Blog Post #3

1) The video "A Vision of Students Today" by Michael Wesch was the perfect video to describe my life in college so far. Only about 3 or 4 of my professors actually knew my name while I was in their class, but almost all of them probably do not know it now. This semester only one of my professors uses the chalk board, the rest use a smart board or will never see me at all because it is an online class.
My favorite point in this was that the chalkboard encourages the teacher to move. If teachers were more active I think the students would be more involved in the learning process. One girl pointed out that the person she sat beside paid but never comes to class. Maybe this is because the teachers are not being creative. They let technology teach the students and just push a few buttons. I like the smart boards, but I also think you can use them and still be involved instead of just pushing the "next" button.
2)"It's Not about the Technology" was a great post! I loved that Ms. Hines put teaching AND learning back into the hands of the teacher instead of the technology. Today, so many teachers are not creative because they rely too much on technology. Technology can be a pro and a con in classrooms.
Although technology is very useful to the teaching experience, I think it is less useful in the learning experience if it is not used right. Smart Boards provide games while incorporating learning, which I completely agree with. Learning should be a fun experience, rather than just sitting in a desk watching the power point screen.
3)In Mr. Ficshbowl's "Is it okay to technology Illiterate?" he points out that it is NOT! When I read the statement: “If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write.” I couldn't have agreed more. In today's society technology is advancing everyday, and like he said, teachers already have a lot on their plate.
Students and teachers could learn some technology skills together, this way it gives teachers a chance to learn with their students which will help the students learning process. The teachers could get more creative with technology if they knew more about it. Since teachers are preparing students for jobs that are not even created yet, they NEED to know the advancing technologies and how to help the students learn by using them.
4)Watching the social media change every second is a little scary. It reminds me of the video "Did you Know? 3.0" If the US box office can make $11.03, then why are schools struggling for money? It amazes me! People spend so much money on technology and yet not spend any money in our schools to better the education of the generation who will be taking care of them.
Already $27 billion spent on new TV sets this year. If our schools received this, we would be able to provide our students with much more than we do now. Hopefully when I get a job I can teach my students that although having the newest things in technology at home may be cool, that also having them in schools to help them learn and get better jobs would be even better.