Week 2

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

A Vision of Students Today

This was a very interesting video. To be honest it told me a lot of things that I already knew. It may have given more accurate statistics, but every college student in America is aware of these issues. We have to be, we deal with them everyday. While I wouldn't say that all of the facts listed here apply exactly to me, I understand that I go to a fairly small college.

I consider myself lucky that I can count on one hand the number of classes I have had with over 100 students. When in those classes I have really felt the disadvantages, and can't imagine that being the norm throughout my entire college career. I also realize that this is not the only issue brought up in the video; However the fact that it was just one of many, and it alone is a serious problem really gives us something to think about.

It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines

It's Not About the Technology

I really enjoyed reading this. I especially liked what was said about teaching not taking place unless learning takes place. That is an excellent observation. I do have a slight problem with it. While I do not think that she is wrong about teachers having to change the way they teach, I genuinely believe that there are teachers who are totally unwilling to change.

I know this because I remember them, they taught me. I have also worked with many as a substitute teacher. I am not saying that they are poor teachers, or even ineffective ones, but they are stuck in their ways and unwilling to look into new ways of thinking. That said, I think that this will be the biggest obstacle in evolving our methods of teaching. I think that new teachers like me are the ones who wanted to use our computers in the classroom, and will be the ones who are most comfortable with the new technologies in the future.


Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

Karl Fisch

I can really relate to the sentiment behind this post. I feel like it actually talks about some stuff that I touched on in my previous comment. There are still teachers out there who refuse to learn. That really is unacceptable. I think that the statement about not being able to read was a bit of an exaggeration, but unfortunately it was not too far off. I think it may be more accurate to say that a teacher unwilling to use the Internet today, is like one who would not use a copy machine twenty years ago.

Without the copy machine, the teacher couldn't run off tests or worksheets, which are valuable tools in any classroom. Not using the technology that is available today is would have basically the same consequences, but on a much larger scale. There is just so much more available that you will be missing out on. Overall, I felt this post was something that needed to be said, and now has to be addressed in order for us to move forward.

Gary's Social Media Count

Watch the Social Media Count change every second when you click on this sentence

I definitely think that these stats should effect not only the way that we see teaching, but the way that we see the world. The advantage that some of us have is that these statistics don't surprise us too much, or it doesn't mean. Don't get me wrong, the actual numbers are astounding, but I have no trouble trying to believe them. We have grown up in the technology age and therefore we are aware of it.

Unfortunately, even though we grew up in this age, we didn't learn any of it in school. We are just now as a teaching community starting to really recognize the need for technological advancements to spread to the classroom. So I feel that it is up to us, as the next generation of educators in America, to take the reigns and use them to change the game.