Becoming Confident of My 21st Century Skills as a Learner and as a Teacher in Digital Literacy

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I created a Prezi this week to respond to the prompt for assignment 1A: How do you describe yourself and a learner and a teacher in the 21^st century. I explained my proficiencies and areas of need as both a teacher and a learner in regards to 21^st century skills, particularly in the area of technology. To prepare for these assignments, I reviewed videos, read portions of a book and the ISTE standards for teachers and students, and took a self-assessment. These activities helped me begin to chart a course to improve my learning and teaching of 21^st century skills.

             

When I responded to the initial prompt, 1A, I made lists about what I would need to do to feel more proficient as both a learner and teacher in the 21^st century. I found that I need to learn more about coding, programming, and creating innovative products. I also would like to continue to integrate more and more technology into our everyday third grade classroom curriculum through regular computer stations, an interactive class website, and technology-based assessments, homework, and project options. I am confident that I can implement all of this. I just need to do it a little at a time so that I do not become overwhelmed.

             

There were some excellent take-aways from the videos this week. Doug Belshaw (2012) discussed explicitly teaching pre-literate behaviors for technology like we teach for other skills such as reading. As a mother of two small children, I have often thought of how I can gently introduce my children to technology so they can be prepared for the world they will grow up in. Many of my third graders are at a stage between pre-literate and literate. I have to be very aware of every detail and nuance when bringing the students to the lab. Belshaw also talked about focusing on people’s interests to develop intrinsic motivation. I feel as if I am starting to do this in the classroom because I offer a variety of choices. I have also begun Genius Hour this year, which allows students to research a passion project and present it in a creative manner. Hearing Belshaw speak made me feel confident that I am on the right path with this idea, and I can continue to incorporate more choices for students.

Both Mark Surman (2012) and Mattan Griffel (2014) feel that it is extremely important for people to know how to code. I had no idea that this was important, and before watching the videos, I didn’t really understand the potential impact of knowing how to code. This is a huge deficiency for me, and I need to invest some time in figuring out basic coding and how I can incorporate it into my classroom. I will definitely begin this investigation once I complete my master’s degree. This actually helps me begin to figure out my uncertainty concerning the ISTE standard about creating innovative products. I have a lot to learn in this area. Mark Surman (2012) also mentioned something that I find so valuable, which is that we learn in an on-demand way. We learn when we want knowledge. I feel like we should be changing the way we teach to value creative output with personalized topics, and students can learn as they go. It seems that we need to get away from the model where the teacher is the sole information provider. Teachers should guide students to learn how to find out information for themselves and make sense of it, as we are living in a time where information is readily available. I am slowly heading in this direction, but I feel more purposeful now.

I found the reading selection for this assignment particularly interesting, as I am very interested in education reform. Two major factors influencing my teaching and my perceived options are the huge amount of curricula I need to get through and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Chris Dede (2010) wrote, “Given that the curriculum is already crowded, a major political challenge is articulating what to deemphasize in the curriculum - and why – in order to make some room for students to deeply master core 21^st century skills” (Chapter 3). I have been trying to rework my third grade class to integrate more subjects and technology. I would love to have more time to continue to do this, as it requires creating everything myself. I have felt confident about the new lessons and units I have created this year that integrate real world issues, group work, and technology. I feel less confident now about the typical curriculum, as I know it is not up to par. I need to continue to work on small projects with the knowledge that I will eventually have a much more integrated, technologically literate, problem solving, and differentiated classroom. This just requires time and effort on my part.

             

I did complete the self-assessment on the course site. I found that I am proficient at everything on the list except I don’t use a wide range of tech-related assignments nor do I maintain a class webpage. I use some tech-based assessments, and I send home an e-newsletter every Monday to all families, my third grade team, and the administrators of our school. I would like to improve in both of these areas. I think that this self-assessment was a little dated, though. It is from 2006. I think that if it were to be updated for 2015, I would have found more areas that I need to work on.

             

The interesting part about this assignment is that I don’t know if I will ever feel fully confident as a learner and teacher of 21^st century digital literacy. The rate at which the digital world grows and expands seems to move more quickly than I could ever grasp it. The best I can do is try to keep up and stay informed. Staying aware of new technology developments needs to be a priority for a teacher in the 21^st century. With each innovation in technology comes the possibility of a new and exciting classroom innovation and the hope that teachers are inspiring and educating children who can be prepared to be the thinkers and innovators of the next generation.

References

Belshaw, D. (Producer). (2012, March 22). The essential elements of digital literacies. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yQPoTcZ78.

Dede, C. (2010). 21st century skills: rethinking how students learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution tree press.

Griffel, M. (Producer). (2014, August 19). Crash course in digital literacy. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTZqv9tCDtY.

Surman, M. (Producer). (2012, November 1). On kids and digital literacy. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4R7J8MKbOE.