Today's Learner

 I had the opportunity to view videos and read information about education and technology. I also now realize that I am a digital immigrant! I gained invaluable knowledge about today's learner. Many of the practices I have previously used in my classroom are not as effective as I thought. I agree with the hand-out on making learning more fun. Students need to feel like they are able to relate to what they are learning. I know that I will be incorporating more hands-on out of your seat activities. Perhaps the most interesting part of this week's material was Dr. Tony Wagner's video. I agree that too much focus is placed on the wrong type of tests. Multiple choice tests are not effective and show little to nothing. Students need to be challenged and need to know how to think critically. I have noticed that a number of my students lack motivation to solve problems for themselves. This is largely due to their inability to think critically. The minds of educators need to change to improve education. Teachers and Administrators need to step into the 21st century to address the needs of today's students. Students don't want to read books all day, they want to be engaged. The biggest thing that we can do as educators is to tap into what interests students and think in very unconventional ways. Stepping outside the classroom, creating more diverse assessments, and centering instruction around the learner are all keys to creating more effective classrooms.