The 21st-Century Teacher

When I joined EDUC 6710I-2: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society on September 2013, I had a hope that I would get a lot of practical skills that I can directly apply to my teaching and learning. I was busy working, therefore, practical skills which can be directly applied to my teaching and learning will be beneficial for me. Now, as we are coming to the end of this course, I can conclude that I have a lot from the course. The resources provided help me a lot in my teaching and learning. The interaction that I had with my colleagues also help me a lot as a teacher. This course taught me about using different media to understand the impact of technology on education, work, and society. At the beginning of the course unit on blog, I thought that I knew about blog. I ended up getting a lot of improvements on how to use blogs more effectively. I had never used Wikis before. I heard it but chose not to explore more. As this was one of the course unit, I had to learn it. At the end, I enjoyed doing it, but I would prefer to use blog, still. Podcasting was completely new for me. I had never done any podcasting before until I joined this course. I am glad that in this course I learned about podcasting because this can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning at my work. RSS was also something new for me. I like the idea of using RSS. It is so simple and yet it is so beneficial.

This course has helped me to understand that we as teachers must use technology to do different things. I learned that some technologies allow us to do things differently while others allow us to do different things. I learned that expanding technologies can influence society at large, and this bring impacts to my classroom practice. I learned the role of technologies in building the 21^st-century skills. I learned, developed and evaluated different ways in which I can make changes in my classroom environment in order to integrate the teaching of 21^st-century skills using technology. 

I have known about learner-centered because my school where I work applies this system. Even though it was not new for me, through this course, I have learned more on how to teach using the learner-centered system. I need to include my students when I am planning for a lesson. I should start from their prior knowledge and expand their knowledge and skills from that starting point.

I think that just because this course is about finished does not mean that I should stop learning on how to integrate technology into my teaching and learning practice at my work. This course has inspired more of my hunger toward technology usage to make life easier.

For my goals, within the next two years, I would like to integrate more and more technologies into my teaching and learning. I believe that technologies are developing more and more. Therefore, I should have not missed that development. The challenges will be still about budgeting. On the other hand, I believe that I would find ways to solve the problem that include budgeting. The second goal will be to learn more about the usage of technologies and how to apply it in my classroom practices. I believe that I learned more by doing it. Therefore, I would like to share my ideas to my colleagues whenever I can. I believe that when we share our knowledge and skills to others, we can learn more.  

The Evolving Role Of The Teacher

The society is changing. The technology is developing. The workplace is growing. The students are dynamic. The classrooms are expanding. Because of that the role of the teacher must evolve as well. Teachers are assigned with the great responsibility of strengthening their students for the future. Therefore, teachers should effectively represent the flexibility and talent that will be needed of their students. Students will always need teachers and mentors, so teachers will not be replaced by technology. However, to remain competent, teachers need to modify their own role to accommodate the call of educating their tech-savvy students.

For planning, teachers should prioritise on planning collaboratively using an agreed system and the planner where appropriate instead of planning individually. Teachers should engage students in planning for their own learning and assessing instead of the teacher making all the decisions. When we are planning, the planning should start from students’ prior knowledge and experience instead of ignoring students’ prior knowledge and experience. The planning should acknowledge a variety of levels of language competency instead of assuming a single level of language competency.

For teaching, teachers should use a variety and balance of teaching strategies instead of over-reliance on a limited set of teaching strategies. Teachers should use multiple resources interpreting multiple perspectives instead of over–reliance on one teaching resource from one culture. Teachers should engage students actively in their own learning instead of viewing them as passive learners.

For assessment, teachers should view planning, teaching and assessing as one complete process instead of viewing planning, teaching and assessing as isolated processes. Teachers should use a variety and balance of assessment strategies and tools instead of over-reliance on one assessment strategy or tool. Teachers should engage students in self- and peer-assessment instead of viewing assessment as the sole right of the teacher. Teachers should assess the levels of students’ current knowledge and prior knowledge before starting on new learning.

The teacher must be aware with child development and learning, be responsive to the needs and interests of the individual student, and be familiar of the cultural and social contexts in which the student lives and learns. The role of the teacher is to assist the progress of connections between the student’s prior knowledge and knowledge available through new experiences. In doing so, teachers need the support of the parents because it is the student’s environment—the home, school and the community—that will form the student’s experience.

