I am a sole believer in that to continue to provide opportunities for our students to achieve success in 21st century skills, we must continue to reflect, explore and discover in our endless journeys as educators. What kind of educator makes 21st century teaching and learning possible? An educator who is open to reflect, explore and discover. 21st Century learning is ever -changing and growing, so being able to change and grow with it is key to creating successful opportunities for our students. I can sit here and list the “top 10 Characteristics of 21st Century Educators” or the “15 Skills that Define a 21st Century Educator” but that would be typical. What I will state is…
a 21st Century Educator is aware and ready to prepare for the future. That includes facilitating learning, questioning, and allowing opportunities for students to collaborate. A 21st Century educator understands that the world is at our fingertips and global education is critical. A 21st Century educator realizes that in order for student learning to be transparent, they must allow for student control and student accountability. As a bilingual teacher for six years, I realized the impact 21st Century learning and technology had on my students’ language development. Being able to participate in collaborative environments amplified student use of listening and speaking skills. Tools that allowed students to record themselves showing their understanding not only motivated them and increased student engagement, but impacted student processing. I learned that the more I integrated technology into my lessons, the more students were able to recall content from months ago. Not only did this minimize the repetition of lessons, it maximized opportunities to extend our learning. I learned that the more students had control in their learning, the more student learning was happening. I was aware and ready to prepare for the future- aware that I do not always have to be in the front of the room to impact student learning and that student learning can be impacted by the world. When an educator is aware of this fact, they are ready to begin as 21st Century educator.
2 Comments
Kim M.
9/14/2016 02:25:12 pm
Hi Shadia, thanks for sharing! With ever increasing interconnectedness and technology, how do you see technology continuing to change the bilingual classroom?
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Shadia S.
9/14/2016 07:08:01 pm
Technology and digital learning facilitates interaction and language development for English Learners in flexible settings and ample opportunities. English Learners are able to use multiple tools to enhance their language development, from computer-assisted tools, continuing language development outside of the classroom and accessing information independently. In my experiences, many bilingual families wanted support in language development at home- technology was the bridge. In addition to allowing for a stronger home-school connection, technology allows bilingual students to listen to themselves speak, which supports language development. When it comes to vocabulary acquisition, bilingual classrooms can incorporate photos and videos through digital learning to support the new vocabulary or concepts. Technology also allows students in different phases of their language acquisition to show their learning with comfort. For example, students can use web 2.0 tools to create story telling projects that will demonstrate their understanding. Social networking and Learning Management Systems allow students to interact with their peers and participate in learning environments outside of the classroom setting. Technology and digital learning will continue to offer more opportunities that impact language development for bilingual students.
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About this BlogThis blog is connected to the course EDU 776-98. Archives
December 2017
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