Professional Development

In today’s ever-changing society, it becomes a constant challenge to keep pace with the countless new initiatives in education and numerous advancements in technology. As educators, however, we must not only welcome these changes, but we should also be prepared to incorporate them in our classrooms as well. Students in the 1990’s, whether at home or in school, grew up in a vastly different environment than that of today. Children born in the 21st century are raised on computers, and in many cases, spend a good chunk of their day invested in technology, whether it be their cell phone, IPOD, or computer. While many of today’s parents rely on the newspaper or television to be informed, adolescents, especially those in high school, can turn to outlets like face book or twitter. As teachers, why not take advantage of such opportunities and grab the interest of our learners? Naturally, this would enable learning to be interactive and still maintain the integrity of traditional teaching.

Professional development allows educators the chance to maintain a 21st century classroom. As many educators pride themselves on being “students of education”, they should welcome the many opportunities to open their classroom to today’s teenager. While we may not understand them at times, they live a world that demands a constant understanding of new and improved technology. Personally, the Internet has become an important part of my classroom environment. As we continue to become more familiar with different technological outlets, our classrooms have the chance to become far more engaging. From web-quests and web-pages to wiki-spaces and smart-boards, education has evolved to a new and exciting experience for any teacher and any student.

Through professional development and open-mindedness, today’s educator has an abundance of knowledge and opportunity at his or her disposal. By taking advantage of technology, we can make learning a more valuable and engaging experience for each of our students.