Friday, September 10, 2010

Blog Post # 3



1.) Micheal Wesch: A Vision of Students Today.
I agree with the message of this video. It shared facts and statistics of the lives of college students in today's age. A couple of facts stood out to me, for example, students spend one hundred dollars on books that they never open. Another statistic stated that students only read 49% of their reading assignments, but will read 2300 pages of online books. Technology is becoming the future for everything, especially education.

This video seemed to relate to the way my college experience so far in many ways. The relation between the statistics that involved technology were mostly all true. The one that stated the majority of students today graduate, they will have jobs that do not exist today. People pay for classes and become in debt, only to not attend class. To add to this video, I would use more statistics that relate to technology today. The video was filmed in 2007 and in three years, technology has advanced.

2.) "It's Not About the Technology." by Kelly Hines
The post made by Ms. Kelly Hines was one that I couldn't agree more with. She explained that in a society where technology is taking over in education, we must not focus completely on the technology. We must focus on teaching teachers how to teach with the new advances in technology. Teachers must be ready to learn and must have the right mind-set about using the technology that is being presented to us.

Ms. Hines also said that teachers must be learners. Teachers need to be motivated to learn. They also need to keep up to date with all of the new technology. She suggests workshops and teaching sessions on the new technology available, ie; smartboards, blogs, wikis, etc. I couldn't agree more with what she states in her post. Without the motivation of teachers and the help that they need to learn about the technology in the 21st century, the advancement of the classroom will not happen.

3.) Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Mr. Fisch's post was by far one of the best posts I've read so far in EDM 310. I'm sure that is because this post won the most influential post of 2007. I couldn't agree more with the points that he made. In the beginning of the post, he gave a list of what he thought was and wasn't acceptable in a school. One rule on his list that stood out to me was number 6. "Schools, Universities and Teacher training courses who turn out students who are technologically illiterate should have their right to a licence and/or funding questioned." This is a bold statement, a very bold statement, but should be considered.

I also really agree with this statement made, also very bold. "If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." In today's society, we must use technology. There is no way around it. Whether it's emails, the use of microsoft word, or looking something up on google, technology in schools cannot be avoided. Because of this, if a teacher is not technologically literate, it can be related to a teacher of thirty years ago who cannot read or write.

4.) Gary Haynes Social Media Count
This website is really an eye opener. I know people are using technology each and everyday, but seeing the numbers change and increase each second is very eye opening. When I refreshed the page, in one second over 40,000 youtube videos were viewed, over 1,000 tweets were posted on twitter, and 40 people joined facebook. For me as a teacher, this means that each second, each hour, each day, and each year, the number of people using technology is growing. If 40 people were joining facebook in one second, think about the number of people who will have join facebook in two years when I graduate and become a teacher. The number of people sending emails, joining social networks, and even using google is increasing every second. The people who are 'technologically illiterate' will be left behind. As a teacher, I must be familiar with the technologically advances in our society.

2 comments:

  1. Hi, Samantha. I enjoyed reading your evaluations. I agree with you technology has changed tremendously since 2007. Before we know everything will be based on technology. As our World grows in technology, it is the job of the teachers to make sure they are up to date with what students today need to know. Computers and other technology have become more of a necessity instead of a luxury. People in general have the World at the finger tips. Just think, nobody ever uses stamps, paper and pens anymore; we have predominantly started using email, texts, Skype, and other sources.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent points Samantha!

    I agree, it is vital for teachers to be technologically literate. But this does not mean that technology runs the show or makes us change. This means that as teachers we stay up to date and use the best tools of our trade. I think this is basically what Mrs. Hines and others are saying, that technology is the tool and as teachers we must know how to use the best tools for the benefit of our students.

    Your blog is looking great! Don't forget to proof read before posting. Otherwise, keep up the good work. SS

    ReplyDelete