WOW!!!! Did you know that I am completely amazed at the speed we are progressing as a society when it comes to information technology. Something that really caught my attention was the statistic that the top 10 jobs in 2010 did not even exist in 2004! It is overwhelming to think that you go to school all these years to be a certain person in your career and now jobs are becoming obsolete and we are having to constantly reinvent ourselves to stay competitive in the ever changing job market. What we should all take from this video is jobs like education are evolving into something completely different. If people don't continue to educate themselves on new techniques and ideas, the students that we are teaching will be more educated and up to date than we are!!!!
I have some really mixed feelings on this video. Not because I don't agree to the point that the author is trying to prove. I do agree that a lot of schools are behind in implementing technology into their curriculum. However, I can see a drastic improvement in what my daughter's teachers are using with computers compared to 20 years ago when I was in elementary school. My opinion is that the technology will continue to improve and eventually catch up as the "old school" teachers retire and we have principals and faculty that are educated on the new ideas and programs that we are learning in classes like EDM 310.
Also, the video really speaks to the problem that if we don't implement the technology into the classroom, we are doing an injustice to the students. It is absolutely apparent that the use of the internet and the many tools it offers are fueling businesses not only in America but all over the world. Countries like India and Japan are preparing their kids at young ages and that is why they are excelling in the fields of computer science. We HAVE TO ADAPT!!!
That was one of the most entertaining videos I have ever seen. Mr. Robinson was really on point when it comes to the lack of emphasis on utilizing our creativity. Education has put such an emphasis on math and science and not enough on what he describes as the arts. He also mentions that the little bit of arts students do receive are music and art. There is really no focus on dance or drama. The root of this problem has resulted from the idea that creativity is dangerous and causes kids to not conform. Schools seems to have this general idea of conformity. If everyone acts exactly the same and thinks exactly the same, then it lessens the chances of kids that are "rogues" or "outcasts".
Also, I am completely in agreement that arts is last on the list. In my daughter's school, their music program is barely funded and now the teachers are asking us for donations just to keep it alive. When did a publicly funded school consider music such an afterthought? What would the world be without Beethoven, Mozart, and modern artists such as Elvis and the Beatles. They had an influence that crossed over borders of just music. They were inspiring and persevered through insurmountable odds. Don't give up on creativity. Without it, many of the greatest minds would have never evolved into what they are.
My response to Ms. Gault's article is that we need to learn that balance between learning the necessary subjects such as math, science, and language and the creative subjects such as art, dance, drama, and music. To me, they share a relationship that is very underrated. If we are to continue to advance, we need the creative side of our brain to be stimulated in order to utilize the intelligence that we gather from the other side. Creativity breeds ideas that make our world more efficient. It doesn't just apply to people who write music or paint a picture. It applies to engineers who develop taller and stronger buildings or computer designers who create a faster program to improve operating systems. The point that I believe she is trying to prove is that Performing Arts schools are probably ahead of the regular schools because they teach all those subjects, but with a stronger balance.
Another point that I liked was Mr. Robinson's "3 myths of creativity". Now, I do think some people are more creative than others. However, everyone does have some creative ability. The stereotype that unless you can write novels or paint extravagant pictures is the scale on which we measure creativity is absolutely false! As I stated earlier, it comes in all sorts of ways. If this mentality doesn't change, American students will continue to fall further behind in the technological and intellectual race.
Every time I think I have seen every possible way to enhance students ability to learn, I am exposed to another method. This video about Vicki Davis's class in rural Georgia is really genius. She is using the gaming world as a portal to enhance kids drive to learn. The use of a virtual world to connect kids from all over the world to learn about technology and make it fun at the same time should be commended. She mentions that teachers think they can't teach something until they have learned it is not true at all. I have always felt that way until now. There can be opportunities for us as educators to learn from our students as they learn from us.
Also, I think that gaming has become such a part of our generation and our culture. We have to learn to utilize this in an educational environment like she has. The technology is there. Paper and pencil are not the only way. In fact, that is becoming obsolete. It is time to catch up and evolve. We have to start thinking outside the box.
Hello Owen!
ReplyDeleteFantastic post and great responses. We need more students like you, who want to be teachers, to show enthusiasm about learning. If we aren't excited about education, how can we expect our students to be? We can't. It's up to us to set the bar for education, and if we can find ways to include technology and creativity, I say all the better. I'm glad that you found Sir Ken Robinson to be entertaining, because he really exemplifies what teachers should be: unafraid of creativity and willing to utilize it in the classroom.
Great post! Keep up the great work!
Great post! our class did this earlier this week, too! I like how you added the still images of the videos. I agree with what you said about the schools and how we should adapt. If schools were the same as they were 20 years ago, nothing would get accomplished. Just like you said, I feel as if we are doing an injustice to the children. So many subjects in school have advanced, and they are continually changing every day. Students need fresh ideas that keep them interested.
ReplyDeleteYour response to Mr. Robinson was great. There really isn't enough focus on arts in the schools. The arts are absolutely essential, but math and science and the other core subjects, in my opinion, weigh more heavily on the scale of importance. There needs to be balance, like Mr. Robinson mentioned. Kids are at a impressionable stage in their life where they need to be taught that each subject benefits them in numerous ways.