CHAPTER 1 - TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Teacher, student, and instruction have been the constant entities of education from several centuries back until the present time. However,
strategies, style, and educational tools and technologies improve in the many generations for better delivery of the lesson and learning of
content. This chapter will enable you to realize the transformation of teaching and learning from the past to the present century.
Intended Learning Outcome
At the end of this chapter, you are expected to:
 Differentiate the roles of teachers and students in the earlier years and in the 21 st century of instruction.
TEACHERS OF THE EARLY GENERATIONS VS. TEACHERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY
Every journey has its start and end. On how the journey has started and ended may have significant implication in one`s
achievement, but the most important event in every journey is the liminal space between the start and end – how one has journeyed.
Teaching and learning is a journey in education that we treasure most. It is not only the `matter’ or the `what to teach’ that is important, but
the `manner of delivery’ or the `how to teach’ plays a very important role in today’s teaching and learning environment. Also, it is only the
`matter’ or the `what was learned’ the significant, but the `quality or the authenticity of learning’ where the students become life-ready.
In the early years, teachers were regarded as instrument for information dissemination and communicators of knowledge in which
the students obediently receive and believe. Teachers were always in authority over the students. This was during the period in which teacher-
centered approach was observed in the education system. This approach seems to weaken the aim of acquiring quality learning for this makes
the students passive learners.
The authors of some journals would claim that student-centered approach is proven worldwide to be an effective method for the
students to have quality learning. Besides student working collaboratively with their peers, they are being develop to be creative and critical
thinkers.
It is believed that the teachers today are far different from the teachers of yesterday. Are the roles of teachers in the yesteryears
still effective in the 21st century? Let us see how different they from the past years to this century.
Teachers of Yesteryears Teachers of 21st Century

Disseminate information through lectures. Allow students to solve real world problems.
Require students to memorize contents from textbook. Allow students to construct their own understanding of the subject matter.

Make use of textbook and workbooks as their reference.
Give assessments through written examinations.
Focus on their responsibility and relationship with the
student as recipients of knowledge.
Followers of policies prescribed by the school.
Use lecture as teaching method.
Deliver the same lessons every year.
Make use of manipulative materials; makes use of multitude of prints and
electronic sources.
Give Performance-based assessments (Performance tasks).
Widen their responsibility and their relationship with colleagues, community,
and stakeholders in acquiring clear and obtainable standards for the
knowledge, skills, and values that students are expected to acquire.
Participate in the decision making in schools.
Use a variety of teaching methods appropriate in the student’s learning.
Spend time in researching to update his/her knowledge of the subject matter.

Too focused on self-achievement. Mentor new teacher.

Target to finish the lesson within the period. Target the learners to be ready in the challenges of today’s learning.
Autocratic in which teachers are in the control of everything Democratic in which teachers allow students to take responsibility in their
in all events of the classroom. learning.
Foster learners autonomy where students also learn to take responsibility to
their learning.
Holder of knowledge/Gatekeeper of information. Facilitator of learning.
Technology illiterate. Technology of digital literate.
Further, teachers of the 21st century are believed to be more immersed in the use of technologies and would get away from being
digital immigrant teachers.
Teachers of the 21st century do not merely transfer knowledge to the student. More than teaching the subject matter, they teach
students how to learn to live life. Teachers of the 21st century are:
 Channel  Collaborator  Leader  Learner
 Venture player Exemplar  Futurist  Communicator

Channel
Teachers serve as channel in
connecting the curriculum, software,
hardware and dynamics of teaching in their
instruction.
Communicator
This does not only refer to having a
good language in communicating knowledge
to the students, but being a teacher who can
communicate with their students anytime
and anywhere with the use of the tools and
technologies.
Learner
Teachers never cease in learning new
knowledge. When teachers want their
students to learn beyond the usual and learn
to face the challenges of education, they
themselves should be lifelong learners for
them to be able to extend their knowledge
and skills to their students. Learning the
technologies of today will give the teachers
a big leap in the advances of today and
tomorrow`s teaching and learning.
Futurist
Teachers are futurist not only on what
they want their student to achieve at the
end of the lesson, but on how they will
deliver the lesson with the use of emerging
tools and other web technologies that will
help the learners understand the lessons
better.
Leader
Teachers are leader in their own way by
leading their students to the proper and
appropriate use of learning materials
including technologies.
Exemplar
Teachers are model when it comes to
behavior, language, dealings with colleagues
and student use and facilities and others.
They are likewise model not only in what
they teach but according to what they
practice, even with the use of technologies –
social media networks and blogs by avoiding
the use of misuse of technologies in
education.
Collaborator
Collaborators not only inside the
classroom, but also in space. Teachers
therefore, must pull up their collaborative
tools to be able to continue to share and
contribute their knowledge to the learners.
Venture Player
Teachers are venture players in taking
chances to apply new knowledge, skills,
practice, and technologies especially if these
will level up the student`s understanding
and learning. Students could be more
advanced then the teachers when it comes
to new technologies and application. This is
where teachers would take the risk in
learning these new technologies and
become technology savvies that would
contribute much in their teaching and
students` learning.

