21st Century Classrooms

Can You Hear Me Now?

Just like the guy on the Verizon commercial, students desire to be heard. They wish for their voice to be relevant and important, which is why social media is so prevalent among this generation. Students want their images to be liked on Instagram, their posts liked on Facebook and for their tweets to be favorited on Twitter. In order for education to be relevant, 21^st century education must take this new trend into consideration; these technology tools must be integrated into the classroom. 

Marc Prensky says “engage me, not enrage me.” Long gone is the teacher as the sage on the stage. Today a 21^st century teacher is a guide, and the student is an active participator, and that active participation changes daily with our developing technology. Our 21^st century world invites and encourages collaboration. Using tools like Twitter, blogs and social media, students are required to move along Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy from simply Understanding, to Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating and Creating.

Resistance exists regarding the use of cell phones, blogs, and Twitter in the classroom. Technology’s pervasiveness within the future classroom is unavoidable, and this truth should not be feared. As with each new teaching methodology there are early adopters or trailblazers that face resistance. These teachers combat the criticism and naysayers while clearing a path for the teachers that follow. Thank you to the teachers that experiment, who engage, not enrage their students, and listen to their students!

I can hear you now!