Blog Post #4

Image via CrunchBase1.) Dr. McLeod's Dangerously Irrelevant blog post is so creative, clever, and witty. I commented on his post and told him how I liked his creativity on how he expressed his point almost as much as I liked and agree with his point. I totally agree with what Dr. McLeod is saying and hope that more teachers and especially upcoming teachers like myself will agree too. Students MUST learn and explore and use all the technology that is available to them for them to get a leg up in this crazy, demanding world of ours. As teachers and school administrators and state politicians, if we don't allow that to happen then we will FAIL our next generation. I think it will be funny to see how in the next 20 years how these kids who are being taught now with so much technology compare to kids and adults who know nothing or have made a choice to not learn it and therefore know nothing. Dr. McLeod commented on the EDM 310 class blog how someone else commented that kids will know more than adults. That's really something I never thought about but it's so true. I was a skeptic at first as to how much I really needed to be involved in technology because I used to think it was all for computer geeks who didn't have any free time. Now, I am using and continue to use it in my daily life and to stay up to date with the changing world around me.

Dr. McLeod's poem made the point that a lot of people think that the Internet is too dangerous for kids. No one can argue that there are sexual predators and that there are dangers. But I believe that children should be able to explore it and use it regardless. I think that Facebook shouldn't be blocked in school libraries. However, more and more sites are being blocked year by year. I couldn't even access my own blog at a local middle school in Mobile County because the server wouldn't allow it. These decisions are being made by administrators who are trying to protect when they are ultimately harming. They obviously know nothing about the success of everything they're banning because the probably don't use blogs, Facebook, twitter, etc. themselves.

Dr. McLeod is a professor at Iowa State University in the Educational Administration program. He is the Director of CASTLE, which is the nation's only academic center for educating school administrators on technology. He has a Ph.D as well as a law degree. He writes about technology issues on his Dangerously Irrelevant blog.

2.) The video made by Travis Allen is so intimidating simply because a 17 year old high school student came up with an idea that is just so obvious, and he made a video look amazing with graphics and music, and I'm a 22 year old college student and don't know how to do that. I already feel behind my time. Needless to say, he makes the point that schools should use have iSchool by using an iTouch to save money per student, to be green and protect the environment, to open communication between teachers, students, and parents, and hold students accountable for the first time. Everyone will know what the student does at all times with the power of this hand-held device. With the apps already available, such as iHomework, graphing calculator, USA presidents, the periodic table, E-mail, and calendar, it already is a feasible option that could make school so much more efficient and make learning more fun. He has an iSchool initiative and he encourages all teachers, administrators, and anyone interested to jump on board with it.

I am totally on board with this idea. I want an iTouch for myself because I had no clue that it could do the things it could do. It would make my school/work life so much easier. I can only imagine how the students would love this so much more than textbooks, as well as it would help them without them even knowing. I know that engaging parents into the life of a child's schoolwork can be difficult so this could definitely bridge the gap with that problem. However, I think there are still a lot of loose-ends that would need to be tied up for this to totally become reality. How would the school prevent student's from stealing the iTouch, especially if they couldn't be locked up in the classroom when the child leaves because they would be needed for homework. Also, how will it bridge the gap and create open communication between parents, teachers, and students if the parents can't afford to buy one for themselves. Some parents don't even have computers for their children at home still. And those are the parents that probably don't care about the child's progress in school anyways, and need to be engaged with the teacher and student, and therefore could benefit from this resource the most.

3.) The technique used in the Lost Generation video was absolutely BRILLIANT! It was so clever and awesome how by simply reversing what was just said, the speaker made everything go from positive to negative without changing a word. I think this idea can be paralleled to how we look at things in our own life and our own ways of self-talk. We can do whatever we set our minds to and change the world, just like this video said. It's just a matter of saying it and declaring it. We must choose to go down a different path in life if we want to be successful, just like the choice was made to reverse the poem. I will not be a part of the Lost Generation--the people who are just morally lost and sad, lethargic and unresponsive. I will be a part of a changing society of active citizens, excited about life and not sitting still and accepting something just because I've been told that or that's "how it's supposed to be."

4.) I am simply amazed and honestly at a loss for words. Every new video I watch I am simply stunned and learn more and more. I didn't even know that collaborating voices through YouTube was possible. This song is gorgeous and it gave me chill bumps just watching and listening. I have it on repeat right now as I write this. This makes me want to learn how to put a bunch of voices together for a rap song and make a video for that! 

5.) The Teaching in the 21st century really made me think about how we are supposed to teach kids has changed drastically since I was in school and I'm only 22 years old. I've only been out of high school 4 years and I feel like I'm a part of another cultural dimension. That being said, I think a LOT of teachers are behind the times and need to ask themselves the same question that I was asked. I also think that a lot of teachers don't care to learn anymore and that's the main problem of why we won't be able to advance. Teachers need a different mindset. I feel like the ideas expressed are very different than what most people believe but after watching this, could definitely be persuaded otherwise. Teaching in the 21st century means to engage students, regardless if technology is being used or not. I think technology is a bonus as well as a necessity that should be used. Creativity, problem solving, etc. will stem from engaging and not entertaining the student.