The teacher needs to arrange a secure learning environment in which the individual student is appreciated and respected so that the communication students create with each other and with adults, which are of main importance to development and learning, will develop. The student is best helped when the connections between the teacher and the parent, and between the school and the home, are mutual and supportive. Teachers should welcome parents as partners, with a clear role to take part in promoting the school and their own children.

Teachers should design an educational environment that promotes students to take responsibility for their own learning. This means that resources must be supplied for each student to become engaged in self-initiated inquiry, in a manner appropriate to each student’s development and modalities of learning.

In the classroom, the teacher assists the development of the process of students becoming initiators rather than followers by providing opportunities for and supporting student-initiated inquiries; by asking carefully open-ended questions; and by strengthening students to ask questions of each other as well as of the teacher. It goes without saying that the teacher must also value and model inquiry.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Thornburg, D.). (2010). The Changing Role of the Classroom Teacher: Part 1, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Thornburg, D.). (2010). The Changing Role of the Classroom Teacher: Part 2, MD: Author.

Making the PYP Happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education. Cardiff, Wales GB CF23 8GL, United Kingdom. International Baccalaureate Organization. Retrieved from http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/documents/pyp/p_0_pypxx_mph_0912_2_e.pdf

Integrating Technology Into The Classroom

Collaborative technology such as Wikis and podcasts has changed the society on how it works and plays. In keeping pace with these new trends, the 21st century demands a different set of skills. The new fast-paced, media-rich environment has even produced different students. Therefore, schools and classrooms have to change in order to keep up. 

I am working as a homeroom teacher of grade 5 (five) at an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. All PYP students have to do the PYP Exhibition on their final year. In my school, the final year of elementary is grade 5 (five). Each student demonstrates engagement with the five essential elements of the programme: knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes and action (Primary Years Programme Making the PYP Happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, 2007, 2009).

The Exhibition goes under the Transdisciplinary Theme of How the World Works. It is an inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment. (Primary Years Programme Making the PYP Happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, 2007, 2009). This also acts as the content area objective. From the Transdisciplinary Theme descriptor mentioned above, I create the Central Idea as follows: This issue matters to me, my community and my world. From the Central Idea, I create Lines of Inquiry as the learning objectives. They are the current, relevant information related to this issue; the connection between this issue and my community; how I can contribute to change. For this coming Exhibition, I want my students to inquire deeper on Earth and Space as the issue.

The skills that I design for my students to master are recognizing the issue of Earth and Space deeper by listing, describing, identifying, and explaining what they know and believe about Earth and Space; carrying out what they have known to inquire the unit deeper by comparing, organizing, and integrating what they know and what they have learned about Earth and Space; and the last one is judging, testing their findings which led them to designing, constructing, producing a learning process as their product.

I choose to use different graphic organizers which are taken from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers for the diagnostic assessment. There is a variety of graphic organizers that the students can use. They are ice-cream cone, ladders, garden gate, e-chart, KWL, sandwich chart, tic tac toe, cluster or word web chart and tree chart.  By providing different types of graphic organizers, the students have the choice to express their prior knowledge in related to the unit. From the formative assessment, I invite my students to take active parts in choosing different ways or methods to show their understanding. They can integrate their IT skills in doing this assessment. I want my students to learn more on how to use use Prezi (a program for presentation like Microsoft Power Point which my students have used it all the times). To record their findings and process of Exhibition, I introduce them to blogging. From the blogging, I will be able to see the misconceptions that they have in related to the unit. I use blogging as the formative assessment so that I can give direct feedback which will improve their learning process. Each week, each student needs to blog about the process that they have done. At the end of each week, each student will read through a sampling of their friends’ blogs, respond to two or more blogs, reflecting on further implications this issue holds, return to their blog in a few days to read the responses to their initial blog. They will continue the dialogue as desired by responding to their friends’ thoughts. I will check their blog regularly so that I can approve it and display the blogs. By doing so, I will also have chances to evaluate my students’ learning. I will be able to see the collaboration that my students work on.

