About Me
- James Marshall / Background Information
- I moved to Alabama in 1978,and graduated from Fairhope High School in 1984. I attended Faulkner State Jr. College, and then the University of South Alabama where I graduated with a Marketing degree. I am married with two children, Jack and Heather, and we live in Spanish Fort. I have gone back to the University of South Alabama, and I am majoring in Elementary Education. This is my blog where you can explore some of the different things I have done in my studies.
Comments for kids 2
I checked out Amelia's blog. She is 11 years old and loves chocolate! Chocolate is one of my all time favorite foods. I cant get enough chocolate, so I enjoyed reading that. Her blog is at Amelia's blog
Blog Post 8
"What Ive Learned This Year", by Mr. McClung
Mr. McClung said some interesting things. One of them was the lesson you plan on giving is not the lesson that actually comes out. He also talked about listening to his students, and how important that is in building rapport and respect. It made me think about how I would approach giving lessons, and how I would try to build rapport with my students by listening to them, and really caring about them as individuals. One thing that he talked about was gauging the students comprehension of what you are trying to teach them, and how important that is to do. Listening to other people I think is a skill that all of us need to practice.
Mr. McClung said some interesting things. One of them was the lesson you plan on giving is not the lesson that actually comes out. He also talked about listening to his students, and how important that is in building rapport and respect. It made me think about how I would approach giving lessons, and how I would try to build rapport with my students by listening to them, and really caring about them as individuals. One thing that he talked about was gauging the students comprehension of what you are trying to teach them, and how important that is to do. Listening to other people I think is a skill that all of us need to practice.
Blog post 7, Randy Pausch's Last Lecture.
It was a very interesting lecture. It seems to me the teaching method that he advocated was a project based learning style. He wanted his students to actually do something as opposed to just reading about it. The brick wall he said was to keep people out that did not want it bad enough. His message was to not ever give up no matter how tough it might seem.
Randy said when people give you feedback you should cherish it, and use it. When people do not give you feedback, even if they see you doing something wrong, that is when you need to start getting worried. Randy also said the best gift an educator can give is to get a student to be self reflective. That was interesting, it shows how important it is to be honest with ourselves.
A very inspiring speaker, and considering his illness an inspiration to us all on how to be positive, and upbeat. His approach to learning was to actually do something, not just read about it, and to also make it fun at the same time. Make your dreams come true. Work hard, and your dreams will come to you.
He got to meet Captain Kirk! It was very interesting to me when he talked about Spock, and how the people surrounding Captain Kirk were smarter than the Captain. What was it that Captain Kirk had that made him special, it was his leadership ability. We do not always have to be the sharpest tool in the tool box, but we should surround ourselves with people who are, and learn from them.
Randy said when people give you feedback you should cherish it, and use it. When people do not give you feedback, even if they see you doing something wrong, that is when you need to start getting worried. Randy also said the best gift an educator can give is to get a student to be self reflective. That was interesting, it shows how important it is to be honest with ourselves.
A very inspiring speaker, and considering his illness an inspiration to us all on how to be positive, and upbeat. His approach to learning was to actually do something, not just read about it, and to also make it fun at the same time. Make your dreams come true. Work hard, and your dreams will come to you.
He got to meet Captain Kirk! It was very interesting to me when he talked about Spock, and how the people surrounding Captain Kirk were smarter than the Captain. What was it that Captain Kirk had that made him special, it was his leadership ability. We do not always have to be the sharpest tool in the tool box, but we should surround ourselves with people who are, and learn from them.
Blog Post 6
This Is How We Dream Parts 1 and 2.
To me it is just fascinating how technology has advanced. It is just amazing how the internet has made endless information available about anything we want to learn about. It is so easy now to communicate with people from all over the world. The technology to put this information out there, and to gather this information is rapidly changing.
