Having taught in Australia, South Korea, Kuwait, Cambodia and Singapore for the last eighteen years, I realize that every school is unique; however, all schools have the same goal of making our students successful for their future. Working with a variety of stakeholders in countries around the world has reinforced the idea that using technology in the classroom is crucial to student success.
Bringing technology into the classroom means our learning community expands significantly. We can learn from and create with anyone, anytime, anywhere. We can no longer just acquire knowledge we need to create knowledge and work collaboratively with people.
Teaching takes place through instruction but also in the teacher’s everyday actions. As a Digital Literacy Coach I model being a learner to peers, students and administrators to encourage co-creation of knowledge. Working across different schools and personal learning communities that I have, I continue to develop multiple literacies in a larger capacity. As an Experiential Learning facilitator I bring students into unfamiliar places (for them) and model how to be an active, just citizen in places they may feel uncomfortable. Reading a room and an environment become increasingly more important as the future becomes less certain.
As teachers we have a responsibility to prepare students for the world in which they live as well as a future we don’t fully understand. I believe it is important to challenge, inspire and listen to each student and personalize learning to her specific abilities and needs. We need to encourage the exploration of interests, promote curiosity and the continuous discovery of how the world is changing around us. Teachers are no longer just owners of knowledge they are agents of change and facilitators of personalized learning opportunities.
Teaching also requires much more than a person in a room. The whole community should be involved, teachers, administrators, and the larger community outside of the school. When a whole community takes responsibility for co-creating the next generation, everyone benefits.
As an environmental educator and a Digital Literacy Coach, I want students to fully appreciate the beauty of our environment and use current technology effectively to create something purposeful for the benefit of our world.
Joe Teft 