Tuesday, May 31, 2011

HOW DO YOU DEFINE BEING A WRITER AND TEACHER IN THE 21ST-CENTURY?

25 comments:

  1. Being a writer in this century means being able to write in numerous mediums and being able to read different texts. Further, being a teacher in this century is being able to introduce, utlize, learn, and function in the numerous texts and tools available through technology.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is an element of chage that comes with technology and also an element of group creation and colaboration.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Writing and teaching in this technology based world means being open-minded and flexible. There is so much information being exchanged, so teachers and students need to be aware that there are a variety of ways to process it, so looking at alternative ways of doing things should be emphasized.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am comfortable with some digital story telling with myself and kids. I am a member of one wiki, but have not used wikis or blogs with students. Have used google sites, forms and presentations.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Writers are good writing teachers. We are in a technology world. Using technology to write gets the kids to buy in and participate....and learn.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The more I think about teaching and learning in the 21st-century, the more I liken myself to playing a role in a game - video game or otherwise. For me, I become a learner (an ongoing becoming) and I become a teacher (an ongoing becoming) in any given moment.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Writing is an integral part of teaching and I believe a teacher has to be comfortable at wriing before they can be truely effective at teaching writing to their students.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Technology is how our students learn today. It is vital for teachers to keep up with our students.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Teachers and students of writing in the 21st century must be adaptable to all forms of communication from pencil to paper to blogging. The teacher must adapt to the ever changing world of technology while teching writing skills. The student must grow as both a writer and a confident user of technology.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree with Brittany... she said it perfectly.

    The other comment I read recently that I wholeheartedly support...

    "Maybe that’s because we get swept up in technology. We use it to tell stories rather than to shape them." --- Jessica Bertha (BBH NYC)

    It's a matter of finding the balance.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Teachers and students learn to write using a variety of tools- paper, email, blog, wiki and integrating digital video, photography, movies into their writing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think that being a writer and a teacher in modern times is a task of navigating the tension between the past and the future. How readily do we as writers and teachers integrate various forms of technology? While many people seem to be either on one end of the spectrum or the other, I think it is important to be of the mindset that certain technologies can be useful and interesting when integrated appropriately, yet without discarding the proven methods of the past.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ann- I agree with Ann in saying that both teachers and students must learn to write using a variety of digital and non-digital tools.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think what Brittany said is essential, for there are so many different types of technology which students are now exposed so, that they need to be taught how to approach this variety of media critically. What this truly means for students and teachers is that they are more learning HOW to learn, and that teachers are acting more as facilitators at times.

    ReplyDelete
  15. It makes me wonder. Did teachers struggle with incorporating typewriters? As a teacher, why would I not want to share with my students the tools I rely on to be an effective writer? There is no way I could write, write anything, without spell check. The flip side is my students are using technology that I am not aware of so combining our knowledge to make them better communicators must be the key.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dear TC,

    I totally agree with you! Being flexible and adaptable seems to be a key of using technology, whether in your class or personal life!

    :Brittany

    ReplyDelete
  17. Being a writer and teacher in the 21st century to me means being open to using the different forms of technology necessary to be an effective teacher.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think being a writer in this century is the same as any other time as far as creating thoughts to share with others. The difference comes in the medium used and that is ever- changing and expanding and opening up amazing possibilities.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Tommy, I agree that teaching in the 21st century means we collaborate much more--as teachers and as students. I look forward to discussing and discovering more of those collaboration tools this week.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love that Brittany mentioned the multimodal aspect of being a 21st-century teacher - I completely agree. We have to be versed in many mediums and genres.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Writing is an important communication skill for the student and teacher. Both must learn to use effectively. As a teacher I need to learn the newest ways to use technology to help my students communicate through writing.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Kim,

    You could not be more correct - no matter how we teach writing, we as teachers have got to be confident writers. Technology will simply accentuate the desire of students to write. TC

    ReplyDelete
  23. The more I think about teaching and learning in the 21st-century, the more I liken myself to playing a role in a game - video game or otherwise. For me, I become a learner (an ongoing becoming) and I become a teacher (an ongoing becoming) in any given moment.

    I like what Adam said. I makes me think that to be a good teacher, and relevant, you have to be willing to keep trying and learning.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I agree with both Brittany and Barbie, yet (and perhaps I am old-fashioned) I still think there is a need for not forgetting the mediums of the past as they often contain so much more substance. Am I a stick in the mud?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Becky, You and the other 4th grade teachers did great things using technology with your students this past year.

    ReplyDelete