Homework--January 17, 2010

Did you know? 3.0
After watching the video, Did you know. My very first response was WOW. I actually watched it more than once just to be able to grasp what I had just watched, pausing the video between the clips to make sure that I read every word and my mouth was still wide open! No I didn't know, I didn't even have a clue. We have all this technology at our fingertips and we never wonder where does it all come from. The amazing part is that almost as soon as we understand the technology something new is already in the making and nothing including time is slowing down. We better catch up!

As a child I was the one in my family who was always figuring out how to use the new electronics or whatever is was that we bought that was technical. I remember thinking, why don't you get it? As an adult I understand in this rapidly growing world that we live in that if we don't continue to learn and stay caught up that it's easy to get behind. I realized this when blue tooth was created, in the beginning I just couldn't understand it. It's not surprising that people would easily fall behind with technology when in 1984 the number of Internet devices were only 1,000 and by 2008 it had already grown to 1,000,000,000. What surprised me most was how technical information doubles every two years and that by the time a technical student reaches their junior year in college the information that they learned as a freshman is already outdated. The world is constantly growing at a alarming speed and it's important that as educators we continue to grow with it. That's what it all means to me.




Mr. Winkle Wakes
Mr. Winkle Wakes after a hundred years of sleep to find himself overwhelmed by such an advanced world. Since watching both Mr. Winkle wakes and Did you know, I feel like Mr. Winkle a little and I could relate to his feelings sometimes. Mr. Winkle disliked to technological future, however it's necessary and does make life for so many a little less complicated. The medical technology was necessary for many reasons. The main reason is that some of the major illnesses that so many died from a hundred years ago, today can be treated with medicines and in some cases are considered minor and inconvenient setbacks.

The educational viewpoint was sad. Although Mr. Winkle found school familiar and comforting it is rather pathetic that school hadn't changed much in a hundred years. I guess this is sort of like a two edged sword because education is essential but it also shouldn't be intimidating on any level. I feel that it's up to the educator to make sure, regardless the circumstances, that the curriculum is not outdated. In the video Mr. Winkle wakes, there was a computer in the class that was not being used and was described as dusty. This should be unacceptable in any school, we should use what equipment that has been made available to us to ensure that the future of our students will ever be inadequate. In a world that is constantly growing, school and education should always stay up to speed because our future can't afford for education to remain the same.



Sir. Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I found the talk to be humorously inspiring and so full of truth. Sir Ken
Robinson put some ideas in a whole new light. He made me think of education in a way that I've never thought about it before. It is so true, we are programmed to think about education in a right or wrong manner. we are never taught the importance of creativity as individuals however we are told who the great artists are. As grade level students we are always prepped for college to become something that makes a lot of money, which never allows the student to find themselves as individuals when what they're great at just might be better that what they're programmed into becoming.

I like the way this talk opens up your mind to think outside the box and it's available in 36 different languages to get the point across on a more broad spectrum. Schools should make room for more creativity. It might set the stage for more Gillian Lynne's or Picasso's. I'm not at all disputing the importance of our education system, math, science, language, reading, and history are vital.

I also like how he tells us to face the fear of being wrong. There is a truthfulness just in those words, so many of us are afraid of being wrong so when we are taught that certain curriculum is the right one or the best one that what we tend to go with sense we all have this fear of being wrong. I agree with Sir Ken Robinson on so many levels and I'm glad that I was introduced to this site.



Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis is an amazing teacher with an amazing concept of teaching. She is so right about her method of teaching, every child is not going to learn the exact same way so it is important to mix things up a little. I like how she allows the students to teach some of the material. Some students learn best from there peers. It's so important as a teacher to be in tune with your class.

Another concept I like is that it's a technical class they are all learning about technology and it seems like no one is being left behind they are all up to speed. I think it is important for schools to teach kids about technology, that's why I was so excited about taking this course because it is so important for us as students and it will continue to be important as we begin our careers as educators. With so much to learn in this rapidly evolving world it's nice to have someone to educate us so that we can one day educate others.