21st Century Teaching and Learning

This week I am deliberately thinking in the box of the 21st century.  I am surrounded by blogging, Facebook, Moodle, Google Apps., uploading, downloading, digital everything, You Tube and so much more.  What does this mean to me as a teacher in the 21st Century?  Well, I am responsible for teaching the next generation of children knowing in the back of my mind that the jobs that they may possibly have are so far beyond my imagination it is crazy!  I am confident that the technology that they are taught will be thought of as primitive by the time they reach college. 

I feel that I am ill-equip to handle this responsibility.  I am not a master with all of the tech tools available so how can I instruct these children to be 21st century explorers?  Well, I don't have as much knowledge of the workings of these tools, but I possess the basic skills and I am learning.  I want to model that no matter what the tool or program, having courage to try to learn the concept and an open mind to being taught is important. 

In my first grade classroom the children are learning to use the laptops for educational purposes.  They are exposed to the tablet and the responders for lessons.   Nearly all of the children play some kind of video gaming system in their house, which is helpful because they "catch on" quickly.  Most importantly I am teaching the behaviors that are essential for the 21st century learner.  Skills such as problem solving, innovation, curiosity, leadership, collaboration, and flexibility are included in this list. 

I feel that my strengths are founded on my positive attitude and willingness to try new ways of incorporating technology into my classroom.  I understand the necessity for learning, developing, and practicing skills that will help my learners succeed in the 21st century.  I believe that my weaknesses rest in the lack of desire or patience to instruct my class of 6 year olds on the media available.  It is a very tedious job and takes time to instruct 26 first graders how to log-on and open programs.  Because it takes away from classroom instruction, I tend to be hesitant.  I know that if I don't teach it, they won't become efficient with the technology, so I guess I just need to "bite the bullet" and follow through in doing what's best for kids.  Learning the technology and having practice daily will only enhance their learning experience and better equip them for life.