My New Views as a 21st Century Teacher

This course has helped me in ways I would have never expected. When I first saw the learning resources for this course, my first thought was about my own learning using wikis, blogs, and podcast, but I never imagined that what I was going to learn was how to use them in behalf of my students learning. About my technology skills, it helped me greatly to learn how to use podcasts and the technology I would need to do them, discovering that it is easier to use than I thought once you get the basics. The feature I enjoyed the most was the wiki, I have come up with so many ideas on how to use that great tool in my classroom, and how it can help me professionally as well.

My knowledge about the learning process and teaching have changed somehow. I have never had a teacher-centered perspective. I have always believed that students must discover, research, and create to make their learning meaningful and long lasting. This course has helped me to acquire more tools and skills to be able to accomplish this goal in ways more pertinent to the 21st century generations.

I will continue expanding my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology to achieve student achievement by staying updated about new trends in technology, gathering resources and tools I will be able to use, and sharing knowledge with other teachers. Probably the most important aspect of all is staying focused in my students as human beings with strengths and weaknesses who need me to care about them deeply individually, keeping in mind their learning styles and specialty.  

I cannot think about two long-term goals within two years to transform my classroom environment because I have no idea of what I will find in my classroom when I finally begin working as a teacher this next year in Baltimore. Even though, all this knowledge gave birth to the idea of developing a technological school for low-resources students in my home country Puerto Rico by federal government proposals. Probably, I will be able to start working in this idea within 3 or 4 years from now. I want to give those children the opportunity of learning in a different way and help as I can to provide my island with the recent tools in technology. My logo will be: “Every child with the Internet at hands.” I am sure God will help me to achieve this goal to help in the development of the children from the country I love so much.

There is no way I can determine how my answers to the checklist from Week 1 have changed in my practice because I am not working as a teacher at the moment. Even though, I believe that the area I have changed my views the most is in developing technology skills for the school and workplace environments. I will definitely take an active role implementing the technology needed in the school I will work in the future to assume my role as a digital immigrant teacher, allowing my students to build artifacts to construct their learning.

My Reactions to P21

Partnership for the 21st Century

I did an overview of the website "Partnership for the 21st Century" (P21) for this blog. I found it fascinating. I believe it is an excellent tool for teachers, policymakers, parents, and community to be aware of the new education trends facing us all to what awaits us in this new century. 

What surprised me the most was how it addresses the policymakers and encourages them to change educational laws giving them tools on the new trends like, for example, how to implement 21st century skills, a guide for how to implement it in curriculum and instruction, and why it is so important to do so,  among other important information. They also have a feature to assess schools and teachers in 21st century readiness, which I did on myself, and I found out I am well oriented as a 21st century educator, though I still have lots to learn. I also liked that you can find out what other states are doing using the P21 content and their events.

I did not find anything I could disagree with in the website, at least as far as I went in my exploration. All the contrary, I was wondering myself before exploring this website if there was a way of having a guide to implement curriculum, instruction, assessment, and techniques according to what our students need to be ready for their future careers in the 21st century. It is wonderful to find out that a group of people had this idea of linking all those matters related to our children education in every way to instruct them and give them tools to be able to help the students to develop these skills.

As a contemporary teacher, P21 is a tool that will change my view on how a 21st century classroom should be like, a great provider of new ideas and techniques, and a valuable resource to stay updated about new trends in education.

Blogging in the Classroom

As I said, I have a lot of ideas that blogging could be useful in the classroom. One of those ideas is for developing writing. For example, before reading a specific story or book we will discuss in the classroom, or an event of history like the America's Discovery, I would use blogging to post the main problem of what we will discuss in class, so they can give it their own solution.

Let me give a more specific example. We will read the story of Robin Hood (just to give an example I am sure everyone knows about), but they will not know that yet (they could get ahead). I would give them this question in the blog to react to it: "If you notice that rich people are getting everything, and people by your community are starving, what would you do to help your people if you could use all the means available?" To add to this, after reading the story, I would ask them how they would change the end of the story, or how they believe the setting of the story would have made a difference to it.

These are fast thoughts of all the possibilities of blogging in the classroom. What do you think of them and how else would you improve it?

