Are you a 21st Century Educator?

Are you challenged with integrating technology in your day-to-day instruction? Consider this:

Transitioning from traditional methods of teaching to more innovative, technology-centered instruction can be challenging for many of us digital immigrants! And, technology is not always reliable! Butler and Sellbom (2002) studied the reasons why educators are reluctant to integrate technology tools into their daily instruction. Reliability was the top reason. This is an issue that administrators and decision makers should address, but in the meantime, I don't believe that we should hold our students back. In 2001, Marc Prensky (p.6) stated "Educators know that something is wrong, because they are not reaching their Digital Native students as well as we reached students in the past."

Speak Up is an organization that publishes information about how students use technology and how parents, educators, and community leaders can best harness its power. This organization has surveyed students, educators, parents, administrators since 2003. Their 2009 report indicated that nearly 90% of middle- and high school students surveyed used some type of social media to interact with friends outside of school (Smith & Evans, 2010)!

Our students are not the students we were and we can no longer instruct the way we were taught. Yesterday's tools have been enhanced with Web 2.0 technology and we can use those tools to  maximize instruction and learning. I believe that we can harness the power of today's technology and impact student learning with support, openness, and commitment. Let's take this journey together! Are you convinced?

References:
Butler, D.L. & Sellbom, M. (2002). Barriers to adopting technology. Educause Quarterly, 22-28.

Prensky, M. Digital natives, digital immigrants part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6), 2-6.

Smith, L., & Evans, J. (2010). Speak Up: Students embrace digital resources for learning. Knowledge Quest, 39(2), 20-27.