For the summative assessment, exhibition is very special. I have some requirements. Their task is that students must show facts and concepts that I want them to know. The goal is that students must use their knowledge to reason and problem solve. The challenge is that students must demonstrate the skills they have learned. The obstacle to overcome is that students must create something in related to their exhibition. The students in this performance task act as scientists. They have been asked to share their knowledge on Earth and Space. The target audience is the elementary students grade 1 – 4. To help the students in doing their learning process, I will work collaboratively with them in looking for materials which suit their language skills. I provide some basic vocabulary list for my students whose English is not their mother tongue. I also provide a range of materials (books, DVD, songs, etc). I encourage them to have independent investigations. I encourage them to have web inquiries. There are times when I encourage them to have a peer group work in addition to the individual work. I provide students-generated product options so that the students can choose their final product. I believe that each student has enough time to do their works online.

In PYP the assessment is integral to all teaching and learning process because the main goal for assessment in the PYP is to give inputs on the learning process (Primary Years Programme Making the PYP Happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, 2007, 2009). Based on that, I choose to use different graphic organizers which are taken from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers for the diagnostic assessment (please see appendix for samples). From the formative assessment, I want my students to learn more on how to use use Prezi. My students have been using a presentation program Microsoft Power Point all the time. I think it will be better for them to improve their skills by learning on how to use Prezi as their presentation tool. To assess Prezi presentation and their blogs using a rubric that I created from Rubistar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/) (please see appendix for samples). I also need to assess the five PYP Essential elements (Concepts, Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes ad Action). I will use a rubric for that assessment.(please see appendix for samples)

I believe that having a collaborative technology such as blogs will help my students in doing a collaboration project. This skill is very important for my students. The blogs can bring different result on each student.

Reference

Graphic Organizers. (2013). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place. Retrieved from http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/

Making the PYP Happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education. Cardiff, Wales GB CF23 8GL, United Kingdom. International Baccalaureate Organization. Retrieved from http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/documents/pyp/p_0_pypxx_mph_0912_2_e.pdf

Partnership for 21^st Century Skills. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/ 

Prezi. 2009. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/?gclid=CJiwr8nP6rgCFZJ7cAodMwoA-Q

Purnama, Tjandra. (2013). Instructional Strategies And Differentiantion. Designing Curriculum Instruction and Assessment . Walden University.

Rubistar. 2000-2008. ALTEC at University of Kansas. Retrieved from http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

Appendix

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers - Cluster

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers – Garden gate

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers – Ice Cream

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers – KWL

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers – Ladder

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers – Sandwich

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Education Place Graphic Organizers – Ticktacktoe

A rubric for assessing the Prezi Presentation and Blogs

Category	4	3	2	1
Contribution	Routinely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A definite leader who contributes a lot of effort.	Usually provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A strong group member who tries hard!	Sometimes provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. A satisfactory group member who does what is required.	Rarely provides useful ideas when participating in the group and in classroom discussion. May refuse to participate.
Quality of work	Provides work of the highest quality.	Provides high quality work.	Provides work that occasionally needs to be checked/redone by other group members to ensure quality.	Provides work that usually needs to be checked/redone by others to ensure quality.
Time Management	Routinely uses time well throughout the project to ensure things get done on time. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person's procrastination.	Usually uses time well throughout the project, but may have procrastinated on one thing. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person's procrastination.	Tends to procrastinate, but always gets things done by the deadlines. Group does not have to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person's procrastination.	Rarely gets things done by the deadlines AND group has to adjust deadlines or work responsibilities because of this person's inadequate time management.
Focus on task	Consistently stays focused on the task and what needs to be done. Very self-directed.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done most of the time. Other group members can count on this person.	Focuses on the task and what needs to be done some of the time. Other group members must sometimes nag, prod, and remind to keep this person on-task.	Rarely focuses on the task and what needs to be done. Lets others do the work.
Monitor group effectiveness	Routinely monitors the effectiveness of the group, and makes suggestions to make it more effective.	Routinely monitors the effectiveness of the group and works to make  the group more effective.	Occasionally monitors the effectiveness of the group and works to make the group more effective.	Rarely monitors the effectiveness of the group and does not work to make it more effective.
Working with others	Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others. Tries to keep people working well together.	Usually listens to, shares, with, and supports the efforts of others. Does not cause "waves" in the group.	Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others, but sometimes is not a good team member.	Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others. Often is not a good team player.
Sources	Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. All documented in desired format.	Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. Most documented in desired format.	Source information collected for graphics, facts and quotes, but not documented in desired format.	Very little or no source information was collected.
Content	Covers topic in-depth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent.	Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good.	Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors.	Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors.

