How could you adapt or change one of your current class/course policies to reflect a moving mindset? Is this a change you are willing to make?
Why or Why not?
I think it is imperative that teachers change the commonly held mindset "This is I have always done and it is has worked fine."
We are not teaching the same kids that we taught just 3 years ago. The students expect a real time learning environment. They expect to be able to research their work on the device they have in their hands. They expect to have teachers that understand the way they learn today, not 5 years ago. Why shouldn't they? We are supposed to be preparing them for their future, not for a past that is obsolete. These students have been raised with technology. To them, these devices are the same as the calculators, books and watches the we carried around school, essential.
I recently changed the way my students do labs in the classroom. My thought was that when they are in the workforce, they will have peers, they will have various devices and they will have a supervisor to help them on projects. Why should they learn to do it differently now? We now work as a group. There may aspects to the lab that are still assigned individually but it is still a group collaboration. It does take some effort to keep them on task. This is a new concept for our classroom and, as always, there will be adjustments.
I am actively seeking ways to streamline my classroom and take it completely digital. We are a GAFE school and that has started to make this process easier. In my belief, this will be a never ending endeavor.
