Week 1: Did You Know, Mr. Winkles, Ken Robinson, Vicki Davis

Did You Know? 3.0

After watching "Did You Know?" on YouTube, I almost felt as if I had a revelation. When I completed the questionnaire in today's class session, I answered "yes" to whether or not I felt every teacher should be technology literate. I considered myself to be entirely technology literate, until watching this video. Although I am not as computer illiterate as say, some of my family members, I am definitely not as educated as I claim to be. I liked how the video was made with speedy, flashing images because that is after all the concept of the video itself. I cannot fathom how many babies were born during the 5 minutes I spent watching this video.

I was a little surprised that China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the nation and that India has more honors students than the United States has children. I honestly know very little about Bermuda, so to learn it is the #1 ranked country in Broadband Internet Penetration is absolutely news to me. As an educator I feel it is vital to update myself with the rapid inventions technology has to offer this generation of students and their classrooms.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

"Mr. Winkles" is indeed a wake up call for educators, children and their parents at home. I believe this video was one of many attempts to enlighten future and present teachers who live in the year 2010, still maintain an "old school" classroom, literally. Mr. Winkles seems to be frightened of the technology he experiences after his 100 year slumber. This is exactly why some people in today's society just don't want to convert his/her old ways. Technology is rapidly growing in and out of the classroom and as an educator myself, it is important to understand it's not just trendy to have the latest gadgets and gizmos but these very things are becoming the foundation for education in many generations to come.
I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to gain the knowledge in EDM 310 to succeed in my profession at South Alabama. As an educator, I will be responsible for learning and then teaching what I learn to hundreds of children. I want to provide my students with several options and opportunities to exploit their knowledge and understanding of the lessons I present to them, so having the necessary experience in technology will hopefully do more than allow me to do so.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

I really enjoyed this particular video of Ken Robinson's discussion about a problem in today's classrooms that far too many educators either plead innocent or simply ignore it. It was enlightening and rather funny at times. Robinson stated that "intelligence is diverse." I agree with Ken Robinson in that children are afraid to think outside the box. They are not afraid because thinking creatively gives them an upset stomach, but because someone has made them afraid to use their imagination.

I feel as though I am well prepared for the inevitable cultural diversity that will come pouring out of my students from the first day of school. I will strive not to hover over the children while they are working and watch their creative impetus bury itself and hide. Many educators don't even recognize when this is happening to their students. There is too much evaluation and not enough praise.
Mr. Ken Robinson made a reference to a little girl who was drawing a picture and when her teacher came up and asked, "What are you drawing?", the girl replied "God." The teacher tells her that no one knows what God looks like and the student told her "we will when I'm finished." That was a perfect example of what not to do when your student is engaged in creative thinking. As educators we must remember not to put restrictions on activities and choices we give our students but instead, let their passion lead the way for explorations and experiments.

Harness Your Students

At the end of this 4 minute and 49 second video, I had a desire to be inside her classroom. She is phenomenal at educating students with the technological resources we have access today. Curriculum Director Betty Shiver states that they are in an area that is "about as rural as you can get". I think it's great that a school in such a rural district has these available resources. It appeared as though every single student had his/her own personal computer. Although PC's are about as common as blenders in the average household, there are still a lot of families who do not own a computer. I think it's fantastic that each student can still gain the knowledge, even though he/she may not have a PC to use at home.
I also liked how she acknowledged that teachers do not have to know everything about something before they can teach it. She is an advocator for empowering students to share with one another all around the world. Vicki Davis incorporated fun into education in her classroom. I loved how she pointed out that "Children have trouble where children only have paper and pencil, and that is where only certain types of children will learn and succeed." She understands diversity in learning and encompasses it to the absolute fullest.