 A rubric for assessing five PYP Essential elements

Implications For The Classroom

Integrating technology in the classroom is a very powerful tool to change the way students learn. In order for technology assimilation to be transformational, teacher must purposefully craft, ground the lesson in the basic of effective teaching and learning, and pair with the appropriate application based on the focus of the lesson. There are ways in which a well-constructed, technology-rich learning environment can result in boosted motivation and deeper student learning. 

I am a homeroom teacher of grade 5 (five) Kristiansand International school, Norway. My students are about 10-11 (ten to eleven) years old. I have a small class size consist of 8 (eight) students who come from Czech Republic, German-Norway, England-Wales, England-Norway, England-Pakistan, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, and Thailand-Norway. We have one laptop connected to the wireless passworded internet in the classroom. Even though the internet is passworded, when the students bring their own laptops, the homeroom teacher can connect them to the internet. We also have 16 (sixteen) laptops in the Information Technology (IT) Lab which are connected to the wireless internet. Students have IT lesson once a week for 60 (sixty) minutes. In addition to that, the homeroom teacher may take the class to the IT Lab for working as long as there is a time slot available or the homeroom has booked the IT Lab. At the library, we also have one computer connected to the wireless internet. At home, most of my students have at least one computer or a laptop or a tablet/IPad that is connected to the internet. The parents set limited time for students to use it, especially when they use it for having fun (playing games). On the other hand they do not set any limited time when the students use it for doing the school project at home.

We had a unit of inquiry that focused on Fantasy. I wanted my students to learn on how to analyse three fantasy stories. I wanted my students to develop their communication skills. Some of my students will get the benefit on how to improve their self-management skills. I also want them to improve their collecting and organizing data skills. For the summative task, I asked my students to combine three popular fantasy stories that they know into one fantasy story. The final product for the summative task was a fantasy short clip using Windows Movie Maker. First, the students were guided to find the stories from Sparklebox website (http://sparklebox.co.uk/). Then, the students were guided to download the material (images) from Fantasy and Fiction topic on Sparklebox website (http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/topic/fantasy/#.Upx583Csim4). The downloaded materials were in PDF format. My students were guided to convert the downloaded images onto JPG format using PDF2JPG website (http://pdf2jpg.net/). After that, I guided my students to crop the images using Paint program. The next process was to combine the images using Windows Movie Maker program. After they had combined the images, and put a narration for the lip, the students were asked to find suitable music, from Youtube website (http://www.youtube.com/) that would accompany the clip. Once, they found the music they downloaded the music using Keepvid website (http://www.keepvid.com/). The downloaded music was inserted onto the fantasy clip as their final product.

Next year, when we have the same unit of inquiry focus, I would like to teach my students using blog, especially Kidblog (http://kidblog.org/home/) so that they are more prepare when they are doing the Exhibition as the final project at grade 5 (five). I will provide my students blog page for each student. I connect the student blogs with my blogs. I will blog the instruction (step by step for making the summative task) that the students will need to follow and do at home. I will also ask my students give comment or feedback to their friends once a week). By doing so, my students are working collaboratively using the technology, not only at school but also at home. This experience will transform my classroom from an ordinary teacher-centered into more students-centered since the students will discuss and work collaboratively outside the class more.       

References

SparkleBox Teacher Resources Limited. December 2, 2013. Sparklebox website. Retrieved from http://sparklebox.co.uk/

Bernard, Philippe. December 2, 2013.  PDF2JPG website. Retrieved from http://pdf2jpg.net/

Youtube, LLC. December 2, 2013. Youtube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/

Keepvid website. December 2, 2013. Keepvid download streaming videos. Retrieved from http://www.keepvid.com/

