Blog Post #2

Did You Know?

In Dr. Strange's video, Did You Know? 3.0-A John Strange 2012 Version, he emphasizes on the advancements that will be made in the upcoming years. Some of the statistics were a little shocking to me, for example the 25% of India's population with the highest IQs outnumbers the entire American population. He also says by 2025 there will be more English-speaking Chinese people than native English speakers. Personally, I feel that this is a little pathetic. As Americans, we should be proud of who we are and have a desire to learn more and do more.

We live in a world that relies on technology to get through the day everyday. Dr. Strange says that about 1,393,519 searches are made on Google every minute, as well as 11,453,577 texts being sent every minute also. On top of that, technology is advancing every single day. The video also says that according to the U.S. Department of Labor the top jobs 10 tens years from now do not exist yet! As hard as that is to imagine, I definitely believe it. As future teachers, we need to learn how to teach and prepare our students for these jobs. Did You Know? 3.0-A John Strange 2012 Version proved to be an eye opening video to me. Before I didn't realize exactly how advanced technology is becoming, but now I understand how amazing it is and the importance of preparing ourselves and our students for it.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman is a very interesting video about a man who awakes after sleeping for 100 years. He is very confused about the technology and devices that are surrounding him. So what exactly has changed in the last 100 years? The easiest and most common answer would probably be everything! However, I want to narrow in on this answer. The video starts with Mr. Winkle finding his way to an office building, surprised and maybe a little scared of everything he sees and hears. In offices today we have the most advanced computers that money can buy, accompanied by the latest printers, copiers, fax machines, telephones, cameras, and smart boards. All this technology allows people from all over the world to easily communicate with each other.

Next in the video, Mr. Winkle visits the hospital because he is feeling sick and overwhelmed by all the technology, but it does him no good. Hospitals are just as advanced as major companies, if not more. Today hospitals have machines with the ability to keep people alive, for example ventilators pump air into a patients lungs to breathe for them. Also, hospitals are equipped with special lasers and x-ray machines for surgery and diagnosing.

Finally, Mr. Winkle makes his way to a local school. He felt comfortable and more at home here because it was familiar to him. Nothing had changed from what he remembered about school. The teachers would lecture all day while the students would sit at their desks and take notes. He did see a computer at the school, but it was covered in dust from lack of use. The video concludes with basically saying no matter how much time has passed, some things will always remain the same.

However, I disagree with this outlook. Many schools today are migrating to advanced computers, smart boards, and a more technology enhanced way of teaching; and why shouldn't they? Schools need to be just has advanced has hospitals and office buildings. After all, the students in these schools will grow up to work in these office buildings and hospitals. They should be familiar with the technology they come in contact with. We are moving towards a green society. Less paper, more computers is the way to go. Technology is all around us. It is best for schools to adapt to it and embrace it.

The Importance of Creativity

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." This quote comes from Sir Ken Robinson's speech The Importance of Creativity, and I think it is one to live by. Sir Robinson says we should not be scared of being wrong. Schools and companies imply that mistakes are the worst things you can do, but this is wrong. If you don't make mistakes how will you get better? How will you learn what works and what doesn't? In Sir Robinson's speech he emphasizes that all children are born artists, but as we grow older we are educated out of it. Unfortunately, this is sad and true. Music and the arts are at the bottom of the list in schools. Maths, sciences, and English come first, because we are told that that is what matters. We are told that you will never be a musician or artist so you don't need those classes.

It may be true that not everyone is cut out to be a musician or artist but that doesn't warrant cutting those classes. The arts are an outlet, for so many things or problems, for so many people. People with creative, artistic ability should be allowed to grow and develop in a way beneficial for them, not given medicine and told to calm down. I feel this statement from Sir Robinson really sums it up. I think everyone should embrace the ideas of Sir Robinson and TEDS and celebrate the gift of human imagination and use this gift wisely!

Classroom Disruption

The video Classroom Disruption addresses 2 very different classroom environments. If given the choice, I would much rather take the first class shown at Oakland Christian School for many reasons. To name a few major reasons: the teacher was highly upbeat and positive, updated computers for every student, interactive lessons which excite students to learn, lessons and presentations shown on smart boards, and the use of social media sites for links to articles so students can be exposed to more. Also the teacher was immediately able to help students when they needed, he actually cared about their success in his class, and the teacher provided engaging activities for his class. All of these reasons equal up to a positive environment to learn, which I feel any student would be happy to be apart of.

I have taken classes that represent both the learning environments seen in this video. Unfortunately, most of the classes I have had imitated what I saw from the second classroom at Blunder High. I wish in high school I had the opportunity to take more classes from a technologically advanced stand point. There are many differences in the teachers teaching techniques. The teacher at Oakland Christian School was positive and upbeat, he had a structured business like attire, he used interactive lessons, showed lectures and presentations on a smart board, he used social media sites to engage students, he was able to help students when they needed it, and he genuinely cared about his students success. On the other hand, the teacher at Blunder High had very low energy, he used outdated materials, supported his lectures with boring charts and graphs, he didn't know the correct names of his students, he didn't help his students when they were confused, and he had a very unorganized, thrown together attire.

The students at Oakland Christian School were motivated to learn by engaging interactive activities and assignments. They learned through practice and hands on learning. However, the students at Blunder High were only told to memorize what they had seen. This only allows them to spit it back out on tests, if they learned anything at all, but then they don't retain any information given to them. I aspire to be like the teacher at Oakland Christian School. I want to provide my students with a fun, interactive learning environment that really motivates them to do their best. To achieve this goal I need to be familiar with the best technology available so that I can properly teach my students how to succeed in the advanced society waiting for them when they graduate. I can do this by enrolling in more classes like EDM 310, that will help me to learn how to incorporate technology in my lessons to prepare my students.