I just read something written for the EdTech UNconference Website that I thought was too good to wait to post! This was written by Lisa and was published on 10/27/10:
"21 Signs You're a 21st Century Teacher"
Are you a 21st Century Teacher? Find out!
1. You require your students to use a variety of sources for their research projects...and they cite blogs, podcasts, and interviews they've conducted via Skype.
2. Your students work on collaborative projects...with students in Australia.
3. You give weekly class updates to parents...via your blog.
4. Your students participate in class...by tweeting their questions and comments.
5. You ask your students to study and create reports on a controversial topic...and you grade their video submissions.
6. You prepare substitutes with detailed directions...via Podcasts.
7. You ask your students to do a character/historical person study...and they create mock social media profiles of their character.
8. Your students create a study guide...working together on a group wiki.
9. You share lesson plans with your teacher friends...from around the globe.
10. Your classroom budget is tight...but it doesn't matter because there are so many free resources on the Web you can use.
11. You realize the importance of professional development...and you read blogs, join online communities, and tweet for self development.
12. You take your students on a field trip to the Great Wall of China...and never leave your classroom.
13. Your students share stories of their summer vacation...through an online photo repository.
14. You visit the Louvre with your students...and don't spend a dime.
15. You teach your students not to be bullies...or cyberbullies.
16. You make your students turn in their cell phones before class starts...because you plan on using them in class.
17. You require your students to summarize a recent chapter...and submit it to you via a text message.
18. You showcase your students' original work...to the world.
19. You have your morning coffee...while checking your RSS feed.
20. You are reading this.
21. You tweet this page, blog about it, "like" it, or email it to someone else...
In the comments section, several users have added some other worthwhile points to this list:
22. You encourage students to use the right technology for the job...sometimes the right technology is silicon, sometimes it is paper, and sometimes it is slate.
23. You give your students choices on what type of project they want to do.
24. When playing a video game, i.e. Wii, counts as PE.
25. For homework, your students create written responses...by commenting on your blog post.
I'm sure many of you could also add to the list!
What can you do to integrate technology into your classroom? Here's a good idea to start with - walk through the halls at your school and see what type of work is posted. Then, think about how you could do the same project/assignment but utilize technology in some way. It may be something as simple as gathering information about likes and dislikes in class (i.e. favorite color) and drawing it out on paper - instead, show students how to enter the data gathered into a spreadsheet and make a colorful bar or pie chart! Sometimes integrating technology into your class is as easy as "pie" - a pie chart, that is!
