Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know?  3.0
    "Did You Know" was a fascinating video containing statistics and facts related to technology and our future.  It also pointed out to me that if the United States does not change, we will fall further behind other countries in our technological advances.  It was interesting to me that 25% of India's population with the highest IQ is greater than the total population of the United States, and that India has more honors students than America has children.
    The video emphasized how technology is growing and how it continues to expand.  Some facts that I found interesting include:  (1) there are 200 million registered users of My Space and, if it were a country, it would be the fifth largest in the world; (2) there were 2.7 billion Google searches every month in 2006, and that number has exploded to 31 billion monthly searches; (3) the amount of technical information is doubling every two years; and (4) the top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not even exist in 2004.
    I first saw this video this summer during a Professional Development class.  The class was held for middle school mathematics and science teachers in the Mobile County Public School System.  School administrators realize the need for students to stay abreast of technological advances.  It is clear that, in order to keep up and compete with other nations, we must prepare our students for jobs that will be created in the future.  Knowing this, the school system is incorporating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) lessons into the middle school math and science pacing guide.  These lessons incorporate engineering skills and technology into the classroom.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
     In "Mr. Winkle Wakes," Mr. Winkle arises from a 100-year sleep to discover many changes in the world.  There are many busy people working on machines that we refer to today as computers.  These machines make Mr. Winkle very uncomfortable.  He does not understand the strange sounds emanating from these machines, how they print documents and even pictures, and how they allow people to speak with and see other people across the world.  Mr. Winkle went to a hospital in the hopes of finding some sort of familiarity.  Unfortunately, he is disappointed in what he found.  The hospital was also filled with large and strange-looking machines, some of which actually kept people alive.  He also saw x-rays and even lasers used in the middle of a surgery.  Mr. Winkle, again, does not feel comfortable in this situation, so he leaves hoping to find comfort somewhere else.  Eventually, Mr. Winkle happened upon a school.  Inside the school, Mr. Winkle saw rows of desks, and a teacher standing in front of a class lecturing while the students took notes.  Mr. Winkle did not see any intrusions from the outside world.  In fact, he even saw the same kind of machine called a "computer" sitting undisturbed in the back of the classroom.  Finally, Mr. Winkle found a place where he felt comfortable.  He liked the school because it was just as he remembered before his 100-year sleep.
    In my opinion, the author of this video is sending a warning message.  We are being told that we cannot restrict our students by not exposing them to technology.  Society has changed, and the technological tools available to its members have grown exponentially.  It is the responsibility of all educators to expose students to the advances we have made in technology, which will give them another tool to use in becoming productive members of society.  I agree that schools need to provide increased educational opportunities in technological advances to our students.  Ultimately we do not want our society to become stagnant, unable to grow and stay competitive with other nations.

Sir Ken Robinson:  The Importance of Creativity
    I enjoyed Sir Ken Robinson's lecture on the "Importance of Creativity."  He incorporated humor into his presentation and gave some real-life examples of the importance of allowing kids to express themselves in creative ways.
    Sir Ken Robinson noted that education is vital and that everyone has an interest in it because it is the most important method by which our future will be molded.  Education is unpredictable because nobody truly knows what the world will look like in the near or long-term future.
    Sir Ken Robinson believes that children have tremendous capacities for innovation.  He points out that children are unafraid to take a chance.  As such, they are very much unlike adults who are afraid to make mistakes.  He stressed that adults in society now were not educated to be creative individuals.  He believes that every educational system on Earth does not encourage the arts or creative innovations because people do not think they can find a career doing something they enjoy.  As a result, he believes that many talented people do not believe they are talented because their individual creativity was never valued.
    Sir Ken Robinson believes that intelligence is diverse, dynamic and distinctive.  He suggests that we rethink the fundamental principles on educating children.  We need to put to use the gift of human imagination and inspire creativity in our students because they represent our leaders of the future.
    I agree that allowing students freedom to be creative thinkers makes them more productive students.  However, in school systems today, I think teachers are hampered by state and federal mandates, accountability testing, funding and class size, all of which limit the content that teachers can provide instruction on and which does not allow them to unleash a student's full creativity.

Cecelia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
    Cecelia Gault conducted an interview with Sir Ken Robinson, in which she asked him about his thoughts on different issues in the education field.  He told her that he believed schools needed to strike a better balance between the arts and sciences.  He felt that computers and technology should be the center of education, especially since young people understand so much about computers.  He also favors a stronger connection between the school and the community in which it resides.
    Sir Ken Robinson spoke with Ms. Gault about creativity.  He told her about several myths the people have about creativity, such as:  (1) the belief that only certain people are creative; (2) the thought that creativity is only about certain things; and (3) the stance that you are either born as a creative individual or you are not.  Sir Ken Robinson believes that everyone is creative and believes that you can teach people to be creative.  He told her that nobody knows exactly what intelligence is.  He said that intelligence is a diverse process of making sense of the world around us, solving problems and understanding situations.
    I thought that Ms. Gault did a very good job in her interview.  One of the points that she addressed that I feel needs improvement is that we need a stronger link between schools and communities.  I think it would be a great experience to have a "Day of Talents" in my classroom.  This would involve members of the community to come into the classroom and express their creative skills.  For example, a doctor could share some songs that he plays on his guitar.  I think this would be a great message to students from someone that is both creative and works with the latest technological tools of his profession.  I feel that blending the arts and technology in my classroom would ensure my students the same kind of education Ms. Gault is receiving.

Vicki Davis:  Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
    Vicki Davis' video was an informative piece on how technology can work in the classroom.  Ms. Davis is a teacher who firmly believes in using technology to learn.  She believes that every student can learn.  Ms. Davis expressed her belief that, when teachers only use pen and paper, only certain children will be successful.  Instead, she customizes her lessons to meet the needs of her students.  She does not see the need to stand in front of a classroom and lecture throughout the day.  She is of the opinion that students work collaboratively; they must be thinkers and become comfortable with technology.  Sometimes, the students become the teachers.  Ms. Davis developed several projects including Cool Cat Teacher Blog, Digi Teen and the Flat Classroom Project, which allow both students and teachers to stay current with the latest trends in technology and share ideas.
     I was amazed at how proficiently Ms. Davis' students seemed to navigate the technological field.  I believe that there are so many applications and programs available that school can become a place where students can look forward to going.  I think that work can still be done on the total incorporation of all areas of a student's curriculum.  For example, Ms. Davis incorporated a literacy lesson by requiring her students to Google unknown words instead of merely telling them the definition.  By doing this, I believe that students will mature into better-rounded individuals.