10 Tech Skills Every Educator Needs

This weeks post is focused around this article we found the other week and a general discussion around the skills we need as instructors to be effective in our use of technology. Without looking at the article first, we decided to discuss and come with our own list of skills.

Here it is:

1. Make a variety of technologies work smoothly in class
2. Be fluent in Microsoft Office
3. Be comfortable using and managing Cloud Tools
4. Use communication tools effectively (email, text, polling, etc)
5. Use content pages in canvas to display content and allow for collaboration
6. Know when and when not to use certain technologies
7. Be adaptable
8. Be able to search effectively online
9. Be comfortable using Collaborative / Communication tools online.
10. Ensure content will work on all devices (Device Agnosticism)

When compared to the list found int he above article, we found we had covered most of them. Here they are to compare:

1. Searching the Web Efficiently
2. Mastering Microsoft Office and Basic Word Processing
3. Being Willing To Learn New Technology
4. Connecting with Social Media
5. Sharing and Collaborating via YouTube and Blogging
6. Unlocking the Potential of Mobile Devices
7. Reaching Out with E-Mail
8. Making Your Point with Presentation Software
9. Googling It (not using the google search engine, but all of their tools)
10. Getting Ahead in the Cloud

Check out the original article for more details.

As we chatted out this issue, themes arose around being able to choose appropriate technologies and communicate effectively with students. We also talked about the need to be flexible in the technologies we used because technology is always changing. While we just got canvas this past summer, it probably won’t be around in another 10 years (sorry!), so being able to change with the times is something we need to be able to do. It’s just a part of using technology. Just like there was Windows 3.1, then Windows 95, then Windows XP and so one, so too was the wooden pencil, then the mechanical pencil, then the tablet computer.

Change is all the rage, as they say.

We all agreed that being able to keep up with and being open to trying new tools is what makes an effective instructor.

Another topic that came up was the use of social networking tools as news sources. We increasingly don’t read the news firsthand — or we do, but we are routed there from other sources. Some of these other sources mentioned were Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.

References

10 Tech Skills every Educator Should have. The Journal. retrieved on January 14th 2014 from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2014/01/22/10-Tech-Skills-Every-Educator-Should-Have.aspx