The information that used to take awhile to reach us now reaches us instantly. The information that comes to us, also changes, and is updated before our very eyes. We no longer have delayed results, we can now see things instantly as they are happening. We can now assimilate this information, using pictures, video, and sound to make our presentation, and send it out to the entire world with the click of a button.
It is hard for me to imagine now, how we ever did with out computers, but I remember when we did. I believe I will be prepared to write with multimedia, and I believe this class has helped me see the importance of this. I will try my best to spark my students interest in learning about these technologies. I started with my son last night by setting him up with an iGoogle account, and showing him how to add the different items that interest him.
The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
Well, even with all the new technology I think you still need the teacher to guide, and inspire the student. I do not think a teacher will become something of the past. There is a lot to be said for the human connection as well as the technological connection that now exists.
I believe I will be prepared to be a teacher of networked students. I will always continue my learning and education. I think as a teacher this is a crucial aspect of ones personality, to never quit learning.
The PLN is an important part of this process. Even though I thought I was keeping up with things, I realize now after taking EDM 310 that I was not keeping up. I now see the bigger picture of using a PLN, and the different ways that information can be gathered and used.
Michael Wesch Video
I thought it was an interesting video. I love U Tube, it is one of my favorite sites. Its amazing the types of videos you can find. Any kind of musical artists, its just endless. We do seem to be a disconnected society that is now connecting through all these social networking sites, but there is still that sense of privacy where you can be connected, but with out people knowing who you are. I think in the future all this technology, and instant information is going to actually help make changes in the world happen quicker. The way technology is changing, it is hard to imagine what another fifty years will bring us. I think as an educator I will need to draw my students out of their complacency, and their "whatever attitude".
To me it is just fascinating how technology has advanced. It is just amazing how the internet has made endless information available about anything we want to learn about. It is so easy now to communicate with people from all over the world. The technology to put this information out there, and to gather this information is rapidly changing.
The information that used to take awhile to reach us now reaches us instantly. The information that comes to us, also changes, and is updated before our very eyes. We no longer have delayed results, we can now see things instantly as they are happening. We can now assimilate this information, using pictures, video, and sound to make our presentation, and send it out to the entire world with the click of a button.
It is hard for me to imagine now, how we ever did with out computers, but I remember when we did. I believe I will be prepared to write with multimedia, and I believe this class has helped me see the importance of this. I will try my best to spark my students interest in learning about these technologies. I started with my son last night by setting him up with an iGoogle account, and showing him how to add the different items that interest him.
The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
Well, even with all the new technology I think you still need the teacher to guide, and inspire the student. I do not think a teacher will become something of the past. There is a lot to be said for the human connection as well as the technological connection that now exists.
I believe I will be prepared to be a teacher of networked students. I will always continue my learning and education. I think as a teacher this is a crucial aspect of ones personality, to never quit learning.
The PLN is an important part of this process. Even though I thought I was keeping up with things, I realize now after taking EDM 310 that I was not keeping up. I now see the bigger picture of using a PLN, and the different ways that information can be gathered and used.
Michael Wesch Video
I thought it was an interesting video. I love U Tube, it is one of my favorite sites. Its amazing the types of videos you can find. Any kind of musical artists, its just endless. We do seem to be a disconnected society that is now connecting through all these social networking sites, but there is still that sense of privacy where you can be connected, but with out people knowing who you are. I think in the future all this technology, and instant information is going to actually help make changes in the world happen quicker. The way technology is changing, it is hard to imagine what another fifty years will bring us. I think as an educator I will need to draw my students out of their complacency, and their "whatever attitude".
Daniel H's Blog
Daniel H's blog about himself, titled About Me is very interesting. His favorite movie is Spider Man, and he is nine years old. He likes to watch T.V. and play video games. He has three favorite sports, they are soccer, rugby, and cricket. Daniel also likes fast food. He sounds like a very interesting kid, very similar to my own nine year old.