One of the biggest challenges of teachers in the 21st century is not to utilize technologies to support teaching and learning but to
use technology to extend quality and authentic learning opportunities.
To prepare the students for the demands of the tomorrow`s world, the roles of teachers must be redefined and teachers themselves
must first possess the 21st century skills and have the power to influence their student to learn the knowledge and skills of the 21st century.
Can you imagine the relationship of digital immigrant teachers when faced with native digital student? It might appear that students
would be less participative and the class might be boring if the teachers would remain traditional in their ways of teaching and in the materials
they are using. Therefore, teachers are highly encouraged to make themselves involve with the use of technologies and keep themselves
updated with technologies.
STUDENTS OF THE EARLY GENERATION VS STUDENTS OF THE 21ST CENTURY
In as much as the roles of the teachers change to meet the needs of the students in today`s education, the students` roles likewise need
to change to become more competent, knowledgeable in theories and in practice, and competitive in the call of the community and the
world.
Students in the earlier generations are indeed different in today`s generation. Having technologies at their side make them more advanced
in information where they do not need to have a long distance walk just to access information from the books in the library. Almost all
information and tools that they need are already at the palm of their hands. They only need to access and use these technologies rightfully
and appropriately.
Before, students depend so much from the teacher when it comes to learning. They listen passively to the discussion, they only speak or
answer when they are asked, they learn theories through memorization of text, and many others in which we can tell that it is not entirely
authentic. Thanks to technologies especially to the period that it began to enter the field of education.
Which of this illustrations show learning in the modern days? Can you describe how the parallel photos differ from one another?

Let us take a closer look at the differences of the student of yesteryears and the student of 21st century.

Students of Yesteryears
Receiver of facts and information
Learning is based on repetition
Textbook user
Passive recipients of information
Competitive learners
Factual thinkers
Unilateral thinkers
Inactive process of learning
Dependent learners
Single Taskers
Single sensory input provider
Student of the 21st Century
Active creators of knowledge
Interactive knowledge constructor
Internet users to access a vast of information
Actively engaged in class activities
Collaborative learners
Reflective, critical and creative thinkers
Divergent thinkers
Dynamic processes of learning
Self-managing learners
multitaskers
Multisensory input provider
Having technologies in the lives of youth make
them much more digi-centric than the previous
generation. Many believe that students today spend
more time with their computers and other gadgets in
watching and creating videos, listening to music, playing
digital games, accessing social media networks to chat
and read the in`s and out`s in today`s generation. Their
language is even influenced digitally or technologically.
Today`s students can communicate with their
classmates even to their teachers, friends, family, and
relatives through a variety of resources: computers,
laptops, notebooks, smartphones, and tablets.

They can even access information about anything, anytime, anywhere at their fingertips. Their generation has been called as the
digital generation.
The advent of technology in education is truly a blessing for students where they can access information, make their projects and
other requirements in school faster and easier. It`s just that, students have to be reminded of being responsible using these technologies
appropriately. They should avoid the misuse and overuse of technologies. Generally, they have to be techno-smart not techno-addict.
With the existence of technology, there is much that is expected from the students. They have to get away with being passive learners.
They have to:
1. Learn to generate their own ideas and construct their own understanding of the lesson;
2. Create works that are original;
3. Communicate clearly with other students and with their teachers;
4. Collaborate with one another to achieve higher standard of learning; and
5. Innovate learning and their outputs.
INSTRUCTIONS IN THE EARLY GENERATIONS VS INSTRUCTION IN THE 21ST CENTURY
In previous lessons, we have learned that in the early generation, teachers make use of lecture and traditional class discussion in teaching
lessons. This appears to be teachers are in control of information dissemination. That is everything is being fed to the students. Teachers
instruct students and give step-by-step procedure on how to do such task. Student on the other hand would simply follow the instruction
give to them without having freedom to discover learning on their own. The students` hands are tied with what the teacher has to say in the
class.
Lecture is an effective mode of instruction but may not be as effective as other pedagogies which would make teaching and learning
more interesting, engaging, and would absolutely give students quality education and authentic learning. Below are some of useful and
effective teaching methods and strategies:
  Interactive lecture
 Case-based learning
 Problem-based learning
 Inquiry-based learning
 Project-based learning
 Simulation
 Role play
 Experiential learning
 Laboratory work
 Fieldwork
 Peer tutoring
 E-learning
 PISER (Peer Instruction and Student Electronic Response)

