Blog Post 2

Did You Know? by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod

After viewing the video “Did you Know” I was left captivated and amazed by the presentation of statistics that dealt with education, jobs, and technology. This video makes me realize how things are rapidly changing and evolving. Even language has changed since Shakespeare’s time! The English language has increased the amount of words it is comprised of by five times the amount used when the playwright was alive. I never really stopped to think of how language changes over the years. Nothing really stays the same; things are constantly shifting to meet our needs and dreams for the future.

Technological advances such as Google’s search engine help student’s complete assignments and find sources for papers, all in the comfort and convenience of the location of their choosing. Have you ever noticed that teachers generally ask for students to provide more internet sources than print sources when writing a paper? The internet provides a faster and more efficient way to find information as opposed to sifting through a library to find a book. Most information that you can find in a book can be found online. This video enlightened me to how much the world can change even in the matter of a few short years. Technology is advancing so rapidly that it is basically impossible to keep up with what is new and up to date. Change can be scary, but it is something that we have to be prepared to handle if we want to be able to survive and thrive in this world.

       Mr. Winkle Wakes by Matthew Needleman

This video reminds me how heavily our generation has grown through the use of technology. It starts with Mr. Winkle, who wakes up to find that the world has changed since he last walked its streets. Mr. Winkle is overwhelmed by the significant amount of change that has occurred following his 100 year slumber. Technology is used to help people out in ways that were never even imagined in Mr. Winkle’s time, and when he leaves his room he finds himself immersed in the fast-paced technological world.  People are now able to speak to each other even at long distances and receive top-notch medical care all thanks to the use of machines. Mr. Winkle helps remind us how technology has become such a huge part of our lives. Those who are from an older generation might be experiencing great amounts of confusion and discomfort because of how technology is so heavily relied on.

The one place that Mr. Winkle finds comfort in is at a school. The structure of the school is familiar, almost parallel to the structure of school during Mr. Winkle’s time. Teachers give lectures, students take notes, and technology seems to be shut away for the duration of class minus a computer that is not even being used in class. Some things do not change and that provides a comfort. School isn’t reliant on technology in this video, which helps ease Mr. Winkle’s worries. This video does highlight that some characteristics of school are the same, but I think that technology is rapidly being integrated into the school systems. Many schools I have been to rely on smart boards and computers to take tests. I think that it is important to find a way to balance the right amount of technology used in the classroom.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

In this video, Sir Ken Robinson uses his wit and charisma to present his ideas on creativity. One of the lines in this speech that captured my attention is when Robinson said that he believes that we do not grow into creativity, but that we grow out of it. He believes that education is one of the main reasons that we slowly lose our creativity. Creativity is not held at high value in schools, because you cannot test creativity as you can test subjects like science, math and literature. Robinson makes you question why the arts are deemed as less important than other subjects. My family is full of artists, so I have always been encouraged to be creative through drawing. Not every student has a family that pushes for creativity which is why it is so important for schools to provide the opportunity to develop these skills.

I feel that it is our job as future educators to find a way to incorporate opportunities for children to foster their creativity during school. Art components can be added to other subject areas to provide children the chance to express themselves while learning material required by the state. For example, students can be asked to use clay to create the planets in the solar system. The students are using their hands to create a visual of the planets that they are learning about. When learning about other cultures, the teacher can teach the kids one of the cultures dances. There are always opportunities for educators to integrate the arts into the school day, the problem is finding creative ways to do so.

Cecelia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

Cecelia Gault, thirteen years old, attends a creative arts school where she is given the opportunity to express herself. During her interview, she shows how smart and well-spoken she is while asking Sir Robinson her questions. She is also very prepared, having written down questions to ask before she conducted the interview. She has a plan and she seeks to get the answers to all of her questions. As future teachers, we must encourage our students to find creative ways to express themselves. We must get the students to believe that they can do what they put their minds to. It is important to provide the opportunity for students who are not currently enrolled in a performing arts school the chance to express themselves as well.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

In this video, Vicki Davis encourages her students to become technologically literate. Vicki Davis is able to connect her students to other parts of the world by using the technology in her classroom. I was able to see that Vicki provides guidance when she teaches, but she also expects the students to be able to learn information on their own. This is an incredibly smart tool to help students become independent learners. Students need to learn how to find out information on their own because teachers will not always be there to give step-by-step instructions on how to complete an activity. Students are forced to use their brains to figure out solutions to the problems they might run into. I can personally relate to this because I had an American-Literature teacher last semester who wanted us to be independent learners. When we met in class, he expected the students to lead the discussions and he would only offer guidance when he thought it to be necessary. If the teacher had merely lectured us and didn’t force us to think on our own, I would not have learned nearly half as much as I did in his class. Often in my classes one of the first things a student asks a teacher is what do I need to know in order to pass the class? Students in college still expect guidance from teachers and they get freaked out when they have to learn how to do something on their own.

I was able to see how important technology is and how students can grow as thinkers through the use of technology. I find it interesting that Vicki Davis does not feel that it is necessary to know how to do everything before trying to teach a class. She allows the students to figure things out on their own, and that makes the students proud of their achievements. It is amazing to see how much these students can accomplish when it comes to using technology. I am sure that they could teach me many things I have yet to learn on my own.