Since the advent of edtech, the educational system has changed exponentially with each passing year. To keep up, teachers must continue to hone their skills and adapt to new technologies and policies. In this article; we will discuss 9 ways that digital age teachers sharpen their skills.

1. Digital age teachers use technology in their day-to-day lives. These teachers don’t leave their technology at work. They use it for everyday activities like shopping, banking, and making plans with friends.
2. Digital age teachers have a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset means that you are capable of learning and growing and that things can – and will – get better with effort and practice. Digital age teachers who are getting the most out of technology are willing to work, and occasionally be uncomfortable and uncertain, to grow themselves and their students.
3. Digital age teachers listen to podcasts. The proliferation of edtech has led to the creation of a ton of great podcasts. Many of them are education-related and can be used to improve your teaching. Digital age teachers take advantage of this in spades.
4. Digital age teachers read, read, read. Blogs, research studies, newsletters, journals: all of these are great resources on current trends in edtech. Digital age teachers successfully implementing technology are staying current with the research and the latest trends in technology so that they can integrate those strategies in their classrooms.
5. Digital age teachers attend conferences. Digital age teachers do a ton of learning on their own and during professional development sessions provided by their district. However, when they can attend an education conference, they jump at the chance. They understand that conferences allow you to not only learn new skills but also introduce you to new technologies and possibilities.
6. Digital age teachers ask questions. In this world, you must have the power of discernment to be successful. Digital age teachers know this, so they question everything, within reason. They understand that you can’t believe everything that you read and only half of what you witness with your own eyes. By investigating things for themselves, they know they can verify that the information is accurate. For instance, let’s say you represent an edtech company with the hottest digital on the market and you want to sell your product to schools throughout the U.S. When you start approaching schools, you better be prepared to answer every question in the book. Why? Because you will surely be grilled by all the digital age teachers that you encounter during the process.
7. Digital age teachers see themselves as co-learners. It may be hard for some to conceptualize, but digital age teachers see themselves as co-learners in the teaching and learning process. As they facilitate learning experiences and activities for their students, they learn new teaching strategies and methods along the way. After each lesson, the student and the teacher both walk away with newly constructed knowledge.
8. Digital age teachers run towards their weakness. You can’t be the best at everything, as a teacher you will always have areas of weakness. Digital age teachers don’t hide from their shortcomings, they embrace them, always looking for ways to improve and sharpen their skills.
9. Digital age teachers are intellectually curious. Digital age teachers, just like the generations that came before them, are intellectually curious. They love to learn new skills, strategies, and concepts. They are just in love with the idea of teaching and learning. Mainly, because of the sense of fulfillment that the examined life gives them.

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