I liked the tone and the sarcasm, in Dr. McLeod's "Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?" post. I Googled Dr. McLeod, and found he is the co-creator of the Did You Know? videos, which is interesting. Dr. McLeod wants us to look at things from a different point of view. His post was enlightening, and sarcastic, which I can always appreciate. I understand that Dr. McLeod is saying go ahead and keep your child using pens and paper, mine will be ahead in 10 years, and I agree that his will be ahead in ten years, I just hope that with his blogs he his trying to persuade others to feel the way he does about technology.
I like that he is showing the good and bad aspects of technology in his post, and yes there are bad things on the internet, but if the parents are going to come into my classroom and tell me my students are too young to blog, then they should put a filter on their computers like there is a filter on the school computers. And furthermore, they should become at least a little bit educated on what exactly is "good" and "bad", and what I am actually doing with my students on the internet.
There are many innovative things on the internet that can help a student learn and learn on their own, which should be a goal of teachers everywhere. Pertaining to the bit about students writing online, I believe students everywhere and everyone else will be writing only online in 20 or 30 years, so why not go ahead and know how? The whole world is working on going green, and writing online instead of on paper is part of that I believe. Technology is only going to keep advancing. All of these parents, my own mother included, that are thinking technology is a waste of time and computers should never have been invented, need to jump on the wagon and start learning something, or be left behind.
The iSchool initiative video was wonderful and all, but the idea didn't sell me. What happened to one on one teaching, and teacher student relationships? With the iSchool, teachers won't be able to connect with students and build relationships with them. To me, that is a big part of going to school, teachers can help you grow and form as a person. Also, every student would have to buy the iTouch, which is the size of a cell phone. How does one honestly expect a student in grade school to keep up with that? If a student had the iSchool, everything they needed pertaining to school will be on this little device, so if they were to lose it, they would be lost in all subjects, and EVERYTHING to do with school. Then their parents would have to buy them another one. To parents $150 is expensive, especially if they had to buy another one if it was lost. Many parents today would barley even be able to afford the $150 at all.
I like the idea of using the iTouch as a learning tool if the student were to have one, but not as something that is key to class. Yes budgets are being cut, but that is something that is a larger problem on a more macro scale. We have to appeal to the state and federal government to fix that problem. The iSchool is a good idea, but I believe it would crumble in a few years, or be replaced with something better.
I LOVE the Lost Generation video technique! It lists all the bad, and then list the good, if we as a society were to change things. All of the things she mentioned are very likely to come true if we don't change things, which I like because it shows she is not just making things up. What she is doing with the technique is creative and symbolic. All of these things can happen, but if we change them, they will be reversed.
I think Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir is quite amazing!! I saw this on the news this summer and it moved me then. I hadn't taken this class yet this summer so then I was just thinking that the choir was a cool way to do things. Now looking at it again it is just spectacular. Singers everywhere can sing with people from all over and match in perfect harmony. This is something that singers would have laughed at 50 years ago. Now someone with a unique voice can find someone half way across the world to harmonize with, something they never would have gotten the chance for before. This video definitely portrays how much we can do with technology. In a few years, we will be able to do virtually anything!
I left a response for you back At the Teacher's Desk.
ReplyDeleteYou are right. Good and evil reside everywhere. Even on the USA campus! If we teach our kids how to know the difference and trust them to make the right choices the odds are they will.
ReplyDeleteiTouch, iPad, iTunes ITunesU, iSomething!
Thoughtful. Well done.
I agree with what you say about not being able to rely solely upon the iSchool for schoolwork and having the need for a teacher-student bond. Those bonds are what have driven me to my desire to be a teacher myself, but I don't think the iSchool is a means of replacing it. I think the iSchool is simply a way of keeping all needed materials in one spot. Yes, it would be difficult for parents to have to buy new iSchools constantly. But have you looked around recently at the six year olds who are taking phones to school every single day? I think this extremity is rather ridiculous, yes, but it's here. And we need to understand that. I do think you make very valid points with what you say here, but I don't believe we've considered everything before drawing these conclusions. Once again, for the most part I agree with you. I think you put a lot of thought into what you wrote but I think you may have only looked at what you were considering from one angle. Aside from this I think you did a very good job.
ReplyDeleteHey Allie,
ReplyDeleteI like Dr. McLeod's sarcasm in this video. People need to realize that technology is not going cease, but grow. It can no longer be ignored. As a future teacher, I will definitely use technology in my classroom and with my kids. I think it is a great idea and will help students in the future. I do not know what I think about all the books being on the computer and not being printed. I personally love books.
You actually made me think about my views toward iSchool Intiative. I thought it would be a great idea because of the savings. I did not think about the age of students that would be using this tool nor did I think about the lack of a student-teacher relationship which I believe is needed. I also love the choir. As a singer myself, I think it is awesome.
Great Blog!