Moodle and Web 2.0

Let's take a retrospective look at how technology has changed education over the years, and the intriguing ways it will likely continue doing so.

During this time of significant educational change, we are forced to ask ourselves, what is the role of the teacher?

Teachers continue to be central to learning, but the role is changing significantly. Our children still need to develop real skills and real knowledge, but they also need to be self-reliant, resilient, and fully capable of re-inventing themselves. This means students must learn how to self-direct their learning.

So if students are self-directing their learning, what's the role of the teacher?

Teachers build the curriculum/lessons with the individual student based on his/her needs and interests rather than move through a fixed curriculum en masse.

Teachers provide the experiences and tools to access new knowledge in specific areas of interest as facilitators of individual pathways, rather than being a provider of the content or expert in one or every area,Teachers become experts in how people learn, not only in teaching.

Teachers support a community of learners in teams, possibly of multiple ages, rather than alone in classrooms with fixed grades of students.

Teachers have more autonomy over their daily schedule, and can be flexible to adjust their schedules to support student needs.

Teachers provide opportunities for real-world, connected, practical learning rather than isolated academics.
These are the types of changes in the teacher's role that are fundamental to developing students who are capable of independent learning and reinvention in a rapidly changing world.

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

https://gustmees.wordpress.com/2013/05/25/so-whats-the-change-for-teachers-in-21st-century-education/

If the teacher is drowning in paperwork, true innovation--and subsequent consistent performance--will always be a challenge.

No one can deny that the world is different than it was when our current educational system was designed. With this in mind, what are WE (myself included) suppose to do to help our students thrive in a world that is vastly different than the environment in our classrooms?

Frankly the answer is simple… Change the way we teach.

Is the answer that simple? You bet it is!

Is it really that easy? No.

Changing the way you teach is hard. Not just from the standpoint of preparation, but also from the lens of the students that have learned a specific way for many years, regardless of its effectiveness.

So what do we as teachers need to consider… and what do we need to do?

Tom shares a variety of free resources for school and district leaders as a follow up to a recent podcast.