Teaching 21st Century Learners

Teaching using 21^st Century tools can be intimidating. For teachers it is often difficult to teach in a different way than how we learned. To be an effective teacher in the 21st century, teachers are going to have to do just that. Daily, new tools are becoming available to aid in classroom learning. Whether it be mastering the interactive whiteboard rather than a projector; to utilize manipulatives for our young learners. Or conducting an online discussion about a primary source document, teachers who know how to use technology are becoming a cut above those who do not. 

The reason to use the newly created 21^st century tools is simple. We are teaching life-long learners. Access to information has now become limitless; so too has our student’s limits on how much they are "expected to know." With that being said, we teachers need to realize that our limits for teaching our students have now also become limitless. No longer should our students be put in a routine of assignments. Instead our students should enter the classroom asking "What are we going to do today?" Teaching using 21^st century is scary, but it is important for teachers to keep an open mind and utilize professional development as a means to stay on top of new and exciting tools.