Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know?

        I recently watched the YouTube video "Did You Know?" that was researched by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Brenman. After watching this, I felt like my brain was on fire. This video simply gave facts that nobody would expect. I learned that China will soon become the number one English speaking Country. This was surprising, but at the same time expected. I also learned that we are currently preparing students for jobs that do not even exist yet. This seems crazy, but it goes to show that the future is now and that it is important to prepare students for thing that are not yet around. 

            The technology facts shown in this video were impressive. “One out of eight couples married in the U.S. last year met online.” Although I constantly see those commercials for Match.com and all the other dating websites, I did not think they were that popular. I suppose I find this crazy because when I was younger I was told, “Do not speak to anyone you do not know online! Stay out of chat rooms!” Now, they are encouraging people to meet up with people you meet online. This just sounds like a bad Lifetime movie waiting to happen. 

Some other neat facts I learned and want to share: 

        “If Myspace were a country, it would the 5th largest in the world.” I did not expect this. I thought Myspace is dying and Facebook is the new thing that will soon be replaced by Twitter. 

        “There are 31 BILLION searches on Google every month.” This I can understand once I actually think about it; I probably put in about 1 million of those searches. It makes me wonder if during school terms the searches are more than that.  In 2006, there were only 2.7 billion searches on Google. I suppose people still used book encyclopedias then. 

        “There are 540,000 words in the English language. This is 5 times more words than during Shakespeare’s time."

I find it interesting that Fisch, McLeod, and Brenman mentioned Shakespeare’s time. I recently took a class on Shakespeare and learned that he created many words that we use today. “Puking, undress, blushing, birthplace” are all words that Shakespeare has created. I suppose many other words are from writers and people who frequently use terms.  Twenty years ago nobody would have called a non-magical person a "muggle."

        This video has shown the viewers how important it is to stay on top with technology and knowledge. Just when we think we have figured everything out, there is always more to learn. 

Mr. Winkle Wakes

      This YouTube video was a cute and short video created by Matthew Needleman. It started off with a cartoon character, Mr. Winkle, who wakes after 100 years. He becomes overwhelmed with all of the new sights and sounds of technology around him. He then goes to a school and sees that everything has remained the same. There is no use of technology and school is still a place where teachers lecture while students sit there.  

This video does make people think about how great technology is. Mr. Winkle sees people having conferences with people across the globe, machines keeping people alive, but school is the same. If children are our future and technology is the future, then shouldn’t we be teaching them about technology and how to use it for a better education?

We can show our students that computers are not just for Facebook and games. Computers and technology can make learning fun.

The Importance of Creativity

            This was my second time watching Ken Robinson's speech about the importance of creativity. I actually spent time in my EDU 400 class last semester watching this video. The first time I watched this I was more focused on what he was mentioning while taking into account students who have ADD and ADHD, which he discusses at the end. Many times students just need to be able to express themselves in other ways through creativity. We, as teachers, should take this into account and teach to every kind of student.

            I enjoyed how much he stressed about the importance of creativity during his speech. We should not just teach basic things such as math and language arts. We should also teach things such as dance. Our education should be diverse. He makes a point that we teach our students so that they will succeed in college and please their professors. However, degrees are not worth as much as it used to be. You must have a masters to do something and later on you will need a higher degree. Education is growing all the time. 

Cecelia Gault Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

Cecelia Gault’s interview with Sir Ken Robinson was short and interesting. I was surprised that such a young girl was interviewing and writing articles on such an “adult” topic. Most children would say they do not care about learning, but I believe every child cares to a point.
I agreed with Ken Robinson about the curriculum needing to be more balanced. Not every student learns the same way. Adding more technology to schools would help students feel involved and possibly want to learn more. 
I also agreed with Ken Robinson about the three myths of technology. I used to be one of those people that would say “I am just not creative.” I was the only one in the family that never won a prize for art. I found later on that I love knitting and sewing though. I found my creative side through something different. Another myth is that creativity is only about certain things. This is not true. Students can be creative through anything they do, including school work.

          The third myth was that there is nothing you can do about students who believe they are not creative. This is a myth because you can teach children to become creative in different activities. I will make sure my students receive the best education from me by challenging their minds through their creativity.The last thing discussed in the interview was about the term “intelligence.” This is a very difficult term to give the definition of because it is so diverse. Out of a study with 50 people, nobody could agree on what the term meant.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

In the video about the teacher from Georgia, Vicki Davis, she shows us how she uses all different types of technology in her classroom. I thought it was so true when she said that children start having trouble in school when pencil and paper are the only things used in class. This causes only a certain type of student to learn. She believes that students should learn using all different types of technology. When she uses terms that students do not know, the students have to look the terms up so they can learn them.

I will remind myself about Vicki Davis when I start teaching. Instead of just looking at what needs to be taught, I will also take into consideration on HOW it could be taught. Focusing on my students’ strengths and weaknesses will help me to plan my lessons to fit their educational needs.  I will also remember that I do not have to know everything in order to teach something. It is okay to let students teach the teacher and teach each other. Learning from each other is a great change in education. Students can share ideas from across the globe.