Reactions to blogging

Wow, I am still thinking, and new ideas coming up every time, about all the ways I can use blogging in my classroom. I loved the video "Spotlight on Technology: Blogging in the Classroom" which shows how a sixth grade teacher use blogging with her students and all the unexpected results she has got from that. It is amazing how many skills on very different areas can be developed when used properly: social, communication, writing, critical thinking, even facilitates the students' vision of how past events are linked to their reality. Teachers could use blogs with unlimited possibilities.

Last week I answered a blog about a law project in Missouri that, if approved, would not allow teachers to communicate with their students through social media like Facebook and such. For more details, check this link: http://socialmediatoday.com/steve-olenski/385170/should-teachers-and-students-be-allowed-communicate-social-media-follow#comment-47714. I was impressed of the answer someone else posted in that blog, stating that "communication should be limited to the four walls of a school" talking about how teachers should protect themselves and do not become friends of their students. I was totally taken aback with this comment, and it is really taking me a while to reply to it. This reply is understandable considering that this teacher was accused of an inappropriate relationship with a student, and still I believe that teachers should be as available as they can for their students, preferable with the parents monitoring. I think I will be ready to answer back as soon as I can.


I cannot wait to be back in the classroom to apply all this new knowledge I am acquiring in this course. This is definitely a wonderful tool to do different things and engage the students in something they enjoy while they learn the skills they will need to be successful. Blogs, wikis, and all this emerging technology are coming to stay, so teachers are the best they can have to teach them how to use them properly.

My new life in Baltimore

I decided I would use this opportunity to express all my experiences about my moving to Baltimore. As you most know, my home country is Puerto Rico, so I am experiencing a huge change in weather, language, and culture. My family thought I was kind of crazy when I took this decision, but I am following a dream. I have wanted for about 6 years now to move to United States to become a teacher here and finally life gave me the chance of doing it. At the beginning, everything went way smoothly, better than I could have ever expected. I decided to get a roommate, and the one I found more convenient is with a guy, which put my family in high alert, as you can expect. Even with all the fears, my roommate has been a great help during my moving process. He helped me to gather all my furniture and pick it up, allows me to go with him to do laundry (though usually he goes at 6 am in the morning, which is not funny at all), and he totally gives me my space and privacy respectfully. Something curious that happened the day before I moved into the apartment is that he had a break-in and they stole his 42-inches TV. He was so upset (who would not?). I love my bedroom. You would say is small, but it is not, is just what I need and no more. I even have my study area, which I love.

There are some experiences I have had so far that probably most of you would take for granted being used to them. For example, I am enjoying a lot the autumn because at home this season is not so noticeable as it is here. I have been able to see how the trees have been changing and how everything has been withering. For me, it is simply amazing to see. The first time I had the cold breath mist, I was like a little girl breathing over and over to see the smoke coming out of my mouth. After a while, it became kind of annoying, he he. What I have not recovered from yet is seeing squirrels. I never saw one before coming here, and I find them so pretty. I even tried two days ago to take a picture to the one I have been the closest to, but it did not let me to take it a proper picture. I cannot wait to see the deers and foxes my roommate told me sometimes appear by the woods close by (I have never seen them in person neither). The buildings and the scenery is so new for me. I find this city so beautiful and wonderful, not to tell that I love the public transportation (it is a pain at home).

I will keep you all updated about my new experiences here because I know this is just a beginning. I have never seen snow and, ironically, I cannot wait to see it, and I am afraid of its unavoidable coming because of the challenges it will bring with the cold, which I am not still used to it. I will let you know about it soon enough. I hope you could enjoy some of my adventures from my new life, which is way promising.

By the way, about what I came looking for here, tomorrow I have an appointment for an information session about the Baltimore City Teaching Residence Program. If I am admitted in the program, I will achieve my dream. Wish me luck. Until next time.

My very new first blogging

Hi, my dear classmates and web explorers! I am really sorry of how much I delayed doing this, but for those who do not know, I just moved to Baltimore, MD almost 4 weeks now. The experience has been terrific and totally innovating for me. Talking about innovations, this is the first time I blog like this. I have heard a lot about it, but now is when I will actually learn how they work. I am amazed of how easy is to settle it and make it work. This will be a great and different experience I will use to learn for my next classroom experiences. Please feel free of comment in my blog, as I will do with all of you, my fellow classmates. I will see you soon enough.