ECOMP 6106: 21st Century Skills

Assignment: Are you a 21st Century Teacher? Respond to following questions.


In what ways do you consider yourself a 21st century teacher?
I consider myself a 21st century teacher in my openness to new and different ways to teach and learn material. I am aware of the traditional tools and skills used to teach content but also keep a look out for new tools and see how they can be integrated with traditions. I believe that a synthesis of traditional and 21st century tools can create a rich and beneficial learning experience for both student and teacher.

Are you collaborative? If so, provide some description of how you collaborate and with whom.
As the technology coordinator for my building, it is central to my job to be a collaborative teacher AND learner. I ask questions of teachers about what they are teaching and how, so that I can present them with new resources that they could integrate into their lessons in order to enhance the student experience. A key part of this process is finding teachers who are willing to collaborate and take risks. It is these teachers for whom I will “go to bat for” freely and give 110%. After all, are we not asking students to be risk takers as they learn about new things and try different ways to express their knowledge and comprehension?
As a life-long learner, I freely admit to my students that I don’t everything and get excited when a student teaches me something new.  I love it when I can place a student into the role of teacher because I think teaching someone something is a great way to cement comprehension, plus it can provide a huge boost to a students’ self-esteem and self worth.

How do you use technology in your classroom and in your professional teaching practice?
In my classroom, which is a computer lab, technology is driving force as the goals of my course is to provide students with the skills to use computers effectively and safely with creativity.

How do you use technology to assess students?
I am constantly experimenting with different technology tools to assess my students. I’ve used rubrics, online quizzes, and oral presentations. I’d like to look into having students create digital ePortfolios. I’ve also helped other teachers implement technology-based assessments using social networking vehicles, such as WallWisher in language arts and an Edmodo classroom in social studies.

Do you use technology to communicate with parents and the community? What technologies do you use and how do you use them?
Technology for the purpose of communicating with parents and the community is become a critical issue in my school. All teachers are accessible via email from the school website, and administrators are pushing more and more for each teacher to have (and maintain) a website. We communicate grades and assessments via a digital grade book, PowerSchool, and provide a portal for both students and parents to use to view this information at any time. This year my school is using a Twitter feed and a Google Calendar widget to communicate important news and events to the community. And next on my To-Do list is to setup an Apple TV to a display in the main lobby of the school building so that we can stream images of field trips and events while also providing visual documentation of all of the wonderful projects and products students are creating in their classes.