21st Century Instruction: Do You Have the Skills You Need?

Are you keeping up with technology? Are you intimidated by technology? Who can help you understand the technology needed to "reach" your current students and those you will teach in the future?

My kids may laugh at how little I know about their world of technology, but like I tell them..."I grew up without a microwave oven and cable tv, but I've got a blog, don't I???"  At least I'm trying. My learning curve may seem as steep as Mt. Everest at times, but I'm getting there! In other words, there is a lot of information on the web about social media, web 2.0 (or 3.0) or whatever, but I just had to forget about my pride or my unwillingness to admit that I didn't know very much and ask the kids for help. The kids (students) are a terrific source of 2.0 knowledge. This is their life and we better figure out how to be a part of their life and that includes instruction! Technology will continue to rapidly change the way we teach and I personally think that change brings on a state of excitement. As Coach John Wooden stated in his 12 Lessons in Leadership, "Seek Significant Change."

I posted a video, A Brave New World-Wide-Web, by David Truss about a year ago that does an incredible job showing the transformation and tools required of 21st Century instructor. The video is extremely well done and I hope all of you will take a couple of minutes to watch it (even if you have seen it before).



I hope we will continue to evolve our instructional methods and be not only "where the students are," but also "where industry is." We must bridge that gap between aspiring students and industry and build our workforce for the future. We must continue to challenge ourselves and our students. That whole learning process is what excites me about the future!