Blog Post #2

Did You Know? 3.0 - A John Strange 2012 Version

I was shocked by how many people use technology today. I knew it was getting more and more popular, but not as popular as it really is. YouTube has changed quite a bit since it first came out. There are so many advertisements before and after each video. It's so helpful though because you can find practically anything you need on there. I'm glad teachers are incorporating these technologies into their classes.
The first statistic in the video completely blew my mind. 25% of the population of India with the highest IQ's outnumber the whole US's population. That is amazing. First of all, when did India get to be so smart? Secondly, since when does India have that many people? 48 hours of YouTube videos being uploaded every minute is pretty amazing, too. I do wonder how people actually figure these things out, but still, that's two whole days of watching videos. With the top ten jobs not even being invented yet, it makes me wonder what those jobs will be. I hope to still be around when they are invented.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

I found this video quite entertaining. I understand now how much times have changed, even in the past 5 years. I bet George Washington is enjoying watching us live our lives. I bet things would have turned out differently had they had the kind of technology we have today. I don't know what kind of things they had 100 years ago, but I know today is a huge step up from back then. I imagine if I have been asleep for 100 years and woke up, I would probably want to go back to sleep. There's no way I would understand how anything worked. I'm thankful to be a part of these changing times because it's a lot easier for me to adapt to them than someone who isn't familiar with them.
Technology today is helping save lives as well as speeding things up for everyone. We live in a much faster pace than people did 100 years ago. I think that has actually shortened our average lifespan because everyone stays so stressed out. It't not healthy. X Rays have been so influential in the health world. People 100 years ago could have saved so many people if they had been able to use that machine. School has even changed in the past 5 years. Everything is becoming more online and interactive. It's teaching students to be responsible and helping them learn.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

Ken Robinson's story of the little girl drawing a picture of God was great. I love that. Sir Robinson is quite funny. I had a hard time following him sometimes. He made some good points about the school systems educating the creativity out of kids. The joke about the kids being wisemen and saying, "Frank sent us," instead of frankincense, was probably the best joke I have ever heard.
Sir Robinson says that teachers educate from the waist up and focus more on their heads. I'm not sure what that meant. He said that all our lives people try to tell us that we shouldn't do what we enjoy doing or like doing because we'll never get a job. For me, that's exactly what happened. I haven't always been on the 'teacher track.' My dad always told me I would never get a job as a teacher and that I might as well give up before I got too deep into school. I finally came to my senses and decided I'm going to do what I'm good at and what I love doing. I still think degrees are worth something; it shows that we accomplished something.

Future Schools and Change

I think schools will be a lot different than they are now. There will be more technology and interaction with teachers all over the world. I won't be surprised if kids could even stay at home and go to school. Hopefully the lunches will be better all over the country. If technology can change in schools, then I think so can the food. All students deserve at least one good meal a day.
I think tests and quizzes will be different, too. I don't think they will be more difficult, but I think teachers will expect a lot more from students. Kids these have gotten lazier and don't think they should have to do as much school work. You have to earn your degree. It shouldn't just be given to them. I love the idea of all classes not being burp back. That is one of the best teaching methods. Thank you Dr. Strange for doing that for students.

Pinterest

I would use all of those ideas in my classroom. Actually, I already do. I love the idea of it being a social networking site. It's a great way to get ideas from other teachers and find out what does and doesn't work. I'm very big on organization and it's a great way to stay organized. I hate clutter and Pinterest keeps it from getting that way.


Vicki Davis: Teaching Ideas and Apps:

I loved this board. It keeps things kid friendly and in today's times. It's not boring and provides useful tips on how to keep your classroom 'hip.' The pin that says "I teach. What's your superpower?" is my favorite. I have such admiration for teachers because it is such a difficult and time consuming job. I like the pin that was about ways to meet your classmates. Everyone should use those tips as an icebreaker for students. Even adults could use it every now and then.

Rachel Friedrich: Technology:

Who doesn't love the Reading Rainbow song? This board is great. It even has a Wheel of Fortune interactive game for students to play with. I love music and silly songs and this is just the board for that. It's also guy Bill Nye- The Science Guy. He's a legend.

Pinterest could be useful to me because it will help me keep my thoughts organized. When I find a new teaching trick or a cool new video to watch, I can pin it to my board and revisit it whenever I want. Students can do the same thing with projects and things. I'm not sure I would use it in my classroom because I'm not a big fan of technology. Unbelievable, I know. I like paper and pens. Students can use it outside of class just like they can use Twitter and Facebook, but I'm sticking to notebooks and pencils, markers and chalk, that sort of thing.