Sunday, January 27, 2013

Blog Post #2

Did You Know 3.0,
I was amazed by the information that was being presented on the screen as I watched Did You Know 3.0. I watched both Dr. Strange's version and the original and realize that I have to get out of my small town bubble and get on board the fast moving technology train.
Several things caught my attention in the videos but the one that I feel is very important to educators is the fact that the jobs that were in high demand in 2010, did not exist in 2004. Wow, how do you prepare a student for what they want to do when they graduate if it doesn't even exist yet? Technology, technology, technology. It's like "location, location, location" in the real estate market. Being engaged in the techno world is the place to be and we as educators will need to equip our students with the tools to not only survive but to become the leaders, the creators, and the dreamers in this rapidly advancing technological world.
However, there is something I would like to add to things we must teach our children about technology. Don't become a junky! There must be a balance in life. Spend time outdoors, spend time with family, have conversations where you make eye contact with the person to whom you are speaking, volunteer some time helping others, and make sure you have real friends not just "Facebook friends."

Mr. Winkle Wakes
For such a short little film, Mr. Winkle Wakes sure makes a big point. It really is amazing to think of the technological advances made over the last 100 years in business and science related fields but what about education?
Within the past 10 years, I have seen the Smartboard become installed at our local school. Over the past 2 years, this school has been adding ipads to every classroom. This past Fall, the local high school introduced and assigned Macbooks to all students. The education system is starting to implement changes but at a very slow pace. I would have to say that our education system has shared the same opinion as Mr. Winkle for a long time but that appears to be changing. I think if Mr. Winkle visited a local school today, he would no longer find dust covering one of those "strange machines in the back of the room."

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson is quite an entertaining speaker. Every point he makes is so true. As I was entering college and deciding on a major, I can remember my parents telling me that music was fine but I could do that later. I needed to choose something where I could make money and have a long term career. It was probably good advice for me, considering I'm not that talented, but music is still something I love. It is a shame to think that so many children feel like failures because they are not good at the things in which the world places so much value. It's obvious that the arts do not hold much value with the education system because those are the first programs that experience cuts when funding becomes limited.
Not only is the creativity of children being squelched but also the teacher's creativity. I have talked to teachers, at the elementary level, who are very frustrated with being told what they have to teach, when they have to teach it, and how to test. There are wonderful teachers who wish they could be more creative but are limited due to the current test driven requirements.

Pinterest
I love Pinterest! I have tried to stay away because it is addicting and I found myself ignoring my family and not getting any housework done. Now, thanks to Dr. Strange, I have a reason to relapse. I've already created a teaching board and pinned a great resource for Bloom's taxonomy apps through educatorstechnology.com. Pinterest is a great way to connect with other teachers who have tested new ideas and shared the ones that seem to be most helpful. I will search for middle school and high school teachers to follow since I am majoring in secondary education. The resources they provide will be very helpful to someone who is just getting started.

3 comments:

  1. "I have talked to teachers, at the elementary level, who are very frustrated with being told what they have to teach, when they have to teach it, and how to test." What will you do about this?

    Thoughtful. Interesting. Well written.

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  2. First off I love your writing style. It's very light, exciting and very fun to read. I agree with your point about children getting outside and being involved with a community. I believe that to many people are being sucked into cyber space. However, the advancement of technology in my high school back home is still lacking. I know that they have a few smartboards but that is it. The school still only has one computer room and the only computer in the classroom belongs to the teachers. I think Mr. Winkle would feel very much at home at my high school. When choosing a major for myself, I also wanted to go into music and photography. I played the flute for 8 years and wanted to become a music teacher but my parents persuaded me to take another path because there wasn't a high demand for music teachers. I love pinterest. I lose myself in it most of the time. I to have created an education board and I find that it will be very useful for me in my future classroom. Overall I find your blog very insightful and really made me reflect on my experiences. Well done.

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  3. Hey Tonya,
    I too am a Huge Pinterest fan. Where has it been? Maybe we need to ask Mr. Winkle! I have used material from there for dozens of very important events including my wedding. There is a wealth of free information there.
    Our local schools have implemented Promethean Boards as well. Katrina funded the installation of one in every classroom but since then, my local district has had very serious money problems. Where does the funding come from for all the other technology you mentioned? Working with a district like that would be a dream.

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