Blog Post #2

1. I didn't know. I didn't know that technology had such a massive impact on our day to day lives. Sure, I suspected as much, but suspecting and knowing are two different species all-together. The truth is, Did You Know? 3.0 may be only 4:56 (that's less than five minutes), but it scared me to death. I had a sudden flash-forward to a vision of the future. We're all wearing suits made of metal and in our faces we have a screen. It's through that screen that we live our lives. Either that, or the computers run things for us. I don't know which is scarier to me personally.

Media, internet, technology as a whole, is booming and this whole time I've just been sitting idly by, content to do the technological minimum. I'm awake now. I've seen the light. I guess my main message in response to that video is that while technology is growing at such a rapid rate, we can't forget that behind the wires, signals, and SIM cards, there are people. And people should be our main concerns. We can't neglect humanity in favor of the shiny computer screens and keyboards.

2. Mr. Winkle Wakes (2:51) offers a somewhat comical reflection on the status of schools today.Technology is set to the wayside in favor of traditional approaches to learning, and even when it is used, the teachers often lack the skills to use it effectively in order to foster learning. Looking back, I can count on one hand the number of times I was taught using some form of technology. Maybe even on two fingers. That shouldn't be something I take away from my high school experience.

Instead of staying stuck in the dark ages, our schools should equip the teachers to expand their curriculum to more up-to-date methods of teaching. As the video showed, the world outside of school has already made the leap into the technological world. Everything has a USB port these days (figuratively speaking, of course), and we can't keep teaching children using the same tried and true methods of our grandparents. Hello! We've been to the moon, and for months at a time, humans live in space while orbiting Earth! That's about as high-tech as you can get. If we can send people to space, then I think we can expend a little time and energy updating classroom methodologies.
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3. Sir Ken Robinson is my newest hero. Not only is he hilarious, but his message is one I personally believe in with all of my heart. As educators, we need to educate children completely and learn to use our imaginations wisely. He lists the hierarchy of subjects in schools today as being Math/Languages first, Humanities second, and Arts last. For many students, the very idea of math is enough to give them cold sweats. I know it is for me, but thankfully I found my niche in English. If I had been a musical, dramatic, or otherwise art-minded student, then I might not have had the same opportunities as I do now.

Sir Robinson describes creativity as "the process of having original ideas that have value." This distinction is important because in order for our society to keep advancing, we need to come up with solutions that will work not just in the present, but in the future as well. We can't expect students to automatically know what to do if we don't give them some training first.

4. I think it is fantastic that Cecelia Gault has found a way to pursue her passion. In getting to meet Sir Ken Robinson and asking him questions regarding education and creativity, she was able to apply her own creative license. I think it is interesting that she asked Sir Robinson what he defined "intelligence" as being, because his response was one that has been niggling at my mind for a while. Intelligence has no real definition. In order to be able to define intelligence, we would first have to decide what the most important determining factors of intelligence are. Is it being able to read very quickly? Is it being able to solve riddles or math problems? Is is an unquenchable ability to memorize random facts? Is it a combination of all of these things?

No one really knows. I think the best we can hope for intelligence-wise is an open mind. We have to stay open to new ideas and to providing opportunities of discovery and growth to our children, like Cecelia Gault. If, as educators ,we don't limit the creativity of our students and we give them a chance to grow naturally into what they were designed to be, then I think we'll be on the right path.They might even get to interview Sir Robinson, if they want to. We just have to be willing to spend the time to nurture their individual intelligences, because no one person learns the same. Intelligence is highly unpredictable and individualized.

5. Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts (4:49) provided me with a look into the existence of a fully technological classroom. The students were doing things I didn't even know existed. Basically, they created their own little cyber world. They collaborated with students across the globe, and in doing so, stepped out of their local spheres and broke down those barriers to new ideas and education.

Mrs. Davis is someone that I think is deserving of an award, and I'm glad she received one. What she has managed to do in her classroom is something that most schools today would never dream of doing. The work involved may be a deterrent, or maybe the technicality of it, or perhaps it isn't in the budget. But I think we need to do it anyway and make space for a program of that kind. It would be beneficial to kids now and for their futures.