11.5 - Thing 1

Exciting….you bet!! The 21st Century Student has much to offer… to their teacher(s) and to other students around the world. These students are able to surf places that most educators did not have the luxury to view while they were in school due to lack of access. The importance of this type of learning is to generate the opportunity to create interactive thinkers… rather than have students hunt, memorize, and do the miserable act of regurgitating the facts on command by the educator. Yesterday, I heard an idea from a Keynote speaker, Alan November, who stated on the first day of school we as teachers need to state that we need the student’s help because we do not know everything. Empowering the students to take action and giving them the opportunity to take ownership in their own learning along with the teacher creates an environment where the teacher can facilitate the learning process for the students…rather than evaluate the child’s ability to spout back information. I enjoyed the newly defined “teacher” roles described by the video… especially the role of the one to offer guidance when the student gets stuck. What this means is that the educator, this includes librarians, must also become 21st Century Teachers.