The 21st Century Teacher

The 21^st Century Teacher:

What a night to start reflecting on the hip 21^st century teacher. I just finished watching the United Flight 93 movie. In it, you see so much technology at work: the air traffic control radar that tracks planes, the pilot who has hundreds of little computer type gadgets and levers in front of him and beside him, the reporters reporting on CNN have their own technology to bring pictures to viewers, the cockpit recorders, the air phones, the cell phones and the list goes on. As teachers, (especially those teachers who aren’t fond of technology) we must remember what kind of a world we are living in today. Everything is computerized.

My husband does Information Technology at a hospital. It amazes me how many different areas of the hospital that his department is responsible for on a daily basis. Equipment in the laboratory is high-tech, as is the equipment that is used to perform different types of surgery on patients! A surgeon now must know anatomy, as well as computer technology to keep the operating room running smoothly. The telephone systems are computerized in most office buildings now. Security systems are highly computerized too.

If our job is to prepare students for the real world, then we must prepare them to use the computer efficiently too. There are all kinds of programs out there for teachers to use. Just look at the list on the OSAPAC website. It is unbelievable! I teach in a one school board so perhaps that is why I am not privy to OSAPAC and its availabilities.

Each school program is developed with a purpose. Each one is valuable in some way but which ones are truly important? I think first and foremost, programs like All the Right Type are essential. We need to start by teaching our students to use a keyboard efficiently. Once they have grasped typing skills, they are then able to move onto many other areas of technology.

My husband does I.T. work on the side for my school board. I asked him what one piece of software he would like to see developed for educators. He feels a community based web portal for all students in Ontario would be a great idea for a software developer who wants to make a good buck. It would be a portal that would have dictionaries, calculators, and encyclopedias so students wouldn't have to search Google anymore. It would also contain blogs for all-Ontario students, and so much more. It would all be right there at their fingertips.
Many teachers worry that too much technology could rule out the role of a teacher. A good web based portal could lead to every student requiring a laptop. Some schools are moving in this direction. My old high school in Sudbury (Marymount Academy) has started a laptop program this year in which every student gets their own laptop for school and home use. It will be interesting to see how successful this pilot project will be in the future.

When I think of our ever expanding curriculum, I realize why there are so many pieces of software out there. I cannot think of any one real piece of software that stands out so far above the rest because we almost need to expose our students to all of them so that they are well-rounded and can adapt well to any system or program. I think the more we expose our students to technology, the better off they will be when they leave our hands and get out into the real world.

Anastasia Rioux