Sunday, January 17, 2010

Did You Know? & Mr. Winkle Wakes

This video was incredible. I was in awe at all the facts it presented. Did you know we live in an ever-changing society? Did you know how technological this world we live in is becoming? Did you know how we compare in comparison with other countries? I believe the purpose of this You Tube video was to evoke a sense of wonderment about the future. The video gets us thinking about where we are and where we are going in this world full of technological advancements. It makes me think of the need to become more open-minded. This is an essential attribute that is needed in accepting the changes and becoming lifelong learners instead of resisting the inevitable and being left behind.

If we are not willing to accept change and do things differently we will indeed be left behind. The same thing is true for our future students. If they do not learn to become problem-solvers and team players their choices and opportunities for their future will be limited in the ever-changing technological world that lies ahead. Educators today and tomorrow must be able and willing to expose their students to the opportunities that await them in our technological world so that they are prepared to compete world-wide in the job market.

The “Did you Know” video provides us with some astounding facts and statistics about how much has changed and how much progression has taken place. This leads into Matthew Needleman’s video, “Mr. Winkle Wake’s”. It’s unbelievable how much the world is and has changed. The integration of technology plays a large role and makes us realize that the outside world needs to be incorporated into the classroom. Keeping up to date with technology and changes will allow us and our students to be constant learners and not fall behind.

It is definitely true how much times have changed over the last 100 years. However, the fact that as they video progressed and Mr. Winkle felt comfortable going into the school because it was the same as it was 100 years ago is not particularly true. I have volunteered at several elementary schools and all of these schools have integrated technology into almost every lesson, between smart-boards, computers, and activities on the internet. Not only did I think the use of technology was a great learning tool, I noticed how much the children loved getting to learn via technology. The children we will be educating are the children of tomorrow and will rely on technology to function in their daily lives. Educators are learning to immerse their students in presentations through technology. Now, their challenge is to teach students to use the technology to create new products and solve problems.


“Why Don’t we get the Best out of People”

“We are educating people out of their creativity.” Ken Robinson believes that because of the fact that we are being educated to become good workers, instead of creative thinkers. I agree with the ideas that he presented. He really opened my eyes to how important creativity is. Creativity should be nurtured. How dull would our world be without artists, and creative thinkers, and people who bring color and beauty into it if they were told exactly how and where to create their art. Every child comes to school believing in themselves. After a child is in a structured classroom, their confidence in themselves begins to fade unless they adhere to “staying within the lines” of expectations.

Creativity is an imperative part in the education of a child. With the way our current curriculum plan is, teachers are solely focused on the emphasis of standardized testing; they are expected to “teach the test.” There is so much pressure being placed on memorizing facts for academic tests, that there is not much room for creativity, which results in creativity being placed on the backburner and forgotten about. If we changed our focus on the way we educate our children, maybe their true talent could be discovered.


Harnessing Your Students’ Digital Smarts

It’s definitely evident that Teacher Vikki Davis from Georgia has a passion for teaching. It’s inspiring to see someone who loves their job as much as she does. This was an incredible video. What stood out the most to me was the fact that the students get to teach the teacher. She is open-minded about teaching while using technology and drifting from the standard way many teachers use these tools. She took the information from the curriculum and applied it and made it work for her students.

She made a valid point when she said, “teachers do not have to know everything about what they are teaching.” There is always, and will always be something left to learn. All educators should be lifelong learners, not just in the traditional sense, but also in the everyday world of their classrooms. I feel motivated by her resilience and passion. How amazing it must be to enjoy what you do as much as she does! I would love to incorporate this type of teaching and learning into my classroom when I become a teacher.