The Teachers Role for 21 Century Tools

As a teacher, it is our job to prepare students to be successful and productive citizens. In this day and age, this picture of success looks very different than a century ago. Today students are bombarded with images, videos, televisions, computers, and other forms of technology that have changed the landscape of education. We as educators now must take on a new role of helping students navigate this confusing online world, and teach them new 21st century skills to ensure that they can make informed and safe decisions. No longer do we need to just teach basic facts and terms, as we are learning how important it is for students to also develop critical thinking skills and other 21st century skills needed in the workplace. Our job is to prepare students by ensuring that they have developed an ability to think critically and analyze information both in paper form and through technology. Much like learning how to write the alphabet, students now need to learn how to use technology safely and securely, and understand their role in the real and digital world. Students need to understand how to find information, effectively manage and organize it, and be able to present it using a variety of different formats. In doing so, students will also be expected to understand FAIR use of content. This implies that students recognize the origination of the work that is published online, and give appropriate credit where required. Teachers should work with students to develop an understanding of copyright laws, and ensure that students consistently reflect on origination of their information in order to think critically about the validity and reliability of the piece- thereby applying their 21st century skills. Teachers can also help to promote this understanding by ensuring that their resources are properly documented and modeling proper FAIR use policies. These policies should be discussed and explored with students to help them prepare for their futures- particularly if students are intending to continue their education in a post-secondary institution where students will likely need to understand FAIR use content.