Curriculum and Teaching in the 21st Century

I have been part of an interesting dialogue with my colleague over at Banks2.0 about technology, curriculum and the future of learning. Alright, when I said interesting I might again be announcing my membership to the “propeller-head” club once again.

The talk centered on what we believed it meant to be a 21^st century teacher and what the 21^st century class would look like. A lot of this dialogue started from an article/interview that we came across on the Half an Hour Blog. It was here that Downes' shared his philosophy on where teaching and learning is or should be going. Banks and I discussed what we agreed with and what we disagreed with and how we saw our role as teachers. Banks’ questions had me looking out into some of the blogs I read and I came across Jeff Utecht’s, The Thinking Stick blog, and here he was discussing curriculum, teachers and technology.

Teaching in a technology rich class, with the inclusion of a lot of web2.0 tools, is interesting and I believe engaging. The question comes as to how I am meeting my curricular requirements using this technology. I am someone who is always trying to use tools that connect students to each other, the curriculum and engage them in a rewarding activity. I am always thinking, "That's cool, how can I use that in my class!" Often other teachers, especially those that are a little technology challenged, ask, "Why would I want to use that tool?" The answer comes from the myriad of curricular outcomes and the differentiation of assignments that can be met with a Web2.0 tool like a Wiki, Blog or a mashup like Glogster.

I can see myself helping my colleagues answer the why, and they may choose to move from the technologically challenged to 21st century.

The journey continues.....