Future Ready Learning

Roles and Practices of Educators in
Technology-Supported Learning
Technology can empower educators to become co-learners with their students
by building new experiences for deeper exploration of content. This enhanced
learning experience embodies John Dewey’s notion of creating “more mature
learners.” 8 Side-by-side, students and teachers can become engineers of collaboration,
designers of learning experiences, leaders, guides, and catalysts of
change. 9,10 Following are some descriptions of these educator roles and examples
of how technology can play an integral part.
Educators can collaborate far beyond the walls of their schools. Through
technology, educators are no longer restricted to collaborating only with other
educators in their schools. They now can connect with other educators and
experts across their communities or around the world to expand their perspectives
and create opportunities for student learning. They can connect with
community organizations specializing in real-world concerns to design learning
experiences that allow students to explore local needs and priorities. All of
these elements make classroom learning more relevant and authentic.
In addition, by using tools such as videoconferencing, online chats, and social
media sites, educators, from large urban to small rural districts, can connect and
collaborate with experts and peers from around the world to form online professional
learning communities.
AUTHENTIC LEARNING
Authentic learning
experiences are those that place
learners in the context of realworld
experiences and challenges. 11
BUILDING COMMUNITIES FOR EDUCATORS: INTERNATIONAL
EDUCATION AND RESOURCE NETWORK (iEARN) FOSTERS GLOBAL
COLLABORATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING
Through technology, educators can create global communities of practice
that enable their students to collaborate with students around the world.
Technology enables collaborative teaching regardless of geographic
location, as demonstrated by the global nature of the Solar Cooking Project
organized by earth and environmental science teacher Kathy Bosiak.
Bosiak teaches at Lincolnton High School in Lincolnton, North
Carolina, and is a contributing educator for iEARN, a nonprofit organization
made up of more than 30,000 schools and youth organizations
in more than 140 countries. iEARN offers technology-enabled
resources that enable teachers and students around the world to
collaborate on educational projects, all designed and facilitated by
teachers and students to fit their curriculum, classroom needs, and
schedules. 17
In addition to its student programs, iEARN offers professional faceto-face
workshops for teachers that combine technology and continued
engagement through virtual networks and online professional learning
opportunities. The workshops focus on the skills needed to engage in
Internet-based collaborative learning projects, including peer review,
team building, joining regional and international learning communities,
and developing project-based curricula that integrate national education
standards.
OFFICE OF Educational Technology
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