what are the challenges for teachers in today´s changing education world? are we accepting them? are we facing and understanding the changes, variations, and new orientation it requires? Is our role the same as it used to be in the recent past? What are the attitudes towards the application and use of the digital learning environments?

1. By Silvia Sowa

2. Teachers
• “Teachers’ decisions may affect the lives
of students in many ways…
• Trial and error can not be part of the
developing professional field of an
instructor…
• A teacher’s mind must be clear and
student oriented enough for him to be
able to understand his students.”
Silvia Sowa

3. Are you teacher… accepting
the challenges of the new
digital era in education?

4. • Teachers today have many questions.
• It is not an easy task to become part of
the changing educative contexts.
• When facing changes of today´s
education; we could say there might be
certain “postures” towards the immersion
of the new learning and teaching
environments.

5. Teachers’ attitudes towards new education
Techno-phobic
Closed position
Getting In between (no
involved preparation
Open position Middle of the
(instruction) road position

6. • Teachers have taken a new role, now they
accompany, orient, and guide through the
new learning environments.
• They are immigrants in this techno-
social- knowledge era.
• They face many changes in their students
attitudes, interests, and ways to learn.

7. Challenges
• Native students characteristics:
• Multitask learners.
• Social and cooperative attitudes towards
learning.
• Ability to use technology and its
applications.
• Global mind processes for solving problems.
• Digital skills.

8. Native versus immigrant

9. Teachers need to:
• Develop digital competence.
• Get training.
• Learn and apply digital and technological
resources.
• Learn to use searchers and resources.
• Become innovative and creative.
• Support each other, cooperate,
collaborate, learn together….
• Dare!

10. Students need to:
• Learn the appropriate ways to use
technology in their own preparation process.
• Get knowledge and awareness of the
Internet privacy and security.
• Organize time, value skills.
• Learn the ethical and legal use of social
networks, material, sources, etc.
• Critical attitude, sense of cooperation.
• Control over content matter.
• Organize and apply methods for specific
purposes.

11. Recommendations
• Change and learning have to be engaged to
unity and cooperation from institutions.
• Curriculum must be revised and planned.
• Resources have to be prepared, tested, and
verified.
• Teachers training programs have to be
organized.
• Change should be structured and well-
planned.

12. • Sources:
• Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Prensky, Marc.
©2001
• Lifelong Learning. Redecker, Christine. 2008.
• Literacy and Numeracy Skills. Maher, Eleen. 2011
• The Changing Classroom. Article 2987 issue of THE
Journal. 2012
• Silvia Sowa. 2012
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