This is a topic that often evokes confusion and concern when it is brought up in a group of educators. We know that both school boards and the Ontario Ministry of Education want us to adopt the use of technology and devices in our classrooms, but they have not yet created any documents that support our learning in this. In addition, we constantly hear how great it is to use multi-media tools and instructional materials with our students, but I have yet to find a variety of concrete documents based on the perspectives of the educator in these changing learning environments! 

     

     Researcher Anna R. Saavedra and a director of education V. Darleen Opfer teamed up to write and publish research in 2012 which emphasizes how difficult it is for educators to teach students the necessary skills and attitudes essential for success in a digital society. Also, their paper makes it very clear that our outdated ways of transmitting knowledge and facts through mini lectures, textbooks, and other educator-to-student methods are no longer offering  students opportunities to practice and apply this knowledge into newer learning experiences (Saavedra and Opfer, 2012, p.9).

    

    To help move away from a transmission of knowledge model of educating, they have discovered nine necessary lessons about how to educate students differently to address their needs. These lessons are considered to be 21st century skills which students, and educators, will need to be aware of for their futures in the world of education. The following recommendations  from Saavedra and Opfer (2012) can help guide all educators in Ontario in considering modifications to their instructional approaches in order to best prepare our students for the future (p.9-11) :