By Silvia Sowa

Teachers

• “Teachers’ decisions may affect the lives of students in many ways…of students in many ways…

• Trial and error can not be part of the developing professional field of an instructor…

• A teacher’s mind must be clear and student oriented enough for him to be student oriented enough for him to be able to understand his students.”

Silvia Sowa

Are you teacher… accepting

the challenges of the new

digital era in education?digital era in education?

• Teachers today have many questions.

• It is not an easy task to become part of • It is not an easy task to become part of

the changing educative contexts.

• When facing changes of today´s

education; we could say there might be

certain “postures” towards the immersion certain “postures” towards the immersion

of the new learning and teaching

environments.

Teachers’ attitudes towards new education

Techno-phobic

Closed position

In between (no

preparation

Getting

involved preparation

Middle of the

road position

involved

Open position

(instruction)

• Teachers have taken a new role, now they

accompany, orient, and guide through the accompany, orient, and guide through the

new learning environments.

• They are immigrants in this techno-

social- knowledge era.

• They face many changes in their students • They face many changes in their students

attitudes, interests, and ways to learn.

Challenges

• Native students characteristics:

• Multitask learners.• Multitask learners.

• Social and cooperative attitudes towards

learning.

• Ability to use technology and its

applications.applications.

• Global mind processes for solving problems.

• Digital skills.

Native versus immigrant

Teachers need to:

• Develop digital competence.

• Get training.• Get training.

• Learn and apply digital and technological resources.

• Learn to use searchers and resources.

• Become innovative and creative.

• Support each other, cooperate, • Support each other, cooperate, collaborate, learn together….

• Dare!

Students need to:

• Learn the appropriate ways to use technology in their own preparation process.

• Get knowledge and awareness of the • Get knowledge and awareness of the Internet privacy and security.

• Organize time, value skills.

• Learn the ethical and legal use of social networks, material, sources, etc.

• Critical attitude, sense of cooperation.• Critical attitude, sense of cooperation.

• Control over content matter.

• Organize and apply methods for specific purposes.

Recommendations

• Change and learning have to be engaged to unity and cooperation from institutions.unity and cooperation from institutions.

• Curriculum must be revised and planned.

• Resources have to be prepared, tested, and verified.

• Teachers training programs have to be organized. organized.

• Change should be structured and well-planned.

• Sources:• Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Prensky, Marc. • Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Prensky, Marc.

©2001

• Lifelong Learning. Redecker, Christine. 2008.

• Literacy and Numeracy Skills. Maher, Eleen. 2011

• The Changing Classroom. Article 2987 issue of THE Journal. 2012

• Silvia Sowa. 2012• Silvia Sowa. 2012

• Please do fair use of this article by using the copyrights of this material.