PLN progress
I have been adding to my PLN such things as Doppler radar, calendar, Google translate, National Geographic, Craig's list, a new Spanish word, my mail accounts, how to of the day, and various news feeds. So a lot of really interesting things to keep me informed, and also learning new things.
Movies I Would Like To Make
I saw Jamie Lynn's video, and it was really good, and the Chipper series. If anything, I think some instructional videos on how to do some of the assignments for this class would be good. I would like to make a video of me playing the guitar, but I am not sure if I would want anybody to see it. I think I would also like to make a video of my model train set.
Smartboards
I read the two articles that were negative toward smartboards, and I found a post that was very positive. I also read some different comments. I personally do not have any experience with them. Having said that, I feel like the people that are being negative about these smartboards are people who have not really learned how to use them. There seems to be a lot of uses, but you need to learn what can be done with them. It seems from my reading that the negative opinions are from people that only have a minimal amount of training in how to use them, and therefore only use them like a projector.
One thing that seemed to stand out to me was the fact that the teachers and students seem to be excited , and more engaged by these devices. That alone seems to me to be fairly valuable. I also gathered in reading that with proper training there are a lot of really cool things that can be done with them, so I am very interested to see for myself exactly how they work. And I think anything that engages the students and teacher in a richer learning experience is valuable. Here is a link to the positive post I read. SMARTboards...the SMART way to teach and learn
One thing that seemed to stand out to me was the fact that the teachers and students seem to be excited , and more engaged by these devices. That alone seems to me to be fairly valuable. I also gathered in reading that with proper training there are a lot of really cool things that can be done with them, so I am very interested to see for myself exactly how they work. And I think anything that engages the students and teacher in a richer learning experience is valuable. Here is a link to the positive post I read. SMARTboards...the SMART way to teach and learn
Blog Post 4.
After reviewing these materials, I have learned that podcasts are the way of the future. They are an effective way of communicating with sick students, or students who have to be away from school. Podcasts are something that students enjoy doing, and it promotes creativity.
Another great thing about podcasts is that parents can see, and hear what their children are learning in school. Podcasts offer a chance to do project based learning, and also brings out higher order thinking skills. I also found it interesting that even first graders are doing podcasts.
Eagle Nest Radio and Class blog.
I thought this was a great site, where the student's put together their own podcasts. There were several different ones that you could choose from. Interesting to see how young students enjoy, and are using podcasts in today's classrooms.
I think a website like this is great. It is something the children can be really proud of, and knowing that they helped put all the stuff together that is on it just reinforces their learning and self esteem. I wish when I was in school they would have had all this technology. It would have made learning so much more fun.
Langwitches.com
I thought this was a great site, and even saved it to my favorites. There is a lot of valuable information on this site. There are podcasts, and videos to watch. There is a lot of information on different technologies.
On the right side of the page there are articles on blogging, making podcasts, a section on digital story telling, and downloads. There is just a wealth of information on this site. There is a lot of information on how to use all these different technologies.
The Education Podcasting Network
This was another good site, although I do not like it as much as Langwitches.com. One interesting fact that they had posted was that out of all of their school podcasts, a majority of them were from elementary schools kids.
The site had subject specific podcasts, so that you could find a podcast on a subject that was interesting to you. I did not care for the lay out of the site that much, but that is just my personal taste.
Judy Scharf Podcast Collection
This was a good site. There was a nice section of downloads on how to do podcasts.
There was also a section on the benefits of podcasting in education. Overall a very informative site.
I think all these sites just shows how important podcasts are becoming in the field of education. I did not care for the lay out of this site that much either. It seems that today podcasts are becoming an invaluable tool in education.
Another great thing about podcasts is that parents can see, and hear what their children are learning in school. Podcasts offer a chance to do project based learning, and also brings out higher order thinking skills. I also found it interesting that even first graders are doing podcasts.
Eagle Nest Radio and Class blog.
I thought this was a great site, where the student's put together their own podcasts. There were several different ones that you could choose from. Interesting to see how young students enjoy, and are using podcasts in today's classrooms.
