So you think you're JUST a teacher?

As a up-and-coming teacher, I've found that the word teacher doesn't quite cover exactly what we do. We are role-models, world-changers, and most importantly, innovators. On a daily basis we strive to give our students the best education that we can so that they can survive and thrive in the ever-growing world. Technology is becoming more intertwined into the education system. It helps students to become more modern but also more global. One way that we can be successful teachers is to introduce and give our students the opportunities to prepare themselves to be ready for the new age of technology and give them a whole new sense of learning in the classroom.


One video that I watched that really shows what teaching with technology can become is A Vision of 21st Century Teachers. Teachers of all ages participate in this video to show various ways in which they use technology in their classroom and empowering others to do the same. I particularly like this video because to be honest, at this point in my life I'm not so tech savvy! Through taking a technology course at my university as well as informing myself of the various technologies out there, I believe that I am assuring a better future for my students. This video gives various methods in which you can bring technology into the classroom on a simple level as well as more advanced methods. A few examples from the teachers in the video include: "My students use digital cameras to capture math in the real world," and "My students shoot videos to express themselves." These are simple yet innovative ways to bring technology into the classroom. I encourage all to watch this video.


Another video that I found appealing to reasons why the "traditional classroom" isn't quite working anymore is Educational Change Challenge. It refers to the traditional classroom as almost a jail cell. Why limit student's education to the four walls surrounding them? Should kids be defined to a setting where they are all supposed to learn only in the classroom and at the exact same pace? He refers to this system as almost industrial. We are pushing kids through the system on a conveyer belt. But not all students are alike, nor on the same level and we need change. He asks the simple question, "Am I creating life-long learners?" I like this video because it explains the relevance of students and teachers being on the same level of culture. Teachers need to be constantly teaching and learning for themselves how to help their students to be the most successful that they can be. Don't be afraid to experiment because in the end, you are only helping your students to grow and once again, becoming an innovator.


We are teachers, We can do it!