Kidblog, Inc. December 2, 2013. Kidblog. Retrieved from http://kidblog.org/home/

Today’s Students

In 2001, a term to characterize this period was proposed by Marc Prensky (2001a, 2001b), who called them “Digital Natives”, because he noticed they are to be “native speakers” of the digital language of computers and the Internet. According to Prensky (2001a), Digital Natives were different from earlier peiods, whom he described as Digital Immigrants, and they had established new mindset, competences, and accesses to learning. Prensky characterised the whole period with the change and proposed that the new generation comprehended contrastingly and that this revolution had been caused by a growth of technological development. In his second article Prensky (2001b) also declared that the brains of Digital Natives were physically contrast to those of earlier generations because of the explicit impacts of digital technologies. In opposition to Digital Natives, those who were not born in the digital period and had embraced many of the new technologies later in life, were named the “Digital Immigrants” (Prensky, 2001a). On the contrary to Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants had to learn and adapt to using rising technologies rather than seeing them as natural tools as part of their world. According to Prensky, no matter how well Digital Immigrants adjusted to the new condition, they would cling to their digital immigrant significance. Prensky also shared a subject to be discussed that is about the serious break he had analysed between Digital Native students and the technological literacy of their Digital Immigrant tutors, and he continued to demand that this generation break was “the biggest single problem facing education today” (2001 p.2). The attributes and learning preferences of Digital Native students, he claimed, were conflicting with the teaching practice of their teachers. As this group of young people joined higher education, educators would require to adopt their teaching practices in order to accommodate the demands of the new generation of learners (Prensky, 2001a).

Two recent comments led me  to finally enter the 21st century. First, back to my first year teaching at Norway in 2010. I was asked by my Principal to use the smart board in my class. I told her that I did not have any experience in using the smart board. That is why I had never used the smart board in my classroom. I would prefer to use the ordinary white board in my teaching and learning process. She looked at me in an odd and curious way (like she was talking to someone from another planet) and stated in a matter of fact manner, “Tjandra, even your 5th graders could operate the smart board. You need to learn from them.” I know that she did not have any intention to humiliate me, but that struck me.

Second, I was chatting with my friends through Facebook when she asked me whether I have a Blackberry or not. She told me that we could chat using the Blackberry Messager. I told her that I did not have any Blackberry. I am using an Android phone. Then she asked me my WhatsApp. I was a bit frustrated at that time when I heard that. It was because I did not have any WhatsApp either. I thought that I could chat using my Android phone, or if I need a bigger screen, I just used my laptop. That is why I did not want to use WhatsApp.  

This concept of digital native vs. digital immigrant causes a great deal of awareness to me. Young people in our community are digital natives. They seem to be very pleased with everything from iPhones to IPads. Digital immigrants, like me, just never accept that good feeling with these technologies. Yes, we may learn to adjust by using mobile phones, email, Facebook, and so forth but it just does not and perhaps will never be very natural for us. It is like studying a second language you can use it orally but with some problems. Perhaps we have a crucial time in our lives for technology, similar to when we do for language. When we are small, we catch the language so quickly but find it so much challenging to learn a new language when we are adult. The same seems to be true for technology.

So, I forced myself to keep up to date with the technology development. I believe that technology has brought a huge impact in my life. In the past, I used my phone only for calling or receiving a call and sending and receiving text messages. Now, I use my phone to take pictures, listening to the radio, check email, surf at the internet, Facebooking, chatting through Yahoo Messager, checking the weather forecast, picture editing and many more. If there is a problem which includes technology usage, I usually tend to search the answer at the internet instead of asking help from my colleague. That is because in my school, the IT person who deals with the hardware and software stays in another building a bit far from our school. Only then, when I could not find the answer at the internet, then I would call him asking for help.

So, what about you? Are you a digital native or a digital immigrant and how does it impact your life?

References

Prensky, M. (2001a). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.

Prensky, M. (2001b). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6), 6.

Plante, T. (2012, July 24). Digital native vs. digital immigrant? which are you?. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/do-the-right-thing/201207/digital-native-vs-digital-immigrant-which-are-you

Teaching 21st-Century Skills

Today’s education system deals with irrelevance if we do not link the break between how the students experience and they learn. Schools are wrestling to maintain tempo with the surprising pace in students’ live outside the school. Students will occupy their adults live in a multitasking, various, technology –driven, dynamic world – and they must show up supplied to do so.  Literacy in the 21^st- century means more than just reading, writing and computing skills. It means understanding on how to apply the learning and talents in a situation of modern life. To deal with the expectation of the21st century, students have to understand more than the core subjects. They have to know on how apply their learning and talents – by reasoning sharply, using learning to new circumstances, evaluating material, assimilating new ideas, corresponding, working together, solving problems, and making decisions.

