Change can be Good!

    Education is an agent of change.  As teachers, we need to try to be those agents that ignite the change.  We are trying to prepare our students for the future.  As teachers we need to think about what that future is.  Do we want to prepare our students for high school?  Do we want to prepare our students for college?  Do we want them to finish?  How about beyond that?  If as a teacher I can’t imagine what the future job market will be, how do I start to think about what tools my student’s need to have?  In reading this week's resource, in especially, Web 2.0 Tools and K-12 challenges, it sparked me to think about the things that I can prepare my students for.

     I Can be the type of teacher who constantly learns new things and techniques.  In “School in the Cloud,”   Sugata Mitra had to be willing to step outside of his comfort zone and learn new things, and more importantly believe that his students would value from a new way of thinking and new techniques.  “Education innovation,” not only speaks to the technology that we implement in our classroom, but also the methods and skills that we cultivate for the needs of our students.

   I Can be the type of teacher that challenges my students to collaboratively think and deduce.  I can encourage classroom to be a place where my students are encouraged to think through and challenge ideas.

     I Can be unafraid to try new things and fail.  I need to be able to accept that every method will not work with my classroom.  Every method won’t be a perfect fit for my students.

     I Can be empowered to try new things and see my student’s succeed! Knowing my student’s and assessing their needs is part of my job as a teacher.  If I find technologies that will benefit my classroom,  I should make an effort find access for my students.

    I often think about the students I’ll teach.  They could be the next leaders and innovators of the world!