I think a website like this is great. It is something the children can be really proud of, and knowing that they helped put all the stuff together that is on it just reinforces their learning and self esteem. I wish when I was in school they would have had all this technology. It would have made learning so much more fun.
Langwitches.com
I thought this was a great site, and even saved it to my favorites. There is a lot of valuable information on this site. There are podcasts, and videos to watch. There is a lot of information on different technologies.
On the right side of the page there are articles on blogging, making podcasts, a section on digital story telling, and downloads. There is just a wealth of information on this site. There is a lot of information on how to use all these different technologies.
The Education Podcasting Network
This was another good site, although I do not like it as much as Langwitches.com. One interesting fact that they had posted was that out of all of their school podcasts, a majority of them were from elementary schools kids.
The site had subject specific podcasts, so that you could find a podcast on a subject that was interesting to you. I did not care for the lay out of the site that much, but that is just my personal taste.
Judy Scharf Podcast Collection
This was a good site. There was a nice section of downloads on how to do podcasts.
There was also a section on the benefits of podcasting in education. Overall a very informative site.
I think all these sites just shows how important podcasts are becoming in the field of education. I did not care for the lay out of this site that much either. It seems that today podcasts are becoming an invaluable tool in education.
Blog Post Three.
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff Please? by Scott McLeod.
I liked it, because there were few words, and a strong message. If you don't teach your kids about this technology, they are going to be lost. And if we as educators do not keep up with technology, our students will know more than we do about computers, and we will also be lost in a ever rapidly changing technological bonanza.
Scott McLeod is an associate professor and Coordinator of the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University. He is also the director of the nation's only center devoted to the technology needs of schools.
The iSchool Initiative.
I think his idea had some good points, but I personally believe you get something more when their is face to face interaction. I think technology like that is a great tool, and should be used. He did not really cover how much classroom time there would be, but I think classroom time should be as usual with technology simply enhancing the experience.
With all the the technology we have, I think we have to be careful not to replace the human element. Kids growing up need interaction, and the learning of social skills. So to sum it up I don't think this kids view is very realistic, unless the money situation gets even worse, then who knows.
Watch The Lost Generation.
At first I thought she was very negative, then she began reading it the other way, and it was all positive. Really amazing how reading it down, said the exact opposite of what it says when reading from the bottom up.
I always find things like this interesting. If you have the correct first letter and last letter of a word right, no matter how you mix up the middle letters, a person will still be able to read what you wrote very easily as if no words were misspelled.
Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir.
Just amazing what technology can do these days. I think it is a great way to use the internet. If I was going to go live, and see the concert, I would not enjoy it. I think it would be a much better experience live, if it was with real people in the room.
This kind of technology is great for recording. There are so many technologies that have enhanced music. In my lifetime I have seen so many rapid changes in technology, the future will be very interesting.
I liked it, because there were few words, and a strong message. If you don't teach your kids about this technology, they are going to be lost. And if we as educators do not keep up with technology, our students will know more than we do about computers, and we will also be lost in a ever rapidly changing technological bonanza.
Scott McLeod is an associate professor and Coordinator of the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University. He is also the director of the nation's only center devoted to the technology needs of schools.
The iSchool Initiative.
I think his idea had some good points, but I personally believe you get something more when their is face to face interaction. I think technology like that is a great tool, and should be used. He did not really cover how much classroom time there would be, but I think classroom time should be as usual with technology simply enhancing the experience.
With all the the technology we have, I think we have to be careful not to replace the human element. Kids growing up need interaction, and the learning of social skills. So to sum it up I don't think this kids view is very realistic, unless the money situation gets even worse, then who knows.
Watch The Lost Generation.
At first I thought she was very negative, then she began reading it the other way, and it was all positive. Really amazing how reading it down, said the exact opposite of what it says when reading from the bottom up.
