Blog Post #2

Did you Know?
In Did you know 3.0 John Strange 2012 Version, the viewer is presented with some really hard facts, and it asks the question, "Are you ready to be an Educator?" This question really makes you consider the tools we still need to learn, to fully prepare us to be in charge of a classroom. It compares the intelligence of citizens in other countries with those of the United States, and shows some very stark contrasts between them. It shines a light on the areas that the U.S. education system needs to improve. For example, statistics predict that in China, over the next twenty or so years, there will be more Chinese speaking English, than native English speakers in the world.

While watching and discovering some of the different facts I found it to be very revealing. When it presented the statistics of students with cellphones, computers, and the amount of SMS messages sent by each, it was really very interesting, but yet not surprising. Our culture has become consumed with technology and the need to keep up with the latest trend. Having knowledge of these various technologies will be a vital part of success in the classroom.

Mr Winkle Waves

Mr Winkle Waves is a video about Rip Van Winkle who woke up from sleep after a 100 years. As he explores, he realizes things have changed drastically over the last century. The first place he visits is a office building where there are printers, computers, and various different modern technologies.  All of this becomes too much and he becomes ill. He then must take a trip to the hospital, where he encounters even more technology. He cannot believe that technology is so advanced, they even have machines to keep people alive and breathing. Lastly, he visits the school where and is pleasantly surprised to discover nothing has changed. The teachers still lecture, while the machines he encountered earlier collected dust. Though many things had changed, the classroom remained the same.

This video depicts how technology is used in some schools today. Teachers need to use the resources that are available to them and help the students learn. These technologies will become a part of their everyday lives as they continue to expand and become more integrated into our daily lives. It is important for their future success to learn about and use technology effectively . As children get older, technology will only become more influential and integral part of their daily lives.

The Importance Of Creativity

 In Ken Robinson's video, Importance of Creativity, he discusses our children, their creativity, and how schools have destroyed it. We place the more importance on math and literature, than the arts. This can cause many children to never realize their talents. Education has become about studying only so one can be accepted into a university. He suggests that we need to radically rethink our definition of intelligence, and the fundamental principles of our education system. The gift of human imagination is special and we need to see the value in our children, and their creative capacities, to prepare them for the future.

I really enjoyed this video and agree with Ken Robinson on his views about creativity in the education system. We are suppressing the children and holding them back from all the wonderful things they are capable of achieving.  The one thing that really got my attention was, "If your not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original." He goes on to talk about how children have no fear of being wrong, so they are more creative and think outside of the box. As they get older, and go out into the business world, this fear becomes a part of their lives. This fear can hold people back, preventing them from reaching their full capacity. The idea of academic inflation also really stuck out to me. Students become so focused on getting through school, in pursuit of a higher education, that they do not value and absorb what they are taught before that.

A Vision for 21st Century Learning
In the video, A Vision for 21st Century Learning, an idea is presented for a "21st century" classroom, that is completely run by technology. Their goal is to prevent children from just learning facts and memorizing information, but to really comprehend it and learn how to apply it pratically. Using technology, such as virtual 3-D video games for world history, they want to help students become more interested in their work. Also, believe it is important for students to play a more active role in learning for themselves. The students would become empowered by teaching themselves, while the teacher would be like a mentor.

I think they present some good ideas to integrate technology into the classroom, however, I believe it is still a necessity for the teacher to be in full control.  Children do well with hands on learning, which is where these types of technology can be a wonderful tool, but ultimately teachers are something that cannot be replaced. In my opinion, the personal impact teachers have on their students is something that technology could never imitate.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
The video, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, is about a teacher, in south Georgia, who is using technology to teach her kids and connect them with the outside world. They learn about avatars, blogging, work together to make collaborative reports, and so many other things. She allows them to learn most things for themselves, which she believes empowers them. Although they are from a small rural town, they have been able to connect with people from around the world. Using this technology is a way to prepare them for the future, as technology continues to become more advanced.


I enjoyed seeing seeing how she uses technology in her classroom and how the students were able to learn and explore for themselves. A hands on learning approach can always be very successful in helping students learn effectively. They also tend to see it as more enjoyable rather than just boring assignments that are required.