Sunday, September 12, 2010

Blog Assignment #3

School Supplies




A Vision Nobody Seems to Notice





In reaction to Michael Wesch's video, I have a few things to say.  First of all, I think that it was very unique and innovative how he used the walls, seats, chalkboards, and student notebooks to do the talking.  It reminds the viewer that we are talking about what a student has to do every day.  As to the statistics, they seem pretty accurate to the everyday student.  Students have to fit, on average, a 26 hour day into a 24 hour day, and this is just the average student.  


If I were to add anything into the video, I might go more into the financial demands of the average student.  I might also bring up the diversity of the classroom and mention how some students are facing language barriers and others have kids at home they need to take care of.  This could also lead to talking about the amount of work demanded from the teacher.  Some teachers assign ridiculous amounts of homework without taking into account the other demands on the students' schedules.  Overall, this vision is eye-opening and deserves to be noted.




What It's Really About
  
Having just read Kelly Hines' article, "It's Not About the Technology," I have a few things to say.  I think that she is making a valid point.  Sometimes, people think that technology should get all the credit, or they become blind to what goes on behind the scenes.  What really matters is the teaching behind the technology.  A good teacher can take technology and use it to it's full potential.  Without proper teaching, technology goes wasted.

She makes the point that teachers should always be learning.  They should teach but work and study like students.  Also, every kid deserves and has the ability to learn.  So, no teacher should stop working with each individual student until they do.  Another point she brings up is that technology doesn't make the teacher.  It is the teacher that can make the technology.  He or she is in charge of manipulating it.  Critical thinking and problem solving are vital to the learning experience and should not be forgotten in the hype of modern technological advances, as well.  It is the teacher's job to make technology useful to their students.





Modern Day Illiteracy

Today, technological literacy is becoming more and more important in education.  According to Karl Fisch, it is unacceptable to be a teacher that is technologically illiterate, in this day and age.  He makes a great point.  Technology is constantly expanding, and teachers need to know how to use those tools to prepare their students for jobs where they need to know how to use them.  Without a knowledge of these tools, how can we possibly hope to use them and teach them to others?

These days, students are using more and more technology in their lives.  They are a different breed.  For example, social networking has become a new and leading form of communication for young adults.  As teachers, we have to know how to communicate and inform in a way that kids can understand and use.  Technology isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so we need to be prepared to roll with the increasing technological punches. 
  
  

 

3 comments:

  1. Kathryn,
    I too thought it was very unique how things in the class room were used by the students to "speak". I found this video to be fairly acurate for most typical college students, unfortunatly I am not a typical college student since I am a student athlete. Sometimes the 26 hours being fit in a 24 hour day is more like 32 hours it seems like. I also thought that things like statistics for parents and single parents also attendinng school and working should have been added.

    The video proving that it really isn't about the technology is very important to us as future teacher. It shows that no matter how advanced our technology is, teachers are still imprtant because it is our job to learn and teach it to the students.

    I also think that it is important for teachers to be technologically literate as presented by Mr. Fisch. Technology is without a doubt growing rapidly and it is important for teachers to keep up so that can provide the best education for their students.

    Stephanie Dunaway

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  2. Great post Katheryn!

    I like your statement that we must "roll with the technological punches". This is so true. The days of one way linear communication with students are over. i personally think this is a great thing!

    Your blog is looking really good. Keep up the good work. SS

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