Sunday, September 25, 2011

Blog post #5

kids using iPads



    Scott McLeod’s Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? I saw a serious side and a side that was a bit humorous. He brought out good points to do with how dangerous technology can be. Even though these things are true we cannot stay away from technology. We must educate kids on how to use this great resource the correct way.

     Past students also made the point that cutting technology out of our lives is not an option. We can use school computer classes to educate children on the rewards and consequences of using the technology. If we teach kids and monitor their use of the computer then we can be aware of what they are doing and there is no room for kids to break the rules.

    Scott McLeod is a very well educated man with awards in educational technology. He is a part of the academic group that is dedicated to the technological needs of schools. He is dedicated to seeing schools become more technologically literate.

    In Travis Allen’s The iSchool Initiative and Zeitgeist Young Mind’s Entry I see a person and a team that is dedicated to changing the way our schools teach. I had the privilege of having Travis Allen as my C4T one week. I learned so much about his ideas on why schools need to chance and how this change can happen. His iSchool Initiative is a well thought out program with great potential.

    I was also blown away by his video showing all the technology that is out there waiting to be utilized. One thing about this idea is that everything that we would need to start the initiative already exists. All we must do is use it. I look forward to teaching math and using the resources available on the iPod touch.


     My very first impression of Jennifer Chamber's Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir video was how innovative the concept was. To have that many people who have never met in person sing a chorus of that complexity apart from one another is very extraordinary! This video is a very good example of how the internet can be used for anything in today's society. Today's rapid growth of technology is very impressive. Almost every situation in today's society is limitless.

    If any professional in any field says that nothing can be done in a certain situation, it is either because of a regulation or a financial barrier, not because the technology is not there. The innovative ideas of the use of the internet is constantly evolving. The more people think, the more ideas actually become possible.


    In Kevin Robert's Teaching In The 21st Century he talks about how in our world today you can not get away from technology. He also says that if we do not educate our students on the internet than they might learn from the wrong person or try to figure it out themselves. We have got to take our role as teachers and do our jobs.

     I do not know if I 100% agree with all of his points, but I do know I agree with him to a large part. I still believe that there needs to be some in class teaching on facts and information, but we can also teach them how to further their education with all the resources in technology. We need to teach them where to find good and true information, and how to look deeper into things to find answers. As technology evolves, so will teaching and we will all have to adapt to it.

4 comments:

  1. Sarah,
    To start with you are a great writer! Now, I just have to tell you I agree with how amazing the video Jennifer Chambers shared with us for the virtual choir. I actually loved it enough to go back and listen to it while I was doing my work today. I also agree that Mr. Roberts showed us that teachers need to take control on getting kids a better education so that they do not learn things the wrong way.

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  2. Sarah,
    I agree with you on the blog Don't Teach Your kids This Stuff Please. I believe that technology is dangerous. However, so is the real world. Therefore, we should teach our children and students the safety of both. I also thought that the virtual choir was amazing. It is extraordinary how technology can do the things that it can do. I believe that there should still be "in class teaching on facts and information" as well as teaching technology. Keep up the good work throughout the rest of the semester.

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  3. Sarah,

    I think you need to re-read Dr. McLeod's post - he was not being literal.
    I like that you are eager to use technology in the classroom! It is an important - nay, necessary - part of society these days, and educators need to wake up and integrate, integrate, integrate! As always, we need to proceed with caution; but we need to do so with the realization that, children's lives will be changed because of the way we choose to teach.

    Thanks

    Rebekah Lloyd

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  4. I agree with Rebekah. I think you missed the fact that Dr. McLeod was being sarcastic. Re-read the post with this in mind.

    Your paragraph about Dr. McLeod is not very informative.

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