To start off this post, I read a blog called: Don’t teach you kids this stuff. Please? It was written by Dr. Scott McLeod who is an Associate Professor at Iowa State University. He is also the director of CASTLE which stands for the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. In his blog, Dr McLeod points out that technology is having a great and diverse impact on our society today. He also alludes to a future where technological literacy will play a major part in the world. I agree with the overall truth of this blog, and the importance of learning new ways of learning. I also think there are better ways to reach people with this message. The post was moving but didn’t make me want to get up and go teach people about the Internet.
First of all I don’t believe that sarcasm will get you anywhere, especially as a professional. The message of the blog was sound but I found the presentation lacking. The sarcastic tone of the blog worked well for those who already know about the Internet and how to use it, but I fear it may be distasteful for the target audience, mainly the technologically skeptical. Secondly I believe the point of this blog, though true, may be slightly outdated. Kids today are going to learn technology. It’s become too incorporated into our everyday lives to be missed. The question is: Who is teaching them? Who are we letting our kids learn the web from? Certainly there is more danger in letting kids run free on the web by themselves than to be taught how to use it by an educator. Kids are going to learn, will we be the ones to teach them?
For the second part of this blog, I watched a video called The iSchool Initiative. It was made by a high school Senior as a way of promoting the iPod Touch as a revolutionary way to learn. He supported his theories with several popular apps already available on the iPod Touch that help students today. He also proposed the idea of a completely new app that will concentrate all your school needs into one tiny package.
My reaction to this video was one of approval. I admire the drive of this kid to want to better educate and equip his generation. I think that the iSchool initiative could be very profitable for both the students and the environment. It is encouraging to see the creative nature of students being put to good use.
For the third part of this blog I watched the video: The Lost Generation. I was well pleased by the presentation of this video. At first I was a little skeptical because it seemed to reiterate the sarcasm of the blog by Dr. McLeod. This video however beautifully and, I believe, effectively communicated a message of change to our generation. It fashioned an idea of our future and just when we began to get comfortable with it the tables turned and a new perspective took shape. I was most impressed by this video and I think it was a successfully artistic memento to this plea to our generation.
For the fourth part of this blog, I watched Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Chior – ‘Lux Aurumque'. This video was an astounding example of the unifying qualities of the Internet. To be able to get so many different people from so many different places to unite in song and video is truly an amazing feat in itself. I personally would have chosen a piece that could better exemplify the capabilities of this technology because the chosen song became very repetitive and left me desiring more. Aside from, that I think that this video is a n excellent example of what we can accomplish with technological insight.
For the final part of this post, I watched the video:Teaching in the 21st Century. I was very pleased with this video. Although lengthy, this video is a shining example of what I believe we need to grasp as educators. Much of the topics brought to light were echoes of my earlier discussion on Dr McLeod's blog. I believe this blog took all of the information in his blog, enhanced it, and made it techno-illiterate friendly. It was easy to understand and captivating to follow. I think it presented the true problem of teaching kids technology in that it proposed the question of: Who is teaching them? and What are they learning? Overall I really enjoyed this video and think that its message is well displayed.
BJ,
ReplyDeleteI think your argument that educators need to know how to teach before we teach them technology is a very good one. We, as teachers, need to not drill facts in our students heads, but to teach them creatively. Children are going to learn technology younger and faster than we ever did, and I think teachers need to learn so we can be on the same page as our students.
I also thought the video The Lost Generation was beautifully presented and had a great message after such a negative one. I agree about the iSchool, and I think everyone should really look into that idea.
I think that Dr. McLeod's audience for his blog is other teachers (and EM310 students who have to read his blog). So is sarcasm still inappropriate for that audience? It certainly confused many of your peers. But shouldn't young people your ager be able to identify sarcasm when them encounter it?
ReplyDeleteTravis is implementing his plans in several schools around the country this year. We shall see what happens.
"Although lengthy..." Really? How short the attention span of students has become! In the old days we read at least a book a week for each class. And they weren't short comic books either. Wait until you get to the assignment of a video that is over an hour long. It is coming soon!
"I believe this blog [Teaching in the 21st Century] took all of the information in his blog [Dr. McLeod], enhanced it, and made it techno-illiterate friendly." I sure can't figure out how you came to this conclusion. One is a sarcastic threat to see my kids blow your kids away if you are so are so frightened that you keep your kids from the internet. The other is a specific set of changes that the authors sees as necessary in teaching. What do you think of his redefinition of what it means to teach?