21st Century....Are You Ready??

When I think about how I feel about the 21st century as an educator, I feel a little overwhelmed.  There is so much new stuff that needs to be incorporated into the classroom how will I ever have the time to learn about it and then use it?? AAAHH!!!!  Being that I come a "technology" generation, I do feel capable of learning about new technology and feel that I will function well.  I have no problem working with the "newer" pieces of technology such as smartphones and ipods, I find myself struggling with "older" things like using excel to make a spreadsheet and making the cute little powerpoints.  Sure, I can make a powerpoint but I can't make it do all of the fun stuff and add in all of the little pictures.

When I think about how well my students are prepared for the 21st century, I feel like they will fare pretty well.  They are exposed to so much by way of video games, the internet, and the different things that we use in our classroom.  But yet there is so much more.  I think in the grand scheme of things, they will be okay but along with that , we could take them so much farther if only teachers would not be so hesitant when it comes to something new.  Trust me, this is something that I work on myself.

I think that one of my strengths for the 21st century are the fact that I have been raised in such a technology forward generation where I am exposed to technology in just about everything that I do.  Another strength is that I am a fast learner so when I am introduced to something new, I can get the hang of it pretty quickly, especially if I am given time to "play".  One challenge that I face when it comes to my classroom is that I do not have access to A LOT of technology.  Sure, we have computers, projectors, clickers, mobi's, and an ipod touch lab but there is more out there!