I think the reason I originally wanted to become a teacher was because I am a lifelong learner. Becoming an educator, in my mind, meant that I would have to continually learn and explore my world, share what I was curious or passionate about with my students, and pass on the wisdom of the power and fulfillment that journeying through life as a learner (instead of expert) provides. Al Rogers once eloquently stated that, “In times of profound change, the learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
Currently, we are experiencing a profound change in education. The vehicles a lifelong learner uses to access information and experts have radically changed over the last few years with the explosion of technology. Now, not only can you go out and search for information 24/7, you can have the information find you through syndication and aggregators. It is amazing, yet at the same time somewhat overwhelming. I find that defining boundaries for when my learning will take place is difficult at times because the allure of new knowledge, or the ability to pursue the random thoughts and questions running through my mind is too easy. Yet, as I think that, the question of why I should want there to be boundaries quickly arises in my mind. Am I being hypocritical?
I feel torn by the seductive power of technology to make my learning pursuits easy and available 24/7 and my belief that the ability to effectively connect and discuss ideas face-to-face is also important. Owen Edwards (2009) discusses how the technology that affords the opportunities for new ways of being constantly connected online has resulted in disconnection from the real world. You can read his thoughts on this at Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-high-tech-disconnect). I do see how I have been a victim of that.
Therefore, as an educator, I believe being able to integrate technology in a way that allows students to develop Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) to encourage their pursuits as lifelong learners is important. Also, integrating technology in a way that encourages more students to participate in the classroom learning process and find their voice as contributors is equally important. Yet, I also believe understanding and mastering the nuances of face-to-face interactions should still be part of the learning climate in classrooms.
While pondering about this and the buzz of 21st Century Skills I began to contemplate what an effective pedagogy to apply in classrooms today is. In this pursuit, I remembered Marie Sontag’s (2009) social-and-cognitive-connectedness schemata (SCCS) theory, which I discovered a few months ago. This theory melds the ideas of constructivism, situated learning, social learning, and cognitive strategies while including game elements to supply a bridge between behaviorist and cognitivist theories. I think it provides a way for teachers to temper the incorporation of technology to address developing 21st Century skills for students without 21st Century skills falling victim to the “all-at-once” syndrome that Jay Matthews discusses in this article http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401532.html.
It seems the Hebrew proverb, “Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born of another time.” would be beneficial for all parents and educators to consider as we venture into exciting, unknown territory and try to best equip our children and students to be well prepared lifelong learners in the world of the future.
References:
Sontag, Marie. (2009). A learning theory for 21st-century students. Innovate, 5(4). Retrieved June 20, 2009, from http://innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=524&action=article
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