I always find things like this interesting. If you have the correct first letter and last letter of a word right, no matter how you mix up the middle letters, a person will still be able to read what you wrote very easily as if no words were misspelled.
Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir.
Just amazing what technology can do these days. I think it is a great way to use the internet. If I was going to go live, and see the concert, I would not enjoy it. I think it would be a much better experience live, if it was with real people in the room.
This kind of technology is great for recording. There are so many technologies that have enhanced music. In my lifetime I have seen so many rapid changes in technology, the future will be very interesting.
1st Post for Teachers
Kathy Cassidy is my assigned teacher, and she teaches first grade.
I am going to comment on the three posts of hers that I read. I really appreciate somebody that takes the time to share information on things that they have learned and discovered. Her posts were very informative and interesting. The first one dealt with her getting her own domain name which I think is really cool, and adds a touch of professionalism to her computer endeavors. The second post was about a useful tool called Sketchcast. It allows you to draw a picture with three line choices , an eraser, and endless colors. It also video tapes you while your doing it so the kids really love it. The third post was about another useful tool called Storybird. With this one the students can write a story, and add pictures to it. This one also engaged the kids, and kept them writing much longer than normal.
Its good to hear about these useful tools that we as future teachers can use in our classrooms. Very nice and informative posts.
I am going to comment on the three posts of hers that I read. I really appreciate somebody that takes the time to share information on things that they have learned and discovered. Her posts were very informative and interesting. The first one dealt with her getting her own domain name which I think is really cool, and adds a touch of professionalism to her computer endeavors. The second post was about a useful tool called Sketchcast. It allows you to draw a picture with three line choices , an eraser, and endless colors. It also video tapes you while your doing it so the kids really love it. The third post was about another useful tool called Storybird. With this one the students can write a story, and add pictures to it. This one also engaged the kids, and kept them writing much longer than normal.
Its good to hear about these useful tools that we as future teachers can use in our classrooms. Very nice and informative posts.
Blog Post Two
Michael Wesch: A vision of Students Today
I thought the video was okay. It seemed to give a gloomy outlook about students and school. I can relate to paying a lot of money for textbooks that are not needed. The video also suggests that we spend a lot more time on emailing, and facebook than anything else.
I think showing some good times, and not such a dismal outlook would better reflect my college experiences. I work now, so college is not as much fun this time around. I barely have time to do my work now, but when I was younger college was a lot of fun. One frustration that I had in college was getting teachers that could not speak English well.
"Its Not About Technology" by Kelley Hines
I completely agree with what Kelly Hines is saying. If you do not have a good teacher who is willing to learn, and keep up with the latest technology, all the new technologies are useless in their hands. Teachers have to keep learning, and have to always be working on ways to improve their teaching technique.
It seems to me that basic human nature tends to make us lazy. People often resist change, and do not like change. In this day and age change is taking place so rapidly, that the people who are resistant to change are going to be quickly left behind.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay To BE A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Of course its not okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher. I think Mr. Fisch was right on the money, and not to harsh at all. He made a very good point that computers have been around now for awhile, and there is no longer any excuse for not learning about them.
It just really goes back to how people in general just do not like change. In a classroom there should not be any excuses for not learning, and improving what you know as a teacher. The technology today has enhanced teaching methods tremendously, and one would be a fool not to keep up with it.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
I think what this means for my career as a professional teacher is that I must become professionally literate to keep up. It is just amazing how many new users are added to facebook, and the exchange of electronic information that is going on.
There is no way that one can remain in the dark about all this new technology, and still have any relevance as a teacher. If you do not keep up with this technology, the students you are teaching will be smarter than you are. You will appear old, and out of touch to your students if you do not keep up. I think it would be better for your students to think of you as being on the cutting edge of what is available in terms of technology.
I thought the video was okay. It seemed to give a gloomy outlook about students and school. I can relate to paying a lot of money for textbooks that are not needed. The video also suggests that we spend a lot more time on emailing, and facebook than anything else.
