Sunday, January 30, 2011

Blog Post 2

Did You Know

Did You Know?
Technology is taking over! This can be a good thing and a bad thing. If you have your iPhone with you, you pretty much have everything you need. It’s amazing what technology has led to over the years. I couldn’t imagine having to grow up without internet or cell phones. It’s always been around and it looks if it always will be. I would have never thought you can do so much on a cell phone. I can’t imagine what they will do to cell phones or computers in the next few years. It seems like there is nothing left for them to add since they now have everything on them.
I found this video amazing! I liked everything about it. Some interesting facts that I didn't know that one out of eight people have meet and are now married through the internet. Also, Myspace could be its own country falling 5th largest in the world. That's insane. I never would have thought Bermuda being number one in Broadband Internet either. I can’t believe the US is 19!
I find it crazy that in just four years, google has gone to 2.7 billion searches to 31 billion a month! I do believe, however, that the text messages sent a day are over the population of a planet. It’s amazing how much we text in just a day.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
This video is about Rip Van Winkle awakening after 100 years. I found the video itself kind of strange, although I really liked the point they were making. It was very creative the way they thought to show the changes over 100 years by using Rip Van Winkle. I thought using a hospital was a great idea for a technology example, since 100 years ago, none of that stuff existed. I liked that they showed the school and how most of it was still the same, although, most of it is different too.
The main purpose of school still remains, like the classrooms and lectures. How cool would it be if in 100 years we were able to see the changes and how far technology has gone. If we could, it would mean a lot, just as it did to Rip Van Winkle, to reminisce on the things that haven’t changed or are still around, like school, in the video.

The Importance of Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson gave around a twenty minute speech about kids today. He also said it's scary that we have no idea what technology will come to over the years and that's what we're supose to be teaching our students. He claims kids aren't afraid to be wrong. I find that partially true.
I personally think no one should be afraid to be wrong and make mistakes. That’s how you figure out who you are. Plus no one likes someone who’s right all the time or acts like they’re right. That makes life boring. I do think, only because I’m around kid’s everyday, that some kids are afraid to be wrong. I see it everyday that kids answer a question and get upset or embarrassed because they answered wrong.
He used the example of the kid saying the part in a play. I think that could go both ways. The kid wasn’t afraid to be wrong in his example, and most kids aren’t. They say whatever they feel. In front of a classroom or audience is when a lot of kids are afraid of being wrong. All children should know its okay to be wrong and make mistakes; they shouldn’t be laughed at or get embarrassed.

Scholastic Kids
First, I’m amazed at this little girl. How awesome that she did and wrote this. I strongly agree that you can teach someone to become creative. Everyone has a little creativity somewhere in them. I think it’s very important for us as teacher to teach this to our students. They need to know how to think outside the box and use their imagination.
They said traveling increases cultural intelligence; I also think field trips in school do the same. It’s very important that kids see and experience places that are important to where they live. They most likely won’t like going there but when they get older they will appreciate it. They would much rather go to the zoo, than an educational play, or see some “boring” building downtown, but who wouldn’t right? I do think it is very important that students learn about different cultures, whether going on field trips or just talking about them in class. Especially in public schools where their classroom is filled with culture.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
Vicki Davis focuses on teaching her students how to use technology in everyway possible. Much like this class does. She teaches her students culture lessons too, by connecting through other people around the world by internet. This goes back to what I just wrote above, field trips are a great experience to becoming culturally intellgent, but not necessary. Using websites such as Twitter and Blogger can also connect you throughout the world.
Her class seems very fun and educational. Just as I want mine to one day be and just how every class should be. It's good for the kids that she allows them to teach the class sometimes. That's really what learning is about. You know you know something when you can teach it. She also said they teach her things all the time too. I think all teachers should also be learning from their students as well.

Technology Overload

2 comments:

  1. It won't be long before you will be visiting classrooms around the word. Are you going to be a Vicki Davis kind of teacher?

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  2. I see that you are a substitute teacher, are you seeing more technology being used in the classrooms than when you were in school? I would assume you are learning a lot about what you would do differently in the classroom. I like how you agree that teachers should learn from their students. I feel the same way too!

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