Blog Post #2

1.) After watching Did You Know? 3.0 - A John Strange 2012 Version by John Strange I realized that we are not the superiors that we think we are. The video talks about the amount of technology we are using everyday whether it be Youtube, cell phones, computers, etc. Millions of information are exchanged every minute and we don't realize it or take advantage of it. If we are constantly sending and receiving information with these technologies, then we should be able to use the same technology to educate ourselves and others. I found it amazing that many people are being prepared for jobs that don't even exist yet. Everything is growing at such a fast pace I don't know how it's possible to keep up. Previous to this video I thought the United States was at the top when it came to education and development, but I see know how blind i was to think that.

2.) I found Matthew Needleman's Mr. Winkle Wakes interesting. I'm assuming that Mr. Winkle is Rip Van Winkle and in the video he awakes from a very long slumber and is in shock at the new technologies that surround him in his work place. He is later taken to the hospital and is also astonished by the x-rays, heart monitors, and etc. Later he visits a school and feels more comfortable in a more familiar environment because there aren't any of these new devices around. What I took from this video is that schools aren't growing as fast as other places when it comes to new technologies. I agree with this because I attended a school that had a student body of 500 students from seventh to twelfth grade. There was one computer lab for the entire school and it held maybe 20 computers. The only computers in the classroom were the teachers computer and the first time I saw a smart board was my first semester in college. I think schools need to integrate more computers and other new forms of learning into the classroom. The earlier people are introduced to these learning the systems the more familiar they will become with them and find out interesting they can make the learning experience.

4.)The video, A Vision for 21st Century Learning, made some interesting arguments. The first obvious argument made was that the learning experience today is usually boring and repetitive, which I agree with. Sitting in a classroom listening to someone read from a book or taking notes is very boring and most of the time students are just writing and not paying any attention to what is being said. Another argument made is that a newer more interesting learning experience could be available and could help not only the students but the teachers as well. I completely agree with this theory. I have sat in class and listened to my teacher read and take notes and I've also used computers, interacted with students and teachers via skype, and even played games as part of the learning experience and I found option two to be easier and much more interesting.

5.) I enjoyed watching Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts. I think it's great that a rural town in southern Georgia has integrated computers into the classroom and are using them as learning tools. I'm from a small rural town in Alabama and I would have loved to have a class like that in high school. The students in this video seem to be learning so much quicker and having a good time while they are learning, which doesn't happen a lot. The teacher even mentioned that after learning some basic things the students were able to teach her a few things. The type of learning environment demonstrated in this video seems like the best way for all students to be involved and keep them interested. I think a big reason that some students don't learn as well or as quickly as others is because they aren't interested by the material or by how it's presented. This new type of learning can make everything more interesting and help some of these students who get bored easily in traditional classrooms.