John Dewey once said, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." There are some that would say, Why should we try and entertain the students"? The students should just sit and learn like we did. There are so many external factors that affect our students. The old lecture only style is not the most effective way to reach our learners. The old way of "sit and get" did not account for varied learning style. The students who were unable to learn in the traditional style were seen as unable or unwilling to learn. We must as educators vary our instruction to meet the needs of all learners. We must realize that all students do not learn in the same manner. All students do not learn like we learn or in the method that we are comfortable teaching. If we understand and implement the theory that all students are intelligent but in different areas, it will change the way we deliver lessons. When education was first implemented in this country, it was only for the very elite. If we constantly revert back to those methods, we may be indirectly reviving that system.
Technology is a powerful tool in engaging our students in various strategies. Technology allows us to meet various learning modalities. Students can be stimulated with visually and with sounds simultaneously. We are now teaching digital natives they are immersed in technology. Their attention span is being shortened by flashy ads and sound bites. Our students now have video games and movies to keep them engaged. With that being said we must vary our instructional strategies. We can use the same flashy graphics and videos to engage and make our curriculum relevant to our students.
As teachers some of us are afraid of technology, Therefore we must prepare ourselves to meet the needs of our 21st Century learners.
Technology is a powerful tool in engaging our students in various strategies. Technology allows us to meet various learning modalities. Students can be stimulated with visually and with sounds simultaneously. We are now teaching digital natives they are immersed in technology. Their attention span is being shortened by flashy ads and sound bites. Our students now have video games and movies to keep them engaged. With that being said we must vary our instructional strategies. We can use the same flashy graphics and videos to engage and make our curriculum relevant to our students.
As teachers some of us are afraid of technology, Therefore we must prepare ourselves to meet the needs of our 21st Century learners.
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