Use a variety of strategies to reach all learners. . .

Teaching today requires that teachers hold a range of instructional strategies in their repertoire. According to the constructivist point of view, “[students] must have an active role in the learning process; . . . they are not receptacles to be filled but rather engineers of their learning”, (Smaldino, Lowther, and Russell, 2008). Because of this, students need opportunities to discover, experiment, collaborate, ask questions, explore, play games, and investigate. There are a variety of strategies available for teachers to provide students ample environments that will suit each individual student’s learning style or modality. Technology will enable teachers to reach students and provide quality environments which push them toward higher order thinking.

The implementation of technology by teachers of 21st century learners can and will undoubtedly be essential in assuring each student is able to meet his or her educational goals, be able to think critically and independently as well as compete globally. This impacts my teaching because it pushes me away from my comfort zones. It also allows me to examine methods of teaching which are most effective in increasing student achievement, piquing their interest in learning, and it will hopefully improve their desire to continue learning for years to come.

This is a short movie of my students during centers. We were learning about magnets and the students worked with electromagnets with my student teacher, played computer games about magnets, played with magnetized cars, wrote magnet stories, and collaborated to create a magnet rap song. We had a ball!

Reference

Smaldino, S.C., Lowther, D.L. & Russell, J.D., (2008). Instructional technology and media for learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.