I think showing some good times, and not such a dismal outlook would better reflect my college experiences. I work now, so college is not as much fun this time around. I barely have time to do my work now, but when I was younger college was a lot of fun. One frustration that I had in college was getting teachers that could not speak English well.
"Its Not About Technology" by Kelley Hines
I completely agree with what Kelly Hines is saying. If you do not have a good teacher who is willing to learn, and keep up with the latest technology, all the new technologies are useless in their hands. Teachers have to keep learning, and have to always be working on ways to improve their teaching technique.
It seems to me that basic human nature tends to make us lazy. People often resist change, and do not like change. In this day and age change is taking place so rapidly, that the people who are resistant to change are going to be quickly left behind.
Karl Fisch: Is It Okay To BE A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Of course its not okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher. I think Mr. Fisch was right on the money, and not to harsh at all. He made a very good point that computers have been around now for awhile, and there is no longer any excuse for not learning about them.
It just really goes back to how people in general just do not like change. In a classroom there should not be any excuses for not learning, and improving what you know as a teacher. The technology today has enhanced teaching methods tremendously, and one would be a fool not to keep up with it.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
I think what this means for my career as a professional teacher is that I must become professionally literate to keep up. It is just amazing how many new users are added to facebook, and the exchange of electronic information that is going on.
There is no way that one can remain in the dark about all this new technology, and still have any relevance as a teacher. If you do not keep up with this technology, the students you are teaching will be smarter than you are. You will appear old, and out of touch to your students if you do not keep up. I think it would be better for your students to think of you as being on the cutting edge of what is available in terms of technology.
Blog post one.
Did You Know?
I thought the movie was very interesting. The movie showed overall how fast things change as time goes by. The facts about India were very interesting to me, they really showed how large the country is compared to the United States. One fact that seemed to surprise me was how many babies were born in India during the time that I was watching the movie. The video gave me the impression of how fast the world is growing and changing.
Another part of the video that I found really interesting was the information about the larger numbers of computer users, and how fast that is growing. The video really did a good job of conveying how fast technology is growing, and also changing. The world is really becoming a smaller place, where oceans, and great distances are no longer able to keep man from communicating with one another.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
I like the cartoon graphics, it reminded me of a cartoon from my childhood. Other than that there was no surprising information to be learned. The video gave the message that back in Mr. Winkle's day there were no computers of any kind, and that in the schools of today they were not being utilized. In one hundred years everything had changed to machines doing everything for us. The story is implying that schools are slow to adapt, and use this new technology. There is also the problem of people not wanting to learn how to use something new and different from what they are used to.
This video shows how these "machines" are in every part of society. The computer and electronic machinery have infiltrated every part of our daily lives. I know for me personally, when I can not use a computer I feel cut off from everything. I am not sure that I agree with the video, I think that computers are being used in the schools, although I am sure that we could be doing a better job. I know they have computers where my children go to school. When I was there age we did not have any computers in the schools at all. With the rate of speed that technology is growing it is hard to imagine what another hundred years will look like. I think it will be amazing what my children will experience.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I thought it was a very interesting speech. Mr. Robinson was right about many things. Often the creative things we wish to pursue are discouraged on the basis of you can not make a living doing that. I recently had a art class, and I learned that students who participate in art, also do well in many of their other subjects. And sadly art and music are the first classes to be cut when there are financial troubles. By doing this, we are hurting the students in other areas of their academics as well.
I really liked the story about the lady who was a dancer, and how if she had grown up in the present, she would have been diagnosed with ADD. Just like in the wild their has to be diversity for survival, and in humans we need that as well. Schools need to cultivate our diversity, and different talents. I think Mr. Robinson makes a good point about how as we get older we become afraid of making a mistake, or being wrong. Imagine what a difference there might be in the world if schools actually encouraged creativity instead of stifling it. I think Mr. Robinson was correct, and right on target with his speech.
