I'm a 21st Century Educator!

My name is Erin Nakano. I am a teacher at Lanai High & Elementary School in Lanai City, HI. I have been teaching English Language Arts to grades 6-8 since the 2009-2010 school year.

My philosophy of 21^st Century Education is comprised of several different distinct, yet essential components. One of the biggest ideas that stand out to me is the notion that no matter what subject you teach, in order to reach the 21^st Century learner, your lessons need to be engaging. Second, providing the opportunity for students to “create” is an integral step toward 21^st Century education. Finally, an emphasis on integration is key to success both inside and outside the classroom, and a life-long lesson that will only be of benefit in the student’s future.

Engagement can take on numerous and varied forms. We learned in the “Teaching in the 21^st Century” YouTube video that lessons must be relevant, challenging, and engaging. Students will respond in greater capacity to curriculum that is engaging versus merely entertaining. In the Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants article, Prensky emphasizes the importance of changing the methodology of teaching by going at a faster pace, as well as changing the content by integrating the use of technology with content area curriculum. He suggests presenting both “Legacy” and “Future” content in a game-like format in order to engage the Digital Native otherwise known as the 21^st Century learner. Engaging lesson delivery is one essential way for students to respond, which fits nicely with the opportunities teachers can provide to “create.”

In the hierarchy of Bloom’s Taxonomy, we find more complex thinking skills such as the ability to create and experience inquiry-based learning. According to the compilation of thoughts from the ASB Unplugged Conference by Kevin Roberts, education is making a shift from the teaching facts to the teaching of skills. Among the many resources students are privy to in the 21^st century, tools we are learning about in the EDCS 480 course such as blogging, posting, commenting, linking, bookmarking, etc. can extend the realm of “creation” of student work. Creation of e-portfolios and online web pages also promote achievement and higher order thinking skills in our 21^st Century student learners. However, one cannot hope to have successful opportunities for student creation without integration. (To see how my class CREATED their own mural during the Lanai Summer Project click here.)

Integration on many levels, including student groups, subject areas, and the world beyond the classroom is the key component to success states Rob Riordan in the “21st CenturySkill Culture at High Tech High” video. Building a common culture of learning and collaboration is of utmost importance to teaching in the 21^st century. It is evident in the productive relationships between peers, as well as students and teachers in a positive learning environment. I believe this interaction is really the foundation upon where all learning is built. When students learn to collaborate effectively with each other and with their teachers, anything can be accomplished. The sense of purpose and success is ultimately the result of integration of all realms: students, subject areas, and the world beyond. (Click here to see an example of an integrated project in my leadership class.)

In conclusion, I believe in order to be a successful educator in the 21^st century, there is a need to adopt new skills and adapt to exciting environments in order to accommodate the faster-paced, more technology savvy students of today. Planning engaging lessons, promoting opportunities for student creation, and integrating content, students, and the world beyond are all must-haves for the tool belt of a competently mindful 21^st century educator. By no means is this the limit of our newly acquired knowledge. However, it is definitely a running start, as we focus on the most important question posed by Kevin Roberts, “What does it mean to teach?”