I found myself thinking about each characteristic and where I sat in the midst of it all.  Do I have all those characteristics?  Are there some that are a strength?  Some a weakness area?  Do my own personal goals reflect those areas of strength or weakness?  Are there some characteristics that I don’t possess?  Will this awareness or knowledge of the characteristics help improve my teaching/learning in the 21st Century?

The Adaptor
To be an adaptor you need to be able to adapt the curriculum and the requirements to teach to the curriculum in imaginative ways, adapt the software, adapt to the different learning styles and of course adapt the lesson when the technology doesn’t work or it all goes wrong.  This is probably an area of strength for me.  I’m always looking for ways to help my students learn and trying to find the right “tool” for the job out of my technology toolbox.  When the technology doesn’t work or it all turns to custard – I’m usually the one with the smile still on my face saying – ok guys – what other ways can we get this task accomplished because the technology’s not cooperating today, or well that didn’t work – why don’t we try this instead and we’ll come back to this another day?

The Communicator
I’d like to think that I’m a life-long learner (in fact that’s what it says on my resume!) I love the freedom of anywhere, anytime learning.  And my favourite thing to do online is learn new tools and technologies that enable communication and collaboration.  I’m still honing those skills that enable me to go beyond learning just how to do it and to stand back even more, to facilitate it and manage it.  Area of improvement identification #1

The Learner
I’m definitely not using Units and Lesson Plans that I was using 5 years ago!  If you really are committed to being a 21st Century Educator, then this is impossible!  The tools and technology available today and what will be invented tomorrow just won’t allow it.

The Visionary
Area of improvement indentification #2.  Even after reading the description Andrew Churches gives for characteristic The Visionary I don’t immediately think of myself as one.  I need to ponder this thinking a little longer before addressing why I feel that way.  I do love to see other people’s ideas and often walk away thinking that’s such a great idea and I could do it with this tool, or this technology.  There’s a few colleagues that I really enjoy talking to that just seem to spark ideas and grow new ways of doing things – that’s especially rewarding.

The Leader
Sometimes it’s really hard being the leader – especially when a lot of people don’t really understand what you do with the tools and technology.  Sometimes colleagues believe that the tools and technology are just “one more thing” to do.  I don’t see it that way – I think “it’s just what we do”.  In order to be a leader in the 21st Century you need to be able to help your colleagues change that way of thinking – and I don’t know how to do that yet.  Area of improvement identification #3.

The Model
I’m a firm believer in modelling the behaviour that I expect from my students.  How on earth can I expect them to behave in a way that I don’t behave myself- be it online or off?

The Collaborator
My most favourite part of what the online world has done with the tools and the technology.  How else could we possibly open up our classrooms to the world, if we don’t collaborate.  It’s not good enough to work in isolation any more.  It’s not good enough to shut ourselves away and not share what we do and it’s not good enough not to connect our students with other students across great continents.  There are no excuses anymore.  (I just wish that sometimes I could come up with a great collaboration project!!)

The Risk Taker
Well if moving countries with only 3 weeks notice doesn’t indicate that I’m a risk taker, then I don’t know what does!

Where do you see yourself in the 21st Century Educator model?