMR model. Specifically, I used to view it as a ladder to climb and now see it as reference with which to reflect on how effectively I'm using technology to meet the need of my students and change what they know and can accomplish. I won't be in redefining every 'lesson' into a learning experience with or without technology. Some substitutions will surly improve efficiency from before tech availability. However, my goal is to transform the learning in my classroom by examining what I am doing, why I am doing it and how to improve upon the experiences for my students.

I also built rubber band race cars & created an avatar using google drawing tools. In these sessions, we were doing the work and learning. We were not given a 'lesson' on how we could do something. We were actively learning by doing. Another great reminder that when learners are engaged in the 4 Cs, we are learning more than just the task at hand.