BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT #2

DID YOU KNOW 3.0

Some of the things I saw in "Did You Know 3.0" I had heard before - some I had not! What is interesting to me is that I am doing things now that I could only have dreamed of when I was in high school. As much as technology has changed in the last 25 years since I left high school , nothing surprises me! In the 1980's we had a Commodore 64 computer that we thought was "high tech". We had to use DOS to operate the dang thing. When I have shown my daughter my Commodore 64 - she just shakes her head and goes and plays on her iPhone4 which could out compute my old Commodore 64 by a long shot!

Some of the items that Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod put in the video we

re surprising. The idea that only 1 out of 2 people have had their jobs for less than 5 years. That kind of stuns me! The other thing is that 1 out of every 8 couples married last year met online. Who knew so many people were meeting online? Call me old fashion, but it is kind of strange to think of people meeting online. I don't know why I find that to be so unusual, but I do.

So - what does this all mean? I think it means that this world is always changing and we must change with it. If we are unwilling to change and embrace technology and technological advances we will be left behind in the world. I also think it means as future educators we must include technology in our classrooms as much as possible. We should use what our students use as communication in order to teach them in a manner they can understand.

Since this world is ever changing - we must change with it - or risk being left behind!

MR. WINKLE WAKES

When Mr. Winkle wakes and it is 100 years later it was enlightening to me to see that the one place he felt comfortable was in a classroom. It was sad and true at the same time!

Classrooms haven't changed in a long time. administrations are hard pressed to allow technology into the classroom. I know this from experience. It is hard to get principles and headmasters to understand that social networking and technology can be used to further a students learning process.

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman is an eye opener for future educators. I think we can see where change has taken place and where change still needs to happen. I would suggest any new or existing teachers to view this video and take it to heart. I can definitely see the past in this video and see how little our educational system has changed.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I haven't enjoyed a talk as much as I did this one in a long time! The Importance of Creativity is a video that will and can change the way educators look at their students. Several things struck me. One of the main things was the way Sir Robinson talked about creativity. Often we are quick to label students that do not learn the way we think they should as "learning disabled". Just because a child doesn't learn the same way as another child doesn't mean they are not smart.

I have a personal experience to attest that labeling a child or even an adult in learning doesn't work! We tell our children that they can do or be anything they want to be then we take a breath and give them ideas! I am just as guilty as the next person. I tell my daughter to find something she loves and make a way to earn income from it! Then I give her ideas of what she can do. Should I be giving her a list? Shouldn't I just allow her to find her talents and figure out her future career on her own? As a parent - it is a struggle to know what to do. As a teacher - you have more than just one student to worry about!

Sir Robinson definitely gave me food for thought!

Cecelia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

How do we make sure that all students are well educated? I particularly enjoyed what

Sir Ken Robinson said about creativity. I had never really thought about mathematics or

science being a creative outlet. Parag Chordia, director of the Music Intelligence Lab at Georgia Tech says, "Is creativity just the gift of a few--just sprinkled on a few people and that's it? I would argue no, that creativity is something that we all have inside of us and what it's all about is finding out, how do we unlock that creativity?" I think that is what Chordia says is EXACTLY what Sir Robinson is trying saying.

When I heard Sir Robinson say that math and science were creative I was skeptical. I didn't understand how that could be possible. Fortunately, when someone says something that I am not sure I agree with I "Google it"! This is how I ran across Parag Chordia. I found this article from the National Science Foundation. It has changed my though processes about creativity. I had never thought about where engineers get the ideas for bridges or chemical engineers get ideas for new "concoctions"!

I guess I was just denying the creative process of mathmaticians and scientists - boy was I WRONG! They just might be more creative than the aritist and writers that create art and literature - maybe...

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

The way Ms. Davis is running her classroom is exactly what I would envision for my

classroom. I am striving to learn how students can better use technology to learn for themselves. I like the way Ms. Davis has her students teaching some of the classes. It is my belief that teaching others is the best

way to learn something for yourself!

I am struggling to get some of my daughter's teachers to understand that technology can be their friend. I do not understand why they will not allow the students to create a class Facebook page. A place where the students can discuss their work outside of a classroom enviroment. I think this is a method that I want to incorporate into my lifelong learning. I want to empower students to learn. I want students to use any tools they have at their disposal to learn. This would include their cell phones and cameras! When I say this to my teacher friends they shake their heads and say it will never work. I say "Never say Never"! Thanks to Ms. Davis I can now say "I have proof it works!"