Students today need to realize that school is much more than just taking classes and earning grades. Students need to know that they are our future. We need to give students the opportunity to show their strengths and that the possibilities for their success is endless.  Teachers need to help foster creativity in their students through observation, imagination,  modeling, abstracting, analogizing, play, and synthesizing. This in turn will also help move students from surface learning to a deep level of understanding.

As we move into the digital age,the idea of the traditional classroom is being challenged. The role of the teacher and the learning process for students is in a constant state of change. Information is now available at our fingertips with the click of a button. Students and teachers alike with have to learn to adapt and keep current with both new technology and 21st century skills. Learning is now much more than just rote memorization. Students have an opportunity to interact with content like they have never been able to in the past.

As teachers, it is important that we help facilitate and embrace the constant changes in both education and technology to give students the best experience in the classroom. As the future becomes reality, I can imagine paperless classrooms where students and teachers are interacting entirely through various tech devices. I can also see the increase in more hybrid and distance classrooms where students may meet online for the majority of their classes and have several face to face interactions. This will change education as we know it and open up a world of opportunity for our students. While education is changing, we as educators can also instill change in our students by fostering their creativity. I am looking forward to working with my students to channel their imagination as they create their performance assessments by having them observe the world around them, modeling, and giving them an opportunity to play knowing that it is okay to fail. It is important to create a safe environment for success and failure, as we teach the future deep levels of understanding and critical thinking.