Learning How to Teach What Doesn't Exist...Yet

Today, I was watching the videos above, and I came to a conclusion; in some ways, I'm learning how to teach things that don't even exist. One of the videos, A Vision of Students Today, presents various statistics compiled by college students who surveyed themselves. It presents what I think is a fairly accurate picture of the typical college student's life today. (I think the presentation of time students devote to certain activities was especially telling; we really do cram 26.5 hours, or more, into every day!) The other video, A Vision of K-12 Student Today, is very similar to the first except that its statistics describe a younger population and its message seems to be more motivational to future teachers. Students today use vast amounts of technology that some of their teachers never imagined would be created when they were in school. Since that's the case, I'm a bit scared to think about how many new gizmos my students will have that I will have never touched. As I said, in some ways, I'm learning how to teach things that don't exist yet, things I haven't ever imagined!

As a future educator, I need to be open to change. It's difficult to adjust to new technology, but humans are all about adjusting and adapting. When it gets cold, I put on a coat: that's adaptation. So when something new and shiny comes along, I need to ask myself "How can I use this in my class?", not "How long can I avoid this?" Just as today there are teachers who refuse to "cave in" to new technology, I'm sure there will be teachers like that in the future. I need to make sure that I'm not one of them. After all, if learning is such an important ability that we mandate kids do it 40+ hours per week, teachers should be willing to do the same kind of mental work.
Today, we're trained to get children prepared for tests, for college, and for careers. How can I prepared to do that when the career my student will have doesn't even exist yet? I think part of the answer lies in demonstrating a respect for change and an enthusiasm for discovery. If in my classroom I show my students that new technology should be used for our benefit, then they will be more willing to employ new technology. When something unexpected occurs, they'll learn to ask "Why?" rather than slouch and yearn for the "good ol' days." If they see a teacher model a desire to discover what new and exciting things can be learned, then they'll most likely do the same.
I need to make sure to be a catalyst rather than an impediment of change. In my class, I want to create assignments that allow students to use all the fun gadgets available to them. As a math teacher, I want my students to be able to do basic addition, subtraction, etc. in their heads because I think it helps keep the brain mentally active and fit. However, this desire of mine should not make me afraid of the calculator. Graphing calculators and programs such as Fathom or The Geometer's Sketchpad have a lot to offer. Some students have a hard time really wanting to learn math. Maybe that's because some teachers only think it their responsibility to present information rather than creating a fun lesson.
I think it's absolutely my responsibility to make the math classroom a place where students expect to have an enjoyable experience learning. Some simple things I can do include subscribing to magazines and journals that address modern mathematics teaching. I'm much more likely to find better ways of presenting material if I'm providing myself with the right resources to read. I should experiment with new techniques and technology before implementing it in the classroom, and I need to not be afraid for an idea to fail. To sum it all up, I want to be prepared right now to prepare my students for what's to come. That way, when the future arrives, it won't be all that unfamiliar to them.