Blog Post 2

1.Did You Know?, by John Strange

by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Brenman,
While both of these videos were quite similar they shared some interesting facts that compared India and China with the United States. It also shared some fun facts about IQ's, Youtube, SMS messaging, MySpace, and cellular phones. All of which are very familiar to us at this present time and most importantly, and some even useful in the field of education.

Some of the interesting facts from both videos that appealed to me are as follows:
- 25% of people in India have higher IQ's than the population in the U.S.
- 18 Million Chinese Speak English
- Their are more people in China that speak English than the entire U.S. Population
- Every minute 48 hours of YouTube videos are added
- Top 10 jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004
- 1,393,519 searches are made on Google every minute
- We are preparing children for a future and jobs that do not exist yet

If I did not get anything from the videos, I at least understand that technology is a part of everyday use. The fact that it is preparing us for the future only makes me wonder how out-of-date I will be when my 6 year old son is my age now. What else will be added to the world of technology? Technology is ever changing and to be successful we must learn to evolve with it. I pray that I keep myself up-to-date so that I will not become a "teacher left behind" in technology.


2. Mr. Winkle Wakes
I thought that the Mr. Winkle Wakes was a creative video. Mr. Winkle is a little old man who wakes from a very long nap which spanned over a 100 years. As he goes out to explore the world he quickly realized that the world he once new is not the same. As he enters a tall building he discovers new machines where people are able to talk and see each other from across the country. In complete amusement, he continues his exploring in a hospital and finds people using technology to help patients breath and take x-rays. He makes his final stop at a school, where he finds students at desks with paper and pencil. Immediately following, he noticed a machine as he had seen earlier in the day. Only this machine was covered with dust. Mr. Winkle was comfortable at the school, as it is how he remembered it.

What's the point? Technology is used every day for various reasons. However, in some schools, educators are not using these creative tools in the classroom. This reminds me of a conversation I had with a teacher when I was teaching 5th grade. I had been teaching my students about systems in the body, particularly the skeleton system. I used the Smart board to help teach the lesson and even did a hands-on activity to ensure that the lesson was creative, yet valuable for the students. My co-teacher, who had been teaching for quite sometime, heard about the particular lesson. It baffled me that the teacher ask, "when do you have time to use and do all those extra activities in your lesson?". To me, that was an example of a teacher who was use to the everyday lectures, just as the students in the video. She was "stuck" in her old ways of teaching and not taking advantage of the technology tools and resources provided for her. At this present time I do not understand how a teacher could not use technology in at least one of their lessons. It is one of the most creative ways for children to learn and explore. As times continue to change, so should student learning as well as teaching techniques.

3. Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I have to say that I enjoyed The Importance of Creativity video. The main focus of this video was "creativity should be as important as literacy in education". In other words teachers should help student foster their creativity abilities and it too should be a part of their everyday lessons. I feel that education should be diverse, because not every child or group of students are the same. Teachers should be able to teach every kind of student. While music, dance, and art are present in some schools, it is treated of an extra curriculum activity, rather than a subject matter. Mr. Ken suggest that we give these students an opportunity to be creative in those areas just as we do with the regular academics.

Mr. Robinson stated that "ADHD was invented for those who have to move to think". When we typically hear of a child with ADHD we think that he is a problem child. Teachers usually become frustrated with a student with ADHD due to that fact that he/she just requires more attention or they feel is becoming a distraction to other students. Given the reason that "ADHD was invented for those who have to move to think", teachers should find ways for that student to be able to be who they are, and allow their natural learning ability to be a success rather than a hindrance. If a student has to stand up at their table to do their work then it should be allowed, as the ultimate goal should be to cater to every students learning style.

4. Vision for 21st Century Learning
This video A Vision for 21st Century Learning argues great points about school systems needing to grow with technology. According to the video students come into school and listen to your everyday lectures. Students are crammed full of facts, trying to take in and learn the basic skills to pass a test.

The video presents a idea to help students learn in the 21st century. This new idea includes letting students engage and experience learning through the 3D world of a video game. Through the video game students explore different cultures, new languages, and art. It would help bring global awareness and technology literary which would help prepare students for the 21st century learning environment.

I think that this would be a great tool to use inside the classroom. I know that my son is video game fanatic, rather it is just for fun or educational. It is something that appeals to him and I do not mind using it as an educational resource to help him with his academics. I see where the games have helped him exercise problem solving skills and helped him learn to pay closer attention to details. Both of which are skills that help students in schools. With the appropriate planning and implementing school standards, video games could be a innovative way to help students explore learning.

5. Harness Your Students Digital Smarts
Mrs. Vicki Davis, a teacher in rural south Georgia, made a great point in the video Harness Your Students Digital Smarts. She states that "only certain types of students succeed with pencil and paper". With students in today's world of technology, I agree with Ms. Davis. Students today are use to the clicking of computer keys and the scrolling of the mouse, and to take it away from them or not use it in their academics would almost handicap them. If we are to prepare our students for the future, the use of technology should be adequately used in the schools.

I was really impressed at how Ms. Davis use different tools like, Virtual Learning, Sim, and Wiki for her students to collaborate and experience learning. Her teaching method lead students to learn and experience things for themselves, without having to guide them step by step. She even stated that sometimes the students learn things that she doesn't even know about. Which to me shows that students are learning beyond what she has expected them to learn in her class. Ms. Davis's students are learning to accommodate their learning to suit them, and ultimately the teacher is guiding the student to prepare themselves for the future. Every one wins!