A Vision of Students Today
I do think that my college experience was pretty much the same as these students depicted it. In the spring of 2010 I bought a textbook for a class and never opened it, not even once. Some may view this as a bad thing, but instead she used lectures, images, and power points to help us learn. However, I was aggravated that I bought a book and never used, and when it came time to sell the book back they made a new edition. Go figure. I believe that she incorporated some technology, that helped me personally visually learn, rather than just reading the textbook.
If I could change one thing about this video it would be that he add in when I graduate college I will owe more for my student loans than I make in a year. That would hit more close to my experience.
It's Not About the Technology
This teacher is absolutely correct. Unless we lay the ground foundation of learning, these children will not even be able to use the computers correctly and efficiently. However, I do know and firmly believe these children need to be educated in technology or they will never make it in the world as teenagers or adults. Her best point is without good teaching habits and our teachers constantly growing their own knowledge, our children are going to be in some kind of trouble. Our teacher have to be willing to take in all of this technology then they have to make the initiative and go full force into learning about it, then teaching our youth about it.
If our teachers are not willing and open about their technology mishaps; how can we expect our students to be ready for the technology. Even her ending statement basically says that, we can give all the technology in the world to teachers, but unless they are willing to constantly learn it will do no good in the classroom. On the other hand, you give these technological devices to a teacher who constantly keeps in her mind that they are learners, then there are endless possibilities that can happen.
Is it Okay to be Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Mr. Fisch has an extremely open way of telling his point of view, yet it is the truth. We need teachers in our schools who are willing to learn new tools to teach our students. I do understand that teachers have a lot on them, but every job is stressful in some sort of way. These students will be the ones who suffer if we as future educators don't pick up on the technological advances we have in front of us.
I do feel that sometimes, it is our own choice to learn more than what we may need to know about technology, but it is important that you know how to function correctly with technology. Technology is a huge world waiting for us to explore it, and I am sure that our future students will be teaching our teachers about this technology. So therefore, that is another reason to be open minded about constantly learning as educators.
Gary's Social Media Count
For me this means I better stay in tune with technology as it is very apparent to me, especially now, that technology will be a part of my classroom. Our students and our very own children will suffer if every educator does not stay up to date with their technology. We have to be educated in it, so that our students will take interest in it, because if they don't they will not make it in the "real world". It seems that our entire world is revolving around technology.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Summary of C4T #1
After reading Mr. Hadley's first blog about a conversation that was on Twitter the night before school started I knew I had an interesting teacher. He commented on how that is the day filled with anxiety and fear for teachers, yet there were still those great teachers out there talking about how he they were going to make this upcoming school year filled with greatness. He realized that there were other teachers out there just like him, striving to do the best for their students, which is what probably moved him to make his second blog.
His second blog was a list of 12 items that he is going to be sure to do to make this a great school year. These 12 items were simple things, but very important for our children. I have printed his list and hope to use it every year as a teacher, so I can make the best of every year for these students. If you have time check out his list at the website below:
Saturday, September 4, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Blog Assignment 1
My name is Tabitha Sexton and I am from Theodore, Ala. I got married in April 2009 and moved to Semmes, Ala with my husband. I have a seven year old step-daughter, which we have full custody of. I also have two sisters, three step-sisters, and one half brother. I am very close to my mom and I adore my step-dad. I came to the Universtiy of South Alabama the fall after I graduated high school in 2004, but I played around and did not take my education seriously. I think I changed my major like ten times, so in the spring of 2006 I dropped out and did some serious soul searching to figure out what I wanted in my life.
I always wanted to be a teacher, but when my step-daughter started school I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do. So I registered to be a substitute teacher with the Mobile County Public School System and found out really fast that I wanted to go into Secondary Education. So after a couple of weeks of consideration and knowing that this is what I really wanted to do, I came back to South in the spring semester of 2010. I have also recently gotten into teaching at the gym. I am a certified Zumba instructor and I also teach cardio bootcamp and scuplting classes. I am really nervous about this class, but I hope that if I keep my focus everything will be fine.
I always wanted to be a teacher, but when my step-daughter started school I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do. So I registered to be a substitute teacher with the Mobile County Public School System and found out really fast that I wanted to go into Secondary Education. So after a couple of weeks of consideration and knowing that this is what I really wanted to do, I came back to South in the spring semester of 2010. I have also recently gotten into teaching at the gym. I am a certified Zumba instructor and I also teach cardio bootcamp and scuplting classes. I am really nervous about this class, but I hope that if I keep my focus everything will be fine.
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