Blog Post 2

1.  Did you know?  3.0 


   In watching the video Did You Know? 3.0, I was intrigued by the tone that the video came across in.  To me, it had a get on board or get left behind message to it.  A lot of the facts that were presented were interesting.  I particularly was excited to see that 1 in 8 couples met online.  My husband and I met online.  For a long time, we were looked upon as strange, or people would say, “They’ll never make it.” Well, it’s been ten years now.  Nowadays, it’s more and more common that you meet a couple that did meet on the internet.

   According to Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod, technology is moving fast. If the United States wants to keep up with the rest of the world, we need to step it up.  I find all of this information about the USA to be disappointing.  I was under the assumption that our country was ahead of the game.  I see that I am wrong.  Technology is ever increasing and we need to be willing and mindful that we need to keep up.

2.  Mr. Winkle Wakes

   As I watched Mr. Winkle Wakes, I took it to be comical.  It was hard to really take this serious.  But after I viewed it, it became clear to me that Mathew Neeleman was trying to convey to us that if we become stagnant, go through the motions, or just sleep through life, we will be left behind this ever-changing, fast-paced world we live in.  Mr. Winkle did just that.  He slept through life and became unaware of things changing around him.     

   When Mr. Winkle woke up, he noticed a strange object and machinery that he had never seen before.  He was afraid of it, like some of the educators that we have today.  He tried to flee all of it.  What he soon realized was that it was everywhere.  He found himself to be in a classroom, and being there comforted him in his time of confusion.  Being in a classroom was the one thing, to Mr. Winkle, that remained the same.  But he did notice that “thing” was still following him.

   I believe the moral of this story is that we need to be willing to change and not be afraid to try new things.

3.  Sir Ken Robinson:  The Importance of Creativity

           

   Sir Ken Robinson brought many valid points in this video, Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity.  As he was speaking to fellow educators, he challenged them to consider the intelligence of children.  He explained how, over time, we as educators have squandered the creativity aspect that all children are born with.  It’s as if we have them turn this part of themselves off to conform to what public education considers as being a cookie cutter student. 

   He presented many good examples of famous people, including William Shakespeare and Gillian Lynne, and how they were not persuaded to turn off their creativity.  Robinson encourages us to tap into our students’ creative side and not discourage them.

   This snip from his video conference really made me think about how I talk to my own children and the ways that I try to limit them in certain things.  I hope to take his advice and do a better job in my home and in my classroom to allow these children to be creative.

4.  Celia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson

   Cecelia Gault interviewed Sir Ken Robinson in this video Cecelia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson.  She interviewed him after one of his conferences about studies abroad.  He explained to her that students in other countries with fewer resources are further ahead in the education process.  He believes that that the students in Finland are doing this because of their use of technology and by having a shorter school day.This may contribute to the lower dropout rate and the fact that there are no failing schools.

   Again, Robinson pushed the fact that creativity plays an important role in education.  He talks to Cecelia about the three myths of creativity.  This leads me to consider the “Cecelia’s” in my classroom.  I need to be careful to not discourage a child if they are a little wiggly or if they want to turn their worksheet over to draw a picture after they have completed their work.  There is a lot to consider in terms of letting a child be creative. 

5.  Vicki Davis:  Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts

  Vicki Davis is an inspiration.  In watching her video Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, I was able to see the way that she allowed her students to be involved in the teaching process.  She made an important point when she said that to be an effective educator, we must also be willing to learn ourselves.  She allows her students to work together and collaborate with other students across the globe.

   In doing this, she empowered her classroom by trusting them with these tasks.  Students in this day and time thrive in technology.  If we try to limit them, then we are only setting ourselves up to lose our students. We must be willing to keep up with them and always be in search of new ideas.  Vicki Davis made this clear in her video and it is something that I will always remember when I have a classroom of my own.