Dr. McLeod's post has a great sarcastic tone as it makes fun of the idea that we don't need technology in education. I love his poke that the internet is "evil" and all students do is look at porn and talk to sexual predators. Very funny and so very true. These teachers that believe that the traditional forms of educating are going to continue to work are hurting students in their preparation for the real world! What job doesn't require proficiency on a computer and the software programs such as word, excel, and PowerPoint? The answer is very few. Instead of focusing on how to keep phones, twitter, and Facebook out of the classroom, why not try to find a way to utilize them. I think the phrase, "If you can't beat em, Join em" is so true in this argument. The world is different from 50 years ago. Shoot, the world is different from 5 years ago!
All I have to say is Travis Allen is an absolute genius!!! Of all the people in the world, an 18 year old high school senior came up with an "out of the box" idea that can absolutely change education for the better. First, just look at the amount of money that can potentially be saved by parents and schools. Going from $600 a student to $150 a student to teach them in a way that is 20 times more efficient than the traditional setting! Not only that, think about the environmental affects it can have. No more dependence on paper, ink, and textbooks. Everything is accessible from the ISchool device.
I also like the detail that he went into with the apps that range from formulas for math and science to an app that gives you access to any book imaginable. Teachers can use this to give their reading assignments and students can use the formulas app to help get them through areas that may be struggling in. This idea can increase the amount of information that we can attain and use. All I want to know is how long is it gonna take before we make this the norm in education. This has me tingling all over with excitement!!! What a bright future we have!
In my response to the virtual choir that was posted by Jennifer Chamber, I would just like to say that the internet never ceases to amaze me. I just showed that clip to my wife and even she was getting goosebumps watching it. I really like this use of the internet and it got me thinking about how this could be utilized in other areas. The first thing that came to mind was Congress. What if people randomly could get an opportunity to sit in on sessions via internet? We could speak on bills and proposals that the leader of our country are working on in a live environment! In fact, lets just take it a level higher and set up a 30 minute window every week where people from opposite ends of the political spectrum could have group discussions with the president on their concerns. It is not a security risk to him and it closes the gap between the voter and the leader. It could be a new way for voters to feel like they have a voice in our government. Somebody respond and tell me what you think!!
I think the biggest point that the video by Kevin Roberts points out is there are so many different resources to get information. We are not teaching students so much as we are guiding them towards the correct information. In my opinion, our biggest challenge going forward is figuring out how to get students to use the correct information available to them through technology. The internet is a powerful tool; but it is a dangerous tool as well. Teachers need to counsel them on how to gather information and provide them with credible resources to use. Life skills are becoming increasingly important and it is getting even more emphasis than it used to. We have become a society where people simply "Google" the answer to any kind of question. Well remember that students are doing the same thing on their homework assignments. Instead of discouraging them from doing that, lets point them in the right direction. It's better to provide them with the correct information than to trust that they will find it on their own.
McLeod: You got the sarcasm. Many students didn't and interpreted McLeod's post literally.
ReplyDeleteWho is Dr. McLeod? You didn't address that question which was part of the assignment.
Hello Owen!
ReplyDeleteI have to say, you impressed me. Your ideas for expanding upon the virtual choir to utilize it on the government level is awesome. If you were here in the lab, I'd give you a high five. It's refreshing to read your responses, because you always seem to have a good grip on reality and application of these ideas.
Great post, my friend. My only critique is that you need to include the links to the sources so that your "readers" can see the origins of your responses.