Week 2 - Blog Posting #4 - 21st Century Skills and LifeLong Learning

The huge question every teacher faces is how to engage the student. As teachers we want to engage our students now, and even bigger than that, we want them to engage in lifelong learning. The first issue I wish to discuss is engaging the students. Our students are 21st century students. They are digital natives, immersed in and already learning from technology. We need to engage those skills they have already learned through technology and use those skills to engage them in education, and set them up for life-long learning. Times have changed radically, yet education really has not followed that change as drastically. To engage students we need to reach them through what they know. This video shows a little bit on that topic.

Today's learners are dependent on technology. And as they are dependent on it, of course they learn best through it. This next video shows how the 21st century student learns. They learn through social networks, blogs, email, etc. They read blogs, books, and magazines. If they are looking for information they go to the internet. Watch the video to learn more on that.

Obviously, it is important that teachers today learn to engage our students and teach them what they will need. The next video I wish to share with you speaks of that. It gives three steps in reaching 21st century learners. The steps are having a creative classroom, teaching students the skills of competition, cooperation, and collaboration, and introducing the students to their global peers. With the technology we have, our students will need to be able to interact with people from all cultures through technology.

Lastly, if we apply these technology tools, and excite our students about learning, we will set them up to be lifelong learners. They will fall in love with learning because it has been made exciting. It will no longer be a boring drudgery. Also, lifelong learning will need to be a necessity in order to succeed. With jobs being created that we cannot even imagine, our students will have to be taught to adapt and to be willing to constantly learn. This may seem a little intimidating, but it can be truly exciting to see students who love to learn and that are excited and prepared for their future.

References:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZkvmpE50GQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1srP6J7f9kY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yCB4i7GJuM

Week 2 - Blog Posting #3 - Media Literacy

Literacy is something that has always been valued. In order to succeed, one must be literate. For those that aren't, life is a harder place. Media literacy has now become such a prevalent part of our society, that it too should be valued just as much as literacy has been. Media literacy is a new term. We are all aware of media education. We need to teach our students to use media. But what is media literacy? According to Jane Tallim (Media Awareness Network), media literacy is as follows:

...the ability to sift through and analyze the messages that inform, entertain and sell to us every day. It's the ability to bring critical thinking skills to bear on all media— from music videos and Web environments to product placement in films and virtual displays on NHL hockey boards. It's about asking pertinent questions about what's there, and noticing what's not there. And it's the instinct to question what lies behind media productions— the motives, the money, the values and the ownership— and to be aware of how these factors influence content.

Really, media literacy is applying critical thinking skills to the media one comes in contact with. Teaching media literacy must be a priority. But why? According to Pat Kipping (Media Awareness Network), it makes us a better citizen. According to Len Masterman (Media Awareness Network), we are immersed in media and we must learn to recognize how it is used in commercialism, politics, and every other aspect of our life. Media is the communications system of today, and students must learn to critically analyze the forms of media they come in contact with.

Also, media literacy is about creating media, and not just analyzing it. Students must learn to create forms of media, and be comfortable with media. This video offers more insight on media literacy.

Incorporating media literacy in the classroom has become a must in education. While this might

feel a bit overwhelming, it is very doable. Having the students present will help them learn media literacy. Presenting

powerpoint presentations, video presentations, podcasts, etc. will engage them in media, and help them become media-literate. We need to teach our students what questions to ask about the media they come in contact with. This next video offers some pointers on how we can teach our students to become media-literate, and how the lack of media literacy can negatively affect our students.

Media literacy will help our students perform better now, and prepare them for a future that will be only further along in terms of media.

References:

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/media_literacy/what_is_media_literacy.cfm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m6grhWShNY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzeVjAM-drg