Blog Post #2

Did you know?
    Wow! After watching Dr. Strange's video detailing the facts of the United States I was amazed to learn just how much our world uses technology. Whether it be through text or YouTube, there is not a second that passes that millions of people are not using a form of technology. It is insane that every minute 48 hours of videos are posted to YouTube! In the same exact minute there are 11,453,577 SMS messages sent world wide. These facts are astonishing and show just how much our world is turning to technology alone. I have never been quite so technologically literate, so knowing that the future is only going to become more and more dependent on technology somewhat terrifies me.
     As I watched Karl Fisch's video I was even more at aw finding out how our population compares to that of other countries, I was quite terrified. The fact that 25% of India's students IQ outnumbers that of the entire U.S. populations is not only sad but scary. Learning the facts from Dr. Strange's video does scare me a bit, but also motivates me to want to teach and inspire my future students through technology. It is so upsetting to know that so many of the students in the U.S. are not being prepared for the future society they will be thrown into. I hope that EDM 310 will help me to become a more proficient user of technology where I will be able to prepare my students for the smart world we live in.



Mr. Winkle Wakes
     Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman was such a cute, but very realistic video. Needleman did a fantastic job illustrating just how fast our world advances through technology. The video showed a fragile old man awake after 100 years and it was as if he were a cave man. He had no clue what all of these new advancements in the world were such as the computer and x-ray screens. Mr. Winkles seemed to be having a panic attack as he could not find a single place that he felt at ease and not so overwhelmed. Suddenly Mr. Winkles stumbled upon a school with familiar desk and familiar chalk boards! At last he was finally at a state of comfort due to zero technology in site.
     As I watched Mr. Winkles, he made me think of the look my grandparents give me when I am browsing the internet or posting a blog. They are completely illiterate at how all technology works and do not see the importance of computers and such.  I found myself also relating a great deal to Mr. Winkle! It seems as if every day there is some new machine or website to learn about and the scary part is you cannot just hide under a bridge or stay in the boring classrooms forever where it is a familiar state as Mr. Winkle did in the video. You must conquer the task at hand in order to build a successful life in the world we live in today.It is so very sad to know that our world is advancing more and more each day and that our school buildings are overall the least advanced in the world. You would think with our society technologically growing as fast as it is that our schools would grow even faster at keeping up with the most present technology.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
   The Importance of Creativity by Ken Robinson I have to say was my favorite video! Robinson could not have done a better job at explaining just how school kills creativity. He talks about how human's creativity is so various and that every individual should be able to express their own talent yet overall the U.S school systems discourage creativity. In the video Robinson states that creativity is as important as literacy in the world we live in.  This statement has became true in many ways as an individual chooses a career path.
   I loved the point Robinson made about Julian Lynn and how she became to find her calling in the world. It is so sad to know there are so many children that do not follow their paths of creativity due to the teacher or parents thinking the child is "weird" or too rambunctious; therefore, many children today are put on medication and labeled ADHD where the teacher can better tolerate the child which in return causes the child to lose interest or never find their creative path. The majority of children in today's society have an abundance of technological resources available to them at any given second, which means the brains of these children are constantly working so fast at processing information. I do believe teachers should stop and think of this very factor when they are having trouble getting a child to focus or become interested, and ask themselves just what creative ways can I come up with to better teach this child?
Classroom Disruptions
   Classroom Disruption is a video existing of two very different classrooms at Oakland High and Blunder High. In watching the video I noticed many differences in the classrooms. One in which Oakland High was full of computers, projectors, and students that seem eager to learn while Blunder High was full of typical classroom desks and students that seem bored out of their mind. Second, I noticed not only did Oakland High have computers, but they had one per student and internet access where the teacher was able to teach his lesson through videos on YouTube and many other internet programs. At Blunder High the students all had a text book and paper which they all flipped through repeatedly. The main differential factor I noticed was the attitude each teacher put off towards the students. At Oakland High the teacher remained enthused and excited about teaching his students and made eye contact with each student he spoke to throughout the entire class. However, at Blunder High the teacher was very mono-toned and very seldom even noticed the students.If I had to pick which classroom I would rather be a part of I would definitely prefer Oakland High for the mere fact I would feel I was learning more and actually getting something out of the class. The majority of my past classes have been like Blunder where there was not much teacher/student interaction and I was never interested in the topic at hand. I feel that with all of Oakland's advanced technology, the students have no choice but to learn and stay engaged. The techniques a teacher chooses to use really does make a difference. At Blunder the student attempted to ask for help and the teacher disgustingly sighed, "Ugh see me after class." However, Oakland High's teacher sat down with a student immediately as the student asked for help and showed the student where to go to clear up the problem he was having and made sure the student was clear on the question at hand. I think the students at Blunder learned absolutely nothing while at Oakland the students retained all the information they were taught throughout the class.
    I hope as a future teacher I can catch the eyes of my students as the teacher at Oakland High did in the video . I believe that he was able to do so by having confidence in his knowledge as a teacher as well as confidence in working the technology at hand. In order to become such a proficient teacher in today's society, you need to keep up with all the latest technology and teach your every lesson by using that technology as will most likely catch the attention of more students this way than by the old fashion way of lecturing; lets face it the kids today are just not like they use to be therefore we as teachers must come up with the most advanced and newest ways of teaching. The sources are all out there, teachers must just learn how to use them in order to bring about a successful classroom. I strongly believe that the only way to become a profound teacher is to keep up with the daily technology and resources available to our children.