Blog Post #2

Did You Know?
I have to say, I loved this video. It really put into perspective how important technology is becoming to everyday life. The video stated that one out of eight couples met online, the number of texts sent everyday is greater than the number of people in the world, and that every month there are thirty-one billion searches on Google. To me, this begs the question, ‘What did we do before all this technology?’
I knew that technology is important, however, I never realized how important. The video pointed out that the top 10 jobs of 2010 didn’t even exist in 2004. It also pointed out that half of what a college student will learn in their first year of school will be outdated by their third year of school. This shows me that technology is growing at an astounding rate. The video shows me it is important that teachers are technology literate, because kids are using more and more of this technology each day.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
This video is very cute. I love the fact that you can show it to a student and they will easily understand what is going on. When Mr. Winkle woke from his one hundred year sleep, he noticed all the new technology. He was scared and concerned. All he wanted was too see something normal, something he remembered. What he found was the schools were exactly the same.
This video showed me that, educators need to use new technology as well as lectures in our class room. With the growing rate of technology, students will need to know how to use basic skills they learn in school to help them with their future. As technology grows outside of the classroom, we need use technology inside the classroom to prepare our students.

Sir Ken Robinson
Sir Ken Robinson said, “If you not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” He shows that kids aren’t frightened of being wrong. He points out that education kills creativity, because educators are educating students out of creativity. Every school around the world places emphasis on Math and Language subjects. The arts, like drama and music, are less emphasized. By doing this, we are only educating half of our brain, thus repressing creativity.
Sir Robinson also pointed out that intelligence has three parts. It is diverse, dynamic, and distinct. By suppressing creativity we are robbing some children of their intelligence. Just like the story Sir Robinson told about the young girl that had to dance to be able to think, many kids need other outlets other than a pencil and paper to show their true abilities.

Cecelia Gault
Cecelia Gault post states that the dropout rate in Finland is less than 1%, but is 25% in the United States. We definitely need to do whatever they are doing to keep our kids in school. Cecelia talked with Sir Ken Robinson on how we can change education in the 21st century; he said we need to change the curriculum and technology. He said we need to focus on balancing science and the arts. He also said we need to use more technology in education. Children today have grown up on technology. Everything they do has involved technology in some since, and this will continue to their children’s, children. By doing both of these we can ensure we are preparing our students for the future they wish to have.

Digital Smarts
In this video, Vicki Davis shows just how important technology is to students. Students are using technology everyday through the internet, cell phones, iPods, and computers. Mrs. Davis used all these instruments in her class room to connect her students to people around the world. She states that with paper and pencil only a few students really learn. Some students need more hands on learning strategies.
By following Mrs. Davis by using more technology, and making our students do some learning themselves, we are better preparing them for a future in a more technologically advanced world. We can connect our students to other people around the world, whom they might not have been able to meet and learn from.