Pre-Assignment 8

Adapting Teaching Methods to Become Real 21st Century Educators

Taking into consideration both Why Mobile Learning? and Above And Beyond  videos, several ideas on how educators should adapt new teaching methods to become real 21st century educators come to my mind.

To start off, the 21st century is not the future, it is today and we have been living it for the past 12 years.  Nonetheless, with ever changing technologies and application of such technologies, it has become an even more important task to "catch up" with the 21st century teaching expectations.

The video of Why Mobile Learning? is an inspiration on how mobile devices are now closing gaps in education by proving to be essential in the development of children with special needs.  More than ever before there are tools out there that enhance the learning experience.  Ipads are now aiding students with autism to become more independent and prove to give them the tools they need to learn material that before would just have been a battle to learn.   Ipads, ipods and many mobile devices give the opportunity for mute girl to "have a voice".  Mobile learning is definitely a teaching method to adopt in every classroom as it is opening new gates of education not only in traditional education but also in development of special needs education.

On the other hand, the Above and Beyond video is not explicitly speaking of the importance of mobile devices in education but speaks of the importance of vital 21st Century educational-learning skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.  It is a very simple video that sends a clear message that I could sum up with the following quote by Hodding Carter Jr: "There are two lasting bequests we can give our children.  One is roots.  The other is WINGS."  This resonates with me as it is very true that the 21st Century educator must never forget to foster skills such as the ones mentioned above.  We may teach and be guides in our students' education however the most important thing we can provide is their "wings".  This is, provide them with enough tools and skills so that they are competent to make their own judgements, create their own thoughts and ideas and be innovators.

We are living a mobile learning revolution, education teaching methods need to be re-examined and new teaching methodologies must be implemented to keep up, but more to keep WITH this revolution.  It is not only about adopting certain gadgets that will "do the trick".  It is more of a change in mindset.  It is fostering 21st Century skills and fuse them to the use of technologies to the best of our teaching-learning advantage in order to provide our students with the TRUE 21st century education they deserve.