Assignment 1

Did You Know 3.0? by Karl Fisch

Did You Know by Karl Fisch displayed some very interesting facts that were hard for me to believe. For example, it is hard to believe that we are beginning to train people for jobs in technology that will be obsolete before they even finish their training. It was surprising to see how far ahead India’s and China’s students are compared to American students and how China is becoming the largest English speaking nation. It really makes you think how fast our world is really changing. It also makes me think of all of the things that have been invented that I could not live without. I feel as if I am missing a body part if I go anywhere without a cell phone. Our society has become very dependent on the technology we have.

I think Fisch makes a good point that we are living in the information age and that knowing about the latest technology is important because it's hard to keep up in this fast paced world. It is time for America to step up and prepare the youth for the world we live in. This is a large task that can’t be put off. We need to better prepare the students for the jobs and the problems that are not even out there yet. We can’t even prepare for what the world will be like in as little as five years when it comes to technology. We can however help students to think creatively and problem solve in order to be successful when dealing with the unknown. We need to educate our students for their future, not our past.

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman

I really enjoyed Mr. Needleman's story about a cartoon Rip Van Winkle waking a hundred years later to find schools with limited technology availability. While he was shocked at the changes made in an office environment, he was especially afraid to see all of the advances made in medicine. Needleman does a wonderful job of depicting the lack of progress in the educational system. Especially when the educational system should be the ones on the cutting edge of technology to prepare the students for the fast pace and ever changing world we live in.

However, I don't completely agree that education hasn't advanced in the past 100 years. As a former teacher who has been away from education for five years, when it comes to technology it feels more like a hundred. Chalkboards are quickly being replaced by Smart Boards. Teachers and students are utilizing the resources the internet has to offer. Just last week, I helped my nine year old niece submit a 10 page power point presentation on insects. The preparation took her less than an hour to complete because she had immediate access to any information she wanted to use through the internet: graphics, diagrams, videos, etc. This same report would have taken me days to complete in as few as 15 years ago. With that said, more still needs to be done for education to keep up with the needs of society. Due to financial constraints, our educational system is behind the times when it comes to integrating technology in the schools. As educators we cannot allow this to keep us from giving students a strong basic foundation in technology, for them to apply in their lives and career path.

The Importance of Creativity by Sir Ken Robinson

In “The Importance of Creativity” by Sir Ken Robinson makes a strong case for the importance of creativity: why we need to be encouraging it and how the public schools are “educating people out of their creativity.” I enjoyed his humorous interpretation of our schools and I think he makes such a good point in saying that we are educating the students from the waste up then eventually from the head up and then to one side of the brain. My favorite example was of the dancer whose teacher could have in this day and age labeled her as ADHD, but instead recognized her talent and passion and pointed her into the right direction. She became a well known and successful ballerina, teacher and choreographer.

I do believe that much needs to be done to change the way we teach. However, I think that many of the changes need to be made from the top down. Having 7 years teaching experience, I enjoyed teaching creatively and encouraging kids to think outside the box. I encouraged differentiated instruction and learning where the students could learn and demonstrate their knowledge in ways that expressed their individual learning styles and creativity. I however often felt like my hands were tied behind my back with all of the set number of grades that had to be put in the grade book and the Criterion tests that were given at the end of every quarter to not only evaluate in a standardized way the students knowledge, but the teachers “ability” to teach. These types of evaluations only encourage “skill and drill” and leave little time for anything creative. Not only has our system discouraged creativity in our students, but they have made it nearly impossible for teachers to display or use the talents they possess.

Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts by Vicki Davis

Wow! What a wonderful job Vicki Davis has done by utilizing the technology she has been provided in the rural area in Georgia where she is from. I like the way she is connecting her students to other students from all over the world. One of the things that amazes me most about the new technology of today is the way we are able to so easily and freely communicate with anyone, anywhere, and anytime! I loved her teaching style as well; it is always pleasing to see students who are learning for themselves and even teaching the instructor new things. Teachers sometimes forget how to be adaptable, especially when it comes to technology where everything is constantly changing.

I am so excited to be in the same kind of class at the University of South Alabama where I am learning what technology has to offer not only for the students but for the teachers as well. I hope to become more like Vicki and integrate technology into the classroom in such a thorough and meaningful way. I really appreciate all of her hard work and hope to have the same impact on future students like she has had with hers.