Blog Assignment 2

I recently watched a video about a teacher named Vicki Davis. This teacher is really in tune with her class. It appears that she is doing something new and it is working. By allowing the students to use the web to access information under her guidance she is not only teaching them the material but is also showing them how easy it is to discover answers using technology. There is no doubt in my mind that the future generations will be working more and more with technology. By using computers in the classroom students are not only utilizing an instrument that can help them learn the most recent material but they are also using tools they will need to know how to use in order to work and function in the world in general.

I also visited Laura Scott's blog (http://scottlauraedm310.blogspot.com/2010/11/blog-assignment-12.html) and followed the link to a post about U.S. students in comparison to students from Finland (http://blogs.scholastic.com/kidspress/2010/09/breaking-creative-myths.html). According to the post by Cecilia Gault, a very young reporter from Finland, Finland's students appear to have a notable edge over students from the United States. It is indicated by the interview Miss Gault conducted with Sir Ken Robinson on how education needs to change for the better. It states that the United States would benefit from integrating more technology into the education of American children.

Robinson says that there are myths regarding creativity that prevent children's true capabilities from being recognized. I took away from the interview the idea that people each have something unique about them that indicates which area that they are gifted in. He suggests nurturing their strengths would foster a development of the individual child. I think that this is a superb notion. How great would it be for me to never hear my own child say "I'm just dumb.." when he isn't able to do school work with the ease of one of his classmates. These unfortunate words have actually come out of my own child's mouth when he felt he wasn't as good at a subject as he felt he should be. I struggled with him through kindergarten and first grade. His teacher would tell me things like "By the end of the semester if he hasn't gotten to this many words per minute he will be behind.." or "He just isn't paying attention." It is frustrating for me as a parent and for teachers as well to jump through the hoops our school system sets up for them. Gabriel, my son, loves to draw. He has literally hundreds of drawings that he compiles into story books. I love to encourage him in this and watching this video has given me some ideas about incorporating things he is learning in school into his "stories". He has infinite patience when drawing. The interview is very worth watching!

More on Robinson can be seen in his video where he discusses how creativity is discouraged in our schools.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html.
The video is of a talk given by speaker Ken Robinson on how children are taught in a single format, primarily, with the focus being on academics. Robinson goes on to discuss particular scenarios when children were given the opportunity to develop their given talents and flourished, really reaching their potential.

He also discusses the idea that our current system of teaching may not only be failing to introduce children to the entire realm of what their potential may be, but even be discouraging them from seeking to expand on their talents and dreams. This video opened my mind to several concepts that I had not previously considered. I found it very informative and recommend watching it to anyone in the education field and even parents.

Following are some youtube videos that elaborate more on the current state of education and the world in regards to technology:



Doesn't this movie speak to what kids are facing in schools? I have taken lecture classes and know exactly how the students this film is referring to feel. The sad thing about it is that much of what our children are learning can be presented in a fun and exciting format. It takes collaboration of many to pool the best ideas. These ideas can then be transformed (with adequate support) into methods for teaching the "same old stuff" that are new and exciting.

The journey of learning can be taken sleeping or awake. Let's not bore our kids to death, just trying to get through one lesson to the next, all with our eyes on the clock just waiting for the bell so real exciting life can begin. Let's bring real excitement into the classroom. Changes for the better require enthusiasm and commitment on the part of our Nation's teachers. I hope to bring that to my students when I get my first job, and keep it with me until the end of my career. I truly hope that when the bell rings it will seem like the day flew by because my students were all engaged mentally in the game of learning.



Wow. This video was very enlightening. I have spent the past 10 years of my life skirting technology and only dipping into the pool of resources on my own equipment when I had to in order to send a message or complete a task. I usually get pulled into using some new gadget due to the need to complete a specified task. After watching this video (and starting my EDM310 class) I am beginning to realize that if I don't get on board with technology and keep myself informed, I will certainly become obsolete in the teaching field.
enlightening in regards to the data about children in India and China. While the United States has been steadily falling behind over the last several decades academically it would appear that other countries haven't been wasting any time. It is definitely a wake up call for the United States.

All of these blogs and videos have a common theme. Educators and educational institutions need to be ready for change or left behind.