Vickie Davis: Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts
I really like this teacher's approach to empowering the students. It is so important in this day and time to be knowledgeable about computers. Technology is changing so rapidly that it is important to try and keep up with what is happening. If your not up to speed with what is taking place today you are at a real disadvantage. There are many things that I am unfamiliar with on the computer, which is why I am really glad that I am going to learn some of these things in this class.
The kids of today are so fortunate that they are learning these things at an early age. I think it is just amazing how the internet puts us in touch with any type of information we wish to learn about. Even when you have a symptom of an illness, you can find information on it, where as before you had to go to a doctor to find out what was going on. I also find it fascinating how we can communicate with people from all over the world instantly. I find it a little surprising when I take a class, and my professor does not utilize the internet to communicate information to me. The process of learning can be enriched so much by the use of the computer.
I thought the movie was very interesting. The movie showed overall how fast things change as time goes by. The facts about India were very interesting to me, they really showed how large the country is compared to the United States. One fact that seemed to surprise me was how many babies were born in India during the time that I was watching the movie. The video gave me the impression of how fast the world is growing and changing.
Another part of the video that I found really interesting was the information about the larger numbers of computer users, and how fast that is growing. The video really did a good job of conveying how fast technology is growing, and also changing. The world is really becoming a smaller place, where oceans, and great distances are no longer able to keep man from communicating with one another.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
I like the cartoon graphics, it reminded me of a cartoon from my childhood. Other than that there was no surprising information to be learned. The video gave the message that back in Mr. Winkle's day there were no computers of any kind, and that in the schools of today they were not being utilized. In one hundred years everything had changed to machines doing everything for us. The story is implying that schools are slow to adapt, and use this new technology. There is also the problem of people not wanting to learn how to use something new and different from what they are used to.
This video shows how these "machines" are in every part of society. The computer and electronic machinery have infiltrated every part of our daily lives. I know for me personally, when I can not use a computer I feel cut off from everything. I am not sure that I agree with the video, I think that computers are being used in the schools, although I am sure that we could be doing a better job. I know they have computers where my children go to school. When I was there age we did not have any computers in the schools at all. With the rate of speed that technology is growing it is hard to imagine what another hundred years will look like. I think it will be amazing what my children will experience.
Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I thought it was a very interesting speech. Mr. Robinson was right about many things. Often the creative things we wish to pursue are discouraged on the basis of you can not make a living doing that. I recently had a art class, and I learned that students who participate in art, also do well in many of their other subjects. And sadly art and music are the first classes to be cut when there are financial troubles. By doing this, we are hurting the students in other areas of their academics as well.
I really liked the story about the lady who was a dancer, and how if she had grown up in the present, she would have been diagnosed with ADD. Just like in the wild their has to be diversity for survival, and in humans we need that as well. Schools need to cultivate our diversity, and different talents. I think Mr. Robinson makes a good point about how as we get older we become afraid of making a mistake, or being wrong. Imagine what a difference there might be in the world if schools actually encouraged creativity instead of stifling it. I think Mr. Robinson was correct, and right on target with his speech.
Vickie Davis: Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts
I really like this teacher's approach to empowering the students. It is so important in this day and time to be knowledgeable about computers. Technology is changing so rapidly that it is important to try and keep up with what is happening. If your not up to speed with what is taking place today you are at a real disadvantage. There are many things that I am unfamiliar with on the computer, which is why I am really glad that I am going to learn some of these things in this class.
The kids of today are so fortunate that they are learning these things at an early age. I think it is just amazing how the internet puts us in touch with any type of information we wish to learn about. Even when you have a symptom of an illness, you can find information on it, where as before you had to go to a doctor to find out what was going on. I also find it fascinating how we can communicate with people from all over the world instantly. I find it a little surprising when I take a class, and my professor does not utilize the internet to communicate information to me. The process of learning can be enriched so much by the use of the computer.
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