Sunday, February 6, 2011

Blog Post 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
After watching this video, I once again realize you only get out of anything what you are willing to put in to it. If students spend their time on Facebook instead of listening to the professor, they are not going to succeed. Some never show up for class or open a book. How can they expect to be prosperous?

I think this is very similar to my college experience. Both today and when I attended school in 1984. Students don’t go to class now and they didn’t go then. There are distractions now and there were distractions then. It all depends on what you want. In 1984 going to school wasn’t my top priority. So I got exactly what I put into it…nothing. This time around I want more so I am putting more into it.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
Ms. Hines makes four excellent points in her article:

1. Teachers must be learners. Not just teachers everybody should be learners. But teachers really do have to aggressive in learning new techniques and staying up to date. It is so easy to get into your routine and not make changes. Teachers need to stay open to new ideas and always be willing to learn.

2. Learning and Teaching are not the same thing. This is a great statement. Students don’t always learn in the same way so teaching should be different as well. If one thing does not work with one student then another method should be tried.

3. Technology is useless without great teachers. Everybody is so excited about technology today; it is sometimes forgotten that technology is a tool and not the teacher. Unless teachers learn to utilize these tools, the tools are really not that great. It is like having a car with all the bells and whistles but unless the owner knows how to use them they are just a waste of money.

4. Be a 21st Century Teacher without the Technology. Technology is wonderful but it is not everything. Teachers have to be willing to teach with what resources they have available to them. They need to be creative in their methods of teaching.


Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Karl Fisch’s quote “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 ” is a great comparison. Technology is everywhere today. Teachers and parents need to understand technology. There is no way they will be able to understand their students if they don’t. Kids are smart. Teachers need to know how to reach them on their terms. Teachers have to be willing to learn.



Gary Hayes Social Media Count
To me it is incredible that somebody can figure this all out. As a teacher I will have to most definitely be ready for rapid changes. I will have to continue to learn on a daily basis. I think if I pause for a second I will be lost. The world is not going backwards and to be an effective teacher, I am going to have to keep up with technology.

2 comments:

  1. You critique student behavior, and rightly so. But what dos the Wesch video say about our instructional techniques. What about the classes you will teach. Is there a message there for you as an education as opposed to a message to you the student?

    Do Kelly Hines and Karl Fisch disagree with one another? Is it really impossible to learn with great technology and a lousy teacher? I would suggest that a great deal of very productive learning might take place under those conditions. And the again it might not. I think the learner will play a key element in how the learning turns out!

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  2. Dr. Strange is right, you are correct in critiquing student behavior but is it entirely the students fault? I know that I have had classes that I dread going to not because I'm not interested in the subject but because the instructor makes it unbearable to sit through the class. It's the students' responsibility to learn but it is the teachers' responsibility to facilitate that learning. Teachers that are boring discourage a person from attending class, especially ones that talk at not to students and still use transparencies.
    I do agree being able to teach without technology is important but the ability to integrate it is much more important. Creativity in the classroom should not be limited to either not using or using tech, there is plenty of wiggle room.
    "Unless teachers learn to utilize these tools, the tools are really not that great. It is like having a car with all the bells and whistles but unless the owner knows how to use them they are just a waste of money." I like that you said this; it's a good statement on technology in general not just in the classroom. Far too often do I see people caught up in the gimmicks of technology. What good are these bells in whistles if they have no application, I'd like to point a finger at HP at the moment and their tablet. Tap to share through the webOS sounds great and inductive charging means never connecting a cord but what is the point?
    You analyze the videos well and structure your blog so it's very easy to read. Keep up the strong work.

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