As this course approaches its completion I have been thinking and reflecting on what I have learned over the past few months and how my understanding of teaching and learning has changed. I have gleaned a lot of new information regarding the shift in education towards a 21st Century approach to instruction. Prior to undertaking this course I had never heard of a “21st Century” education, however, I know fully understood what this concept means and have the utmost confidence that I am placing myself on a path to being confident enough to implement and use the strategies and tools that I have learned about. Although, I admit that I still have a lot more learning to do in regards to a 21st Century education and the Web 2.0. In spite of this, I am excited at the prospect of furthering my education in this domain because I realize the educational value that many of these tools bring to the classroom and the positive effects that they have on enhancing the learning experience and deepening a student’s understanding of the material.
As previously stated, this course has proven to have a significant impact on my view of education and has changed my understanding of what teaching in the 21st Century means. I think all teachers should inform themselves of these new practices and become more proficient in using them because they are continually proving to more effective at strengthening a student’s understanding. Teachers who refuse to adapt their teaching to reflect these changes in educational discourse are doing a great disservice to their students. With that in mind, I think it is important that teachers do not simply begin to use Web 2.0 tools without a rudimentary understanding of how they work because it may lead to confusion for the students and frustration for the teacher. What teachers need to understand though is that they do not have to be complete experts in the tools that they implement. I have found that the Web 2.0 lends itself to a two-way approach to education, as opposed to a traditional one-way exchange, in which the teacher learns alongside and sometimes from his/her students.
Personally, I plan to continue to grow my understanding of the 21st Century model of education. My plan to do this includes taking more formal education that continues to build on the material from this course. I also plan to continue to explore educator blogs and websites that are focused on the pursuit of furthering one’s understanding of this paradigm shift in education.
Authored by: Jon
Wow! This is a very inspiring post. Here you demonstrate your open-mindedness and willingness to be vulnerable. You emphasize that in teaching and learning - today, more then ever, educators and learners need to be willing to learn from one another. Even in an Adult Learning context, I would argue this to be true. I wonder if the definition of "experts" is changing.
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