January 17, 2010

Did You Know 3.0and Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman
The speed of technological advances is astounding. I knew we had come a tremendous way from “Shakespeare’s time,” but it never occurred to me how quickly it has begun to change. "What does it all mean" is the questioned asked at the end of the video. Fisch says that "China will soon become the number one speaking country in world, India has more honors kids than America has kids," and other intriguing facts. But what does that mean?

It means that teachers need to be technology literate. Teachers should want to better their knowledge in technology in order to help their students. In the video, Fisch states that "for students starting a 4-year technical degree half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study." That is reason enough for teachers to stay on top of new technology so they can introduce what they learn to their classes. The video points out that the gap between America and the rest of the world is closing. If we want to change anything we need to change our view on technology, and the video by Matthew Needleman, Mr. Winkle Wakes, shows that.

Mr. Winkle wakes up after a hundred year nap, and takes off to explore a city. He finds the hustle bustle of an office building and is faced with machines that he doesn't know how to use, and noises he can't explain. He can't stand it there, and leaves. Mr. Winkle comes upon a hospital and since he isn't feeling well decides to go in. Little did he know that it too is run by the same machines that the office was using. He decides to leave the hospital in search for peace and quiet. He soon sees a school and went inside. I was the same as what he remembered it being. "Students were taking notes and were undisturbed by the world around them."

After watching this video I am stuck wondering, why should students have to sit in their seats all day and listen to a lecture? They have so much to learn about the world around them, and what is better to teach them about the world than a computer with internet. Students can learn what classrooms are like across the world, the differences between cultures, and the opportunities are endless. A child should be able to use a computer, and should be allowed to use a computer in school.
Did You Know 3.0 by Karl Fisch and Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman really made me think about our school systems, and what I want to be able to accomplish when I begin to teach. I want to be a technology literate teacher. I want to be able to help my students be the best they can be. I do not want to hold them back by not allowing the use of a computer. Of course in elementary school paper and handwriting are important, but typing and being able to navigate a computer is important also.

Fisch, Karl. Did You Know 3.0. http://is.gd/5JQLF
Needleman, Matthew. Mr. Winkle Wakes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm1sCsl2MQY


Sir Ken Robinson:The Importance of Creativity
I was amazed at Sir Ken Robinson's video on the importance of creativity. His humorous way of delivering his speech on what we're doing in our schools makes it interesting. Robinson mentions the "unpredictability" of the world that we are supposed to educate our future about. How do we do this? We picture the future of our world through our imaginations, yet we "squander creativity" in schools. Why do we "educate children out of" their creativity?

Robinson makes an interesting point about making mistakes and being wrong, "if you're not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original." I completely agree with this statement. Why is our society so afraid of being wrong? I know I am afraid of making a mistake, even though making it might help me figure out the problem in the long run it will still be stamped with that word WRONG. But why is that word bad? I think that point was the one that stuck out to me the most in Robinson's video. We will not always get everything right the first go around, but I guess it is just that word.


http://tinyurl.com/mluw5k

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
We have all of this great technology at our fingertips, and I know the high school I went to did not even require that I take a basic computer class to graduate. Technology is changing everyday and like Vicki Davis said in her video, we need to “empower our students.” We need to let their imaginations run. Her class video was amazing! How she is so available to her students and open to their ideas is wonderful.

This video shows that being technology literate and open to student creativity opens many doors to classroom opportunities. You do not have to know everything, but be willing to find out; Davis points this out in the video. They were not restricted to only pen and paper or a lengthy lecture. It was pretty neat to hear that she was learning from her students just as they were learning from her. Her students took the skills they learned from her and expanded on that because they were given the opportunity.


Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts. http://bit.ly/151RkU