21st century learning describes the types of competencies needed to thrive in today’s global landscape. According to Mishra & Mehta (2017) in order to really understand how to do this you need creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking. All of those things together can assist you with technology and the digital world. But how do we get our students there? How do we get our students to critically think using technology in the 21st century? The short answer is, we just have to figure it out and they have to explore it on their own with our guidance Bernhardt (2015) I just had to explore and learn how to drive a forklift backwards. The 21st century learning aspect shows many videos, slide shows and computer based learning on the “how” to drive a forklift backwards, but it doesn’t give the real feel of being in the forklift. This is where 21st century learning is not as much help. We revert back to the 20th century learning. You have to do it to learn it. Nothing digital will help you with this task. Watch my videos and find out how I did. As you can see, after my videos, it wasn’t perfect. However, I still did it, only ran over a few cones. Technology may have been able to give me some pointers on how to turn better. But getting in the forklift and practicing is the best way to learn. In reality, teaching this to students would not be a hard task, but you would need a forklift to teach them. Digital technology will not help them. But on the other hand, what if a simulator forklift was created? The students sat in a seat, put on 3D goggles along with controllers and drove the forklift in virtual reality. It can happen and there are probably already programs out there for it thanks to 21st century learning and the digital age. References: 4 C’s of 21st Century Learning Skills. (2021, January 23). Retrieved from Ecole Global International Girls’ School: www.ecoleglobale.com Bernhardt, P. E. (2015). 21st century learning: Professional development in practice. The Qualitative Report, 20(1), 1-19. Mishra, P., & Mehta, R. (2017). What we educators get wrong about 21st-century learning: Results of a survey. Journal of Digital learning in Teacher education, 33(1), 6-19.
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What is a gob? It the most delicious dessert (in my opinion) in the world! This dessert is made in the northeast. The Pennsylvania Dutch or Amish claim this delightful chocolate treat as their own. But others whom do not live in Pennsylvania, don't even call them "gobs," they call them "whoopie pies." And in my opinion, thats disrespectful to the decadent deliciousness of this amazing sweet.
The recipe for the gob has been in my family for many years. About 100 years ago, one of my family members talked our Amish neighbor into giving up the recipe. But because its not so common, using technology to find that right measurement for all components is difficult. I am going to have to scour the internet and other resources to find the just the right touch to this recipe. Pinterest has been my most successful stop in the internet world so far. I have found multiple recipes and may be able to use some of them. Youtube is not really helpful. No one really knows how to properly put together a gob as my grandma taught me. So for now, I'll keep looking, I'm even going to try some affinity spaces, Gee (2017) to get me started on my journey of how to make the perfect gob. References: Gee, J.P. (2017). Affinity Spaces and 21st Century Learning. Educational Technology, 57(2), 27-31. Sam. (2019, March 13). Homemade Gobs (Whoopie Pies). Retrieved from Sugar Spun Run: https://sugarspunrun.com/gobs-whoopie-pies/ Who are your people? Have you ever thought who is in your circle? More specifically, who is in your Professional Learning Network (PLN)? Educators also have a PLN. But what does that mean? A PLN is a network a person (more specifically a teacher) creates and shares with others. This network will connect you with other teachers, it can teach you something new as well as enlightens you to share your ideas with others. (Common Sense Education) Promoting learning through PLN's as a form of professional learning and directing teachers to relevant digital spaces may inspire some teachers to grown their own PLN's and engage in independent learning online. (Tour, 2017) My PLN is In the photo above. The military has greatly expanded my PLN. I have learned a lot over the past 20 years just by talking to people in my profession as well as my peers. In the military we just call it "networking." No matter who I talk to, I always try to learn something new, especially about leadership. My deployments have also created a network of new personnel to meet as well as tactics that do and do not work in certain locations. Michigan State University and the Master of Arts in Education program has also expanded my PLN. I have met so many fabulous teachers that I will be staying in contact with after my program is complete. They all have helped me grow as an educator due to the fact I am not currently teaching. I now know of so many different learning platforms, behavioral techniques and many other tools for my teaching toolbox I am excited to use in the future. The one weakness In my PLN, I only rely on my husband for professional learning and don't branch out to any relatives or close friends. I try to keep my personal and professional life separate. It's not always a bad thing, but I need to work on reaching out more to family for profession advice and learning. References: Common Sense Education. (2017, July 21). What's a PLN? And 3 ways teachers can get connected [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju54C5A3RCw&feature=emb_logo Tour, E. (2017). Teachers' self-initiated professional learning through personal learning networks. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 26(2), 179-192. Educators are required to wear many different hats in their profession. They must have the technical knowledge, content knowledge along with the pedagogical knowledge in order to being everything together to educate. But what happens when you do not have the right tools to complete the task? Or the tools are chosen by someone else? We are going to call this "Cooking with TPACK." When you apply all of the knowledge mentioned above, do you get the results you want? Or are there other variables that come into play? Watch my video and find out.... Fortunately I was given tools that I could complete my task. But what if my son had given me a whisk or a spoon? Now take that into a classroom. Imagine a student that needs to complete something but doesn't have the right tools. It can be frustrating and make someone want to shut down. Something as simple as not having markers and poster board to complete a presentation requiring those tools. This is where TPACK comes into play. TPACK or (Technical, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) is an integration of framework that identifies three types of knowledge teachers need to combine for successful integration. Mishra & Koehler (2006) The elements in the TPACK are all important to the overall success of teaching. The technical knowledge portion is technology. What technology can be used to better enhance the students learning? Laptops, smart boards, google drive and audio books are a few examples. Content knowledge historically is what teachers focused on. Mishra & Koehler (2006) Content knowledge is the "what" in TPACK. The subject being taught such as math, reading, writing and art. Most teachers have plenty of content when it comes to teaching. Pedagogical content is the "how" we can teach. Direct, group project, guided discussion and modelling are all examples. (Candace R., 2013) If an educator can bring all of the elements of the TPACK together, each student in their class can be successful. This approach helps us identify important components of teacher knowledge that are relevant to the thoughtful integration of technology in education. However, we as a society need to remember it’s not the technology that matters, but the social or economic system in which its embedded. Winner (1980) Money and resources are in dire need in some school districts. Those in low income districts receive less money which means they may not have all of the technology a wealthy district may be privy too. Technology is a great thing and even better to have in the classroom. But sometimes we need to slow down and look at the bigger picture. Sometimes people are willing to make drastic changes in the way they do things to accord with technological innovations instead of allowing things to happen naturally and in their own time. We as a society sometimes need to slow down and take a step back to technology and just look at life for what it is and not how fast we can get through it Winner (1980) References: Candace R. (2013, April 26). TPACK in 2 minutes. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=FagVSQlZELY. Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge.Teachers College Record,108(6) Winner, L. (1980). Do artifacts have politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 121-136. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/stable/20024652 Teachers always have the daunting task of figuring out how each student thinks and what motivates them. A students background can weigh heavily on how a student learns. Its the teachers job to figure that out and use it as a tool in order to change the way the student thinks and start the process of conceptual change. According to Bransford et al, "background knowledge must be engaged, explored, challenged and leveraged so that students can construct new understanding of concepts. "
In this essay, I dive Into the way educators can teach students to think in a different way. The teacher must first figure out what type of learner the student is as well as their background. These things are the foundation to start the process of conceptual change and learning. I hope to use this knowledge in my future classroom. References: Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academy Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php. |
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