by Jennifer DeMartino
Anyone can teach something to someone. In my kindergarten classroom recently, a student taught me a more efficient way to erase on the whiteboard app we were using. My oldest son completed a project for school in which he used a free app and website (Duolingo) to learn another language. And this brings me to one of the dilemmas that I face in my daily life as a teacher. Why do my students need me? They are adept learners and teachers all by themselves. As my son demonstrated, you really can learn online without interaction with a classroom teacher. Is the teaching profession becoming obsolete now that we have access to so much high quality information on the internet?
My answer is a resounding NO!!!! Teachers are the compasses in the classroom. We help students access, navigate, sift through, classify and present all of the information they come across. Our expertise is the foundation upon which all lasting learning is built. However, if you ask me if the role of the teacher is changing. My answer is a resounding YES!!! It must! Because the world that our students will inherit and the one in which they live looks different from the one in which we were the students. The technology we use is different and the ways in which we procure and process information is different. We have to prepare our students to enter that world.
That's where blended learning comes in. Teachers must harness the power of technology to engage students and we must teach students to be smart consumers of information and technology. Watch this short video to see if there are ways you are currently or you could begin to provided a blended learning experience in your classroom.
My answer is a resounding NO!!!! Teachers are the compasses in the classroom. We help students access, navigate, sift through, classify and present all of the information they come across. Our expertise is the foundation upon which all lasting learning is built. However, if you ask me if the role of the teacher is changing. My answer is a resounding YES!!! It must! Because the world that our students will inherit and the one in which they live looks different from the one in which we were the students. The technology we use is different and the ways in which we procure and process information is different. We have to prepare our students to enter that world.
That's where blended learning comes in. Teachers must harness the power of technology to engage students and we must teach students to be smart consumers of information and technology. Watch this short video to see if there are ways you are currently or you could begin to provided a blended learning experience in your classroom.