Learning to Teach for the Future
Posted by Lauren Grossberg on Mon, Jan 18, 2010
"I need my teacher to learn 3.0" is an updated video written and performed by the passionate Kevin Honeycutt. Honeycutt is a former educator and current employee at ESSDACK, an educational service center. He spends much of his time researching ways to help teachers feel more comfortable with the technology that so many of their students are using everyday. He uses his own ideas and experiences to help prepare teachers and students for the future.
The video uses a song to emphasize the importance of the need for teachers to be constantly learning about the latest teaching methods. This is so important to meet the needs of today’s generation of students. He wants teachers to realize that it is not only okay, but it is encouraged to step outside of the box and try some new methods. From interactive white boards to educational videos and games, there are so many new and exciting ways to teach students that many teachers are clueless about.
An example from the song explains how a teacher only allows their students to use written notecards to help prepare for a test, while students often find the ease in taking notes on their own laptops more efficient. The teacher, stuck in his or her old ways will not change their mind about this. Netbooks, a hot trend in today’s world, provide a fast and easy way to take notes. Again, the song begins to reinforce preparing for the future, not the past.
It also talks about how kids are changing. They know what Skype, Twitter and other social sites are all about. If the way they are learning is changing, then the way teachers are teaching them must change, too. If kids are learning for their future, we have to ask ourselves if we are getting them ready for it. The video uses a playful, yet realistic tone to shed light on an issue that needs to be happening in the classroom today.