Productive educators always have integrated learning skills into their instructional methods. Today, educators have the chance to assimilate learning skills, 21^st century tools, and core subjects to create a dynamic education for their students. When we integrate learning skills like thinking and problem solving skills with the 21^st century tools like problem solving tools (such as software, decisions support, design tools), it means we have the ICT literacy because we are using ICT to handle complexity, solve problems and analyse sharply, creatively and systematically.

In order to organize intense inquiry and in order to be fully qualified for long life learning, students must comprehend a whole range of skills. Dr. David Thornburg (2010) shared the skills needed to thrive in the 21^st century. They are critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, teamwork and collaboration, information technology and leadership. Within their learning throughout the school programme, my students get and use a set of transdicisplinary skills: social skills, communications skills, thinking skills, research skills and self-management skills (Primary Years Programme Making the PYP Happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education, 2007, 2009).  In my class, I found out that teaching the students on how to analyse (thinking skill) is quite challenging. My students do not know on how to separate the information into parts and see the relationships. For example, we had the unit about history and geography. After the students had understood the meaning of history and geography, I asked them to show me the impacts of history and geography to a country that they chose. They found it hard to find the impacts. Therefore, I gave them some examples. I created a short clip using Windows Movie maker. The clips showed some pictures about Indonesia history and geography. I used Indonesia as the example. Then, I asked my students to analyse the country’s history and geography. This way, they could show the impacts of history and geography. Recently I created some guiding questions that can be used to improve their analytical thinking. I provided them with some pictures. I asked them to choose one picture. Then, I provided them with some guiding questions. The students needed to answer the questions in related to the picture that they chose. This learning engagement could improve their analytical thinking.                

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Thornburg, D.). (2010). Skills for the 21st Century, MD: Author.

Making the PYP Happen: A curriculum framework for international primary education. Cardiff, Wales GB CF23 8GL, United Kingdom. International Baccalaureate Organization. Retrieved from http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/documents/pyp/p_0_pypxx_mph_0912_2_e.pdf

The 21st-Century Disconnect

Technology has transformed the process we make the most of our life, the system we manage, what we do to be existed, how we survive, and even how we understand. We can notice the proof by looking around at any family, any workstation, any organization. Technology is controlling trucks, driving cars, operating washing machines, transferring the news, guiding us connect knowledge about almost anything through the internet. It also frames the education scholar (and the rest of community) desire and what it means for getting young people ready for life after school. Technology has affected on every aspect of our public, technical, educational, individual, and monetary lives. Core subjects are crucial but, they are no longer the main part. We call for new skills to succeed what we learn; assess and critically check out both the date we are given and its origin. As information users via technology we demand to be able to identify how to do things without explicit guidance, to locate a solution to a problem using an IPad or other mobile device. As data and understanding builders we need to be savvy to build data through Wikis, blogs, and other social media, and how to construct that data to guide others perceive and contribute or critic our ideas. Dr. Thornburg (2010), on one of the media segment, said that the working environment has changed rapidly. One example is telecommunicating and collaboration at a distance will increase. I still remember when I was working in Indonesia we had seasons as our topic. It was quite challenging for us to show to the students about spring, autumn, and especially winter because in Indonesia we do not have that. We have rainy season and summer. We do not have snow. There is a possibility that we show the students to a TV program or video about the season, but that learning engagements are not so interesting for them. Now, as the technology has helped us, those Indonesian students can get a better understanding about season. The teachers contacted me and asked for a Skype activity between Norway and Indonesia. It was a great activity. The students who live in another part of the world who have never experienced snow can have access to the primary resources, the students who live in Norway and the other way around. Using life skills such as collaboration like this is very important for the to understand and master. They created the list of questions for the interview by themselves. They managed their time effectively and appropriately by making an agreement between the two parties on what time they would have the Skype activity. The flexibility of using the schedule as mentioned by Dr. Thornburg (2010) once again can be seen from this learning engagements. There are 6 hours time difference between Norway and Indonesia. If we are starting from now, preparing students to work collaboratively at a distance, hopefully when they enter the working environment, they are ready. The ability to use technology has taken us further than we might be aware. Technology had led us to changes in our live that before they occurred, were not predicted, and once they taking place, were not understood. We must provide the direct involvement of skills and get the students ready properly to live and survive in a new technologically driven world. 

References 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Thornburg, D.). (2010). The Changing Work Environment: Part 1., MD: Author.