Changing the Way We Think in the 21st Century

21st Century teaching should change the way we instruct our class.  While some practices are best to follow tradition, others need a complete rehaul.  Teaching students the way we were taught may not be of benefit to the students of the future.  In this digital age, our students are totally aware that our old teaching style is outdated and insufficient to help them progress towards a 21st century future.  One sensible change could be online textbooks. It makes practical sense to have online textbooks. This would eliminate the expense of damaged textbooks and it would be easier to keep updated texts. Schools could even participate in writing their own texts as long as it met the standard curriculum.  

To implement online textbooks, schools could allow a few online textbooks or workbooks that could be used for a classroom. This would give an opportunity to see the cost saving benefits of online textbooks. Students could have the opportunity to use the books as needed and express their opinions about the books.

I read an article by David Bressoud about the research of online math textbooks. The researcher found that online calculus texts saved $25.00 per student, which was a great cost savings for the school. The only con was that students found it was easier to study for math tests using printed texts instead of online.  Still, I think students could overcome this issue with something similar to online study guides or practice tests that are easier to read. 

Being creative in mathematics should be natural for this 21st century generation.  If we give students the tools and then allow them to use the tools in our schools, we will probably see our students' performance improve dramatically.  Thick textbooks and long lectures that overwhelm students with information will probably be forgotten by the end of the school year.  A better alternative may be up to date online textbooks with a focus on key concepts that allow students to grow and develop without being limited.  The result could be students will remember what they have learned and students will be given the opportunity to develop creativity using technology in math. 

Creativity while using technology in math is one way to boost student performance in math and ensure job marketability for a technological future.