Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know
I think that this blog shows how far technology has come and how smart the human race is to create something that is so effective.  By effective I mean, it only took Facebook 2 years to reach a huge capacity to the world and that Bermuda is the number one most technological country in the world.  The internet, such as Google, is an amazing and life altering invention which most everyone relies on daily.
However, while I do enjoy the convenience, access, availability and several other factors, it is very scary to me what the internet is capable of.  It is also frightening that "predictions are by 2049 that a $1000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human race", according to www.2curio.com.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
This video makes a very valid point that computers and technology are not being used enough in our classrooms at schools across this country.  These computers, which most everyone of these students will be using at their jobs one day, are an important part and the children do not get enough time on them.  I see and understand the point, however, these children are learning to use them at a much younger age. For example, I am 24 years old and I think I was introduced to a computer when I was in third or maybe even fourth grade.  My step-daughter is now in the second grade and she was using a computer in Kindergarten.  She came home from school one day and asked to get on starfall.com, which is website that helps young children to read, and I thought was astonished.
While I do agree that introducing computers and technology at a young age is a great thing, I also think that lecturing is a very vital part of an education.  Not every student learns in the same manner, so having a computer just gives that student another way of getting an education.  However, that does not mean that everything that we as teachers teach them should be connected to the computer, because there is life beyond technology that is just as important and sometimes even more important.

The Importance of Creativity
Ken Robinson has an amazing point of view on this which I completely agree with.  It is very important that children get out and are able to play and pretend because this is what keeps their minds active. He states that our education system puts are at the bottom of the importance list in our schools, but children need those creative arts to keep their mind constantly wandering.  He states that children are not afraid to be wrong, however, our education system is built around the idea that being incorrect is a bad thing.  In all actuality being wrong is originality.
His ideas about allowing children to use their creativity and activeness to expand who they are is a great thing.  We should not assume that putting them on medication, isolating them, or constantly telling them that they are wrong is a solution. As future educators, we have the lives of these children in our hands to nurture and support, so they deserve great teachers who can do all of that and more.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
This teacher has a great outlook on her students.  I definitely believe that she takes her students' creativity and allows them to channel it into the classroom.  She even allows them to teach their fellow classmates, as well as herself.  She had a great statement about teachers thinking that they have to know everything before they begin teaching, when the truth is we are constantly learning.
To constantly learn is a creative measure also because it keeps you alert and up to date with new materials.  This is especially true when the student's are giving us information, because it keeps the teachers updated with what the students are involved in.  These videos have given me a different outlook on technology, however I still think that our lives should not be led or lived by a piece of technology.  Life is something we should experience for ourselves and let the technology help to improve it, not make it.