Blog Post

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?

Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor at Iowa State and the Director of CASTLE. He focuses on technology leadership issues in his work. He has received a lot of awards and been recognized nationally for his work. He is a blogger, catalysts, agitator, solution builder, and an idea generator. A quote from his website is "If leaders don't get it, it's not going to happen."

On his website, in which he discusses issues about technology leadership, there is a post named "Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?" In his post, he writes why kids shouldn't be taught technology. He says "block it all, lock it down, keep it out it's evil, you know there's bad stuff out there gotta keep your children safe." As he writes this, he is being completely sarcastic, of course, and it is quite humorous. He ties it together as he writes "'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids, can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two. Can you?" This is simply his way of trying to communicate that he does want kids to be taught and be advanced in technology.
He brings up the fact of who will be one leg up in a decade or two. This is something to really think about. If we do not teach our kids this stuff, it could be detrimental to their future. It is possible that we already have a computer that is as smart or smart than a human! It is very important that we learn technology because it is quickly taking over.

The iSchool Initiative

Travis, a seventeen year-old high school student from Georgia has come up with an idea to save schools money, save our environment, and integrate technology in the classrooms. By using technology we already have today, the iPhone , we could do away with all the paper, textbooks, and some problems in the classroom. There are already applications on the iPhone that can be used as substitutes for textbooks, paper, and even pencils. Email could be used as a communication tool between teachers and students and to transfer assignments. Applications such as the notepad could be used for taking notes and the calender could be used for taking attendance and as a planner for students. There are applications for math, science, history, library books, and a scientific calculator. The calculator app alone could save students over one-hundred dollars!
The iSchool has the potential to save money for students and schools as well as save the environment. Travis says it could save at least $600 a year per student and the iSchool would only cost around $150 per student. The thought of it seems wonderful but surely there are some disadvantages. Being the owner of an iPhone, I and everyone else knows that there are some major glitches. It is not uncommon for my iPhone to freeze up and not function normally for five to ten minutes at a time. If school work is based solely on this kind of technology, there should be some major improvements to them. I think if all of the glitches and bugs could be worked out and a backup plan was created if one did crash, it would be a great educational tool.

The Lost Generation
I think this is one of the most creative videos I have ever seen. What's even more amazing is that it was made by a high school student. The first time through the video, is a prime example of things we are told by people today. There is such a negative and materialistic view about our lives. We need to change this or it will be the outcome of our lives. It is sad that things are perceived like this.
As teachers, we should teach our kids to be world changers in all aspects of their lives. We should teach them to not "float the mainstream."
The second part of the video is how we should strive to live our lives. We shouldn't be just another statistic or live like everyone else. We should strive to be better! This video is probably one of the most unique and creative ones I have ever watched.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

WOW!! I love this video! It is so amazing what can be done with technology today. And if this can be done now, there is no telling what we will be able to do with technology years from now! I am absolutely amazed at this video.

Teaching In The 21st Century

This video was really long but good information. Some of the main things that were pointed out in the video was that 21st century teachers are not the main source of information anymore. Students have access to so many more sources for their information. As the author of the video showed, we must be filters. We have to teach our students how to take the information they are finding and use it to their advantage. We must encourage them to create things as well such as posts, podcasts, tweets, and other things we do in EDM 310.

I never knew how much technology had an influence on the classroom until this semester. I guess that is because this is the first class I have actually put all this technology to use. All of my other classes have been normal, old fashioned class rooms. This class really makes me think and I have learned so much already. Classes like EDM 310 are the ones we need to model our own classrooms after one day. I hope that I am able to allow my students to do blog posts, smartboard activities, podcasts, and videos in my classroom.