Blog Assignment #4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? by Scott McLeod


I thought Mr McLeod had a pretty neat way of making his point. Basically he is telling us that
if we don't teach our kids how to use technology then they will be far behind 10 years down the
road. He's right. Students today need technology skills just to keep from falling behind their
peers. As years go by more and more jobs will be based on technology and young people need the
skills to compete.

Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State
University. He also is the director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology
Leadership in Education.



iSchool Initiative

This video had a new perspective on technology in the classroom, at least from my view. It appeared as if Travis had done his homework and was quite knowledgable about the issue, from applications in teaching and learning to pros and cons of cost issues. As was mentioned in the
video, most school systems are in a constant cut-back mode and if this technology could enhance
learning while at the same time save money it should be easily acceptable to the education establishment. It is an idea that deserves examination.
The abundance of information available on the web is undeniable. The use of a touchscreen device for learning would absolutely appeal to students, where they could learn technology use while at the same time be learning core subject matter. The access to instant maps and other images would be an asset. Being a science teacher, I can see great advantages visually, such as 3D presentation of molecular structure, how chemical bonding and reactions occur, and many other concepts. Finally, it would appeal to a wider range of learning types. Overall, a bright and innovation approach to education


You Can't Be My Teacher by Darren Cannell


In today's world, kids are growing up surrounded by technology. Many aspects of their life are based on technology, from learning to communicating to entertainment. I have no doubt that the youngster in this video is more familiar with computers than most people from my generation. Kids of today do school work, play games, communicate, and find information via computers. My 11 year old son plays video games with his friends while they are at different locations. I won't pretend I know how all this works, but I know it takes place. This is the world children know today and this is what they expect.

Since today's youth deal with technology everywhere else in their lives, they expect it in the classroom as well. Teachers of the future must recognize this and make every effort to expand their horizons to include technology in the learning experience. If not, maybe they can't be his teacher.


Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

Pretty neat. The sound and cohesion of the choir would have been outstanding under any circumstance, and to know this was done with no physical connection makes it all the more amazing. It made me think about the Beatles recording Abbey Road without ever seeing each other,
but without the visual.

Obviously, the choir members worked hard individually on their parts because the harmony was very nice. I can only imagine the logistics involved in putting together a production of this scope.


Teaching in the 21st Century

Very thought provoking video. As discussed before, today's students don't just use technology, they expect it. Old habits are hard to break, so it is more difficult for people that have been teaching for a while to incorporate the new technology into their schemes, but the effort needs to be made. Teachers just reaching the field will have a better grasp of what their students are
"into".
"Engagement" is a key concept in this video. While some students can thrive in a lecture type environment, others check out when they walk through the door. If our educators and education system could find a way to hold the student's interest and help the students connect, I know we would see much higher achievement rates and more successful students.