The traditional practices have been effective during the old times, but they are no longer effective in the 21st century. These traditional
education practices would no longer provide the 21st century skills needed by the students for them to be at par and productive with the
learning of the students globally and for them to be able to live life in the real world to answer the needs of the society and of the community.
Below are the characteristic of traditional learning environments and new learning environments. As teacher and student continue to
integrate technologies in education, they will find themselves transitioning from traditional teaching and learning to technologically and
digitally-enriched teaching and learning environment.
Traditional Learning Environment New Learning Environment
Teacher-centered instruction Student-centered learning
Single-sense stimulation Multisensory simulation
Single-path progression Multipath progression
Single medium multimedia
Isolated work Collaborative work
Information delivery Information exchange
Passive learning Active/exploration/inquiry-based learning
Factual, knowledge-based learning Critical thinking and informed decision making
Reactive response Proactive/planned action
Isolated, artificial context Authentic, real-world context
THE 21ST CENTURY SKILLS
Making education of quality does not focus alone on the cognitive aspect of
learning. Incorporating the non-academic skills is likewise vital in the teaching-
learning process. These skills are described as the `transversal skills’ which
encompass the 21st century skills, soft skills, generic skills and non-cognitive
skills – values and attitudes, including collaboration, self-discipline,
resourcefulness and respect for the environment (UNESCO`s Asia Pacific
Education Research Institutes Network (ERI-Net), 2013). According to ERI-Net
(2013), these are the competencies required for learners` holistic development
and for learners to become capable of adapting to change.
In today`s world, companies and industries are looking for employees
who are not just cognitive achiever but more who so are skillfully competent
in making the economy stronger and better. This would be achievable if
schools teacher will improve their education and teaching the 21st century
skills.
According to Partnership for 21st century skills organization, the following 21st century skills are relevant to the student`s professional
growth to be effective professional, citizens, and leaders of the future.
1. Learning and innovation skills: Communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving creativity and innovation.
2. Life and Career Skills: leadership and responsibility, productivity and accountability, social and cross-cultural skills, initiative and
self-direction, flexibility and adaptability.
3. Information, Media, and Technology skills: media literacy; information theory; information and communication technology (ICT)
literacy.
The Partnership for 21st century skills has suggested six (6) key elements for fostering 21st century learning:
1. Emphasize core subjects. The focus of the core subjects is beyond basic competency (reading, writing, arithmetic); this is
more on understanding the core academic content to a higher level (English, Reading or Language Arts, World Languages,
Arts, Mathematics, Economics, Science, Geography, History, Government and Civics).
2. Emphasize learning skills. Learning skills are not limited to what is being learned in school but also learning persistently
throughout their lives, most especially in learning information and communication skills, thinking the problem-solving skills,
and interpersonal and self-directional skills.
3. Use 21st century tools to develop learning skills. Student need to learn and be proficient in the use of information and
communication technology (ICT) tools to access, relate, manage, evaluate, and construct new knowledge or information; and
likewise with the 21st century tools, the learners should be able to communicate and participate not only in the classroom but
more so in the community and society.
4. Teach and learn in a 21st century context. When the students are more engaged in the lesson and the lesson are more
relevant in their daily living, student then will understand better the lesson and can truly say that they learn.
5. Teach and learn 21st century content. Including in the curriculum and teaching extensively the significant content areas like in
global awareness, financial, economic and business literacy; and civic literacy would help the students to be more competitive
not only locally but also globally.
6. Use 21st century assessments that measure 21st century skills. Improving and going beyond the standardized tests will give
students quality learning. Teachers must give assessment that would measure students` creativity and skills that could
applied in real-life situation.