1st Blog - Assigned Videos

Did You Know 3.0 by Karl Fisch (4:56) http://is.gd/c8FrS

I love the way this video is presented. The music is perfect for the subject matter and the transitions in the video work well with the musical changes. The background pictures and animations were excellent and accented the information well. As a Collaborative Education major, I wonder if the words should have been shown just a little longer for someone who reads more slowly due to disabilities. Of course you can pause it, but if someone with dyslexia was watching the video with someone who did not have difficulty reading, the person with dyslexia would most likely not ask for the video to be paused and would miss some of the information. Definitely, the information presented is interesting and relevant for all to know. I posted it to my Facebook page and look forward to finding out what my friends think of it.

The video is very creative. I worry about how creative mine will be. I loved the use of the Google search box and Blackberry to type in statements. By beginning and ending with questions and letting you come to your own conclusions you are more likely to really think about the information.

A couple of things I found especially interesting were the statements about how there will be a computer by 2013 with the capabilities of the human brain and that, “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist using technologies that haven’t been invented in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”
I was just watching a “Friends” episode the other day from 1999 and the character, Ross, was discussing a book he read that said a supercomputer would be built by 2030 that would have the capabilities of the human brain (Season 6, Episode 7). It is a good example of how fast technology changes that the current projection says there will be such a computer by 2013. Teachers of all subjects should be concentrating on both how fast technology is changing and our inability to know exactly what we are training our students to deal with in the future. It was true for our teachers and it is true for us. Creative problem solving and love of learning are 2 of the most useful traits we can teach our students.

Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman (2:51) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm1sCsl2MQY

This is a cute video with a good message. The idea that the way teachers teach has not changed much even though the rest of the world has changed dramatically is true in many cases. Often teachers are not equipped with the knowledge to work with technology and help their students learn how to use it in productive ways. Even if teachers do know how to use it as a teaching tool, many schools simply do not have access to much technology. Some schools that do have technology tools do not have the technical support to keep it working. Many of these issues can be solved by money, but the biggest change needs to involve attitudes. People are often scared of what they do not understand or just do not like change. There have to be proponents of technology available to change the attitudes of those involved in education from the taxpayers to the teachers.

As future teachers, we often only think about what is going on in the K-12 system. I have seen a wide range of differences in the amount and quality of technology available in schools as well as the ability of teachers to deal with what is or is not available. However, I am noticing that the same problem exists at the college level. Many professors do not have access to technology or do not use what is available and continue to lecture as the primary means of information delivery. At the same time, I see other professors embracing technology and becoming facilitators of knowledge instead of just lecturing and giving tests. Overall, it seems like K-12 education is embracing the capabilities of technology as a teaching tool more than college level education. I would expect that colleges have more money than public schools, so again it comes down to attitudes. And, what happens to student who do not learn through lecture in their K-12 education when they get to college classes that expect them to be able to learn that way?

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity (19:21) http://tinyurl.com/mluw5k

The speaker in this video is engaging and entertaining. He does not use any visual aids, but still holds your attention. His sense of humor is very good and I could see him doing stand up comedy. However, the subject matter of the lecture is serious. I agree that many teachers stifle creativity in their students. Many teachers are happy to lecture to a quiet classroom and give tests. They do not want to deal with the more challenging students because they do not know how to deal with them. I think the reason a lot of teachers do not want their students to be creative is because they do not want them questioning their authority and they want their classrooms to appear subdued. They only want to work with those students who they believe to be the smartest, but I believe all students are smart in their own way and sometimes a classroom has to be a little loud and challenging for students to really be learning what will help them as adults. Life requires creativity to navigate successfully.

I really liked what he said about young children not being afraid to take a chance and be wrong. As adults, we are afraid to be wrong so we often do not make suggestions or voice our real opinion. We just spit out what we believe will be an acceptable opinion or solution. It’s sad we are not more like children in that way and I wonder if it really is the school system taking our creativity and fearlessness away from us or if it is society in general. I also think if we did teach all our students to dance everyday we would not have such a problem with obesity. Not all students like sports, but almost everybody likes to dance in one form or another!

The way the video is set up so there are segments at the bottom is really nice so you can easily go back and find the spot you want to listen to again. My favorite segment was the story of Gillian Lynne. As a former dancer and a Collaborative Education major, I identified with many elements of the story. It is so sad that we medicate our children when they do not want to sit and be lectured to. There are many different ways to deal with behavioral issues and these days it does not seem that teachers or parents are equipped to creatively manage children who are considered ADD or ADHD. They may be more challenging, but I do not think all of them need medication (although some do need it). Hopefully, we can learn to tap into the creativity and talent within these children the way that Gillian Lynne’s mother was able to do.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts (4:49)
http://bit.ly/151RkU

The glossary underneath the video was great! I read through the definitions before I watched the video and I was very glad I did. I like the way Ms. Davis referred to herself as a “teacherpreneur.” We should all think of our ourselves this way. We should be trying to keep up with the latest innovations in education and technology, and come up with new things to make our lessons more relevant to our students. I agree we should all teach our students how to learn and empower them to question information, no matter where it comes from. The Internet is an awesome wealth of resources, but students need to know how to figure out if the information they find is true.

I found the amount of technology available in to students in this rural area interesting. It is a wonderful thing to get students collaborating with people around the world, but not all schools have the capability. Even if they have some of the technology available, they may not have a fast enough Internet connection or the available expertise to deal with computer problems. Hopefully, this will continue to change and all students will have access to this type of learning experience. The way they are taking away money from the schools and the fact that schools are more socioeconomically segregated than they have every been makes me wonder if this is possible (Karp, S. (2007). Money, schools & justice. Rethinking Schools Online, V21 n4).

For more on inequality in education, check out Jonathan Kozol’s book, Savage Inequalities, available for purchase at Amazon.com.