10 tech skills for educators?

Today’s students are digital natives. Most of them grew up in a technology-rich environment, and many teens just cannot put down their smartphones.  Therefore, teachers need to rethink the nature of teaching and learning and be willing to understand the technology that will benefit students’ learning. Schaffhauser (2015) summarizes findings from a national survey of educators and highlights 10 must-have skills for 2015. They are: (1) acing productivity applications, (2) mastering search, research and Internet literacy, (3) connecting through social media. (4) troubleshooting your own tech, (5) finding and sharing files, (6) embracing curiosity, (7) capturing attention with video, (8) juggling multiple display devices, (9) perfecting presentations, and (10) managing learning and students. Nine of the 10 things are tech skills, which #6 is a positive disposition toward learning new ideas and technology, and at the same time, be willing to use students’ expertise.

I think many of these things are common sense. However, we educators may take (2), information literacy, for granted. We may not spend enough effort to teach students how to effectively locate information, judge its trustworthiness, and use and share good information. Without these concepts and skills, students are likely to use whatever easy information they find on the Internet without questioning the quality of the content and the possible biases in the authors’ arguments. So I think educators need to be critical and also teach the critical thinking skills to students. In addition, I think we need to be cautious in (3), connecting through social media. They are many instances of cyber bullying, identity theft, and other cyber safety issues. Students need to be aware of these issues and develop good habits of online practices. We need to teach digital citizenship. In sum, teaching and learning with technology are more complex than just bringing technology into the classroom. We need to consider psychological, social, and political implications of the educational use of technology.

This article is not really related to any ISTE Standards for Students because the focus is on teachers. It is clearly aligned with all the 5 ISTE Standards for Teachers. An educator with these 10 skills will likely to facilitate and inspire student learning in the digital age. Educators are also expected to be life-long learners and engage in professional growth.




Reference:
Schaffhauser, D. (2015). 10 tech skills every educator must have in 2015. THE journal, 42(1), 14-20.