Education involves identifying the difficulties that affect teaching and learning and finding an acceptable solution that involves effective teaching and assessable student learning. In a hypermedia society, I believe that teachers must present learning in relevant and applicable methods to their students so that student oriented learning can occur. It is the responsibility of the teacher to remove as many distractions that can hinder student learning and provide reasonable goals for them to meet. Katherine McFarland states that “Attitude is extremely important in the disciple process. Expect the best from your class, and you will get it. Involve your class in high expectations.” In a highly individualistic society, teachers need to encourage and expect students to make their education a priority in their lives.
In addition to balancing educator teaching and student learning, teachers should have a working knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of technology use in classrooms. I believe that technology use in classrooms are effective tools in facilitating classroom management, improving student guided learning, providing methods for archiving lessons, and improve assessment efficiency. Yet the misuse of technology can lead to improper teaching, such as the excessive use of calculators in mathematics class, that will hinder learning. Therefore, I believe that teachers must evaluate new technologies and reflect on their applicability in the classroom.
Not only should teachers reflect on the incorporation of new technologies, I believe that effective teaching requires constant self evaluation to improve teaching. Teaching is an ever changing profession. Class sizes fluctuate, student diversity varies, teaching methods have varying levels of success, and new studies are published on a weekly basis. Teachers have a responsibility to continue to reflect on their teaching and participate in professional development. If common learning mottoes include “learning is lifelong,” teachers should exemplify such attitudes.