Blog Post #2

DID YOU KNOW?
WOW! This clip was amazing yet alarming. Technology is progressing so fast! Faster than we even know or are prepared for. It is scary to know that life as we know it now will not be the same in 5..even 2 years. What got me the most was that "for a student starting a technical degree, half of what they learn in their first year of study, will be outdated by their third year of study." WHAT?! You mean that there is more of this stuff to learn :) Seriously though, now I fully understand the meaning of this class. Honestly, I had no idea that classrooms today were full of smart boards and podcasts. I graduated HS in 1998, never even heard of a smart board. I guess it's either get with the program or get left out, because the world is moving forward whether you like it or not!VIDEO:DID YOU KNOW?

MR. WINKLE WAKES
Eye-opening.  A little comical..but the point of the clip..sad but true. The education system needs to get with the program. They are so far behind the rest of the world. As fast as the world is turning, schools are using the same methods being used for years past, and students are being left behind. The Education System once again is left out, whether it be from low funds (which is more than likely) or maybe just too hesitant for change. Whatever the reason and whomever is running it, times they are a changing! How will we expect future generations to exceed us if we ourselves do not update our methods of teaching. Every professional that uses these technological advances are in school for some part of their lives. How will they learn these things if they are not learning them in school. I for one am for the change and I hope that I can be apart of it. We need to properly educate our future leaders of the world.VIDEO:Mr. Winkle Wakes

SCHOOL KILLS CREATIVITY
Sir Ken Robinson gives a speech about how in schools today, children are taught on a strict academic scale. He says that children are not afraid of making mistakes or being wrong and that as children grow, they are educated out of their special talents and creativity. I really enjoyed watching this video and it is so true. Children are so funny and so wonderfully artistic in their own way. They LOVE to dance, sing, draw, and paint pictures. Once they begin school, they are taught the important subjects, math, science, english, and history. There is very little emphasis on the arts. If they are not learning at the same rate as others, they are told they have a problem. Some children are more academically-inclined than others. That should  not mean that children who are not, should be shamed for not doing as well as their more academically-inclined peers. I think that it is a shame that children are being taught on such a one track scale. Yes, it is incredibly important to learn those important subjects such as math and science. Saying that, it is equally important to encourage their creativity. Children spend the majority of their day in school and they are not being given the opportunity and more-so, being encouraged to be their own individual. That to me is wrong. Who is to say that a child's talent isn't a talent at all but a learning disability?! As a mother and a future educator, I will always recognize my children's and my student's creative capabilities!VIDEO:Sir Ken Robinson Says School Kills Creativity

HARNESS YOUR STUDENT'S DIGITAL SMARTS
This is amazing stuff! Vicki Davis has gone beyond just teaching her student's about the world. Her student's are actually interacting with others from all over the world. The future is computers and it goes back to the clip Did You Know? The world is progressing so fast technologically. Student's and schools need to jump on this bandwagon. A small rural town in Georgia such as Vicki's..these students would be learning facts about other countries out of a book, going in one ear and right out the other. Now they get a chance to see how other countries of the world live and seeing is believing. Vicki brings up an extremely valid point. She says that the thought process in schools is that a teacher is supposed to know it all before they can teach it. Not in her class. Her student's are teaching her. These students are having to educate themselves, by doing their own research. How much more do you think this information is sinking in than just reading it from a book?  This is the way that it should be. Student's should be encouraged and "empowered" as Vicki says, to learn on their own. Every teacher should watch this video and empower their own students. They might just be amazed at what they could learn along the way!VIDEO:Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts