Blog Assignment #5

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?

     Dr. Scott McLeod is a technology champion for students K-12, teachers, and administrations. His finger is on the pulse of the struggling school systems and his focus is firmly on creating a more technology sound environment for teachers and students. His is a co-founder of CASTLE, this country's only school dedicated to teaching  technology driven teachers and administrators. It is located in Lexington, KY at the University of Kentucky's College of education.
     He is also the co-creator of the "Did You Know" video series that shows through a whirlwind of fact and figures that technology has arrived and has taken over as top dog of informational exchange. Watch it and try not to be RickRoll'd by the speed of change. Now realize that same change has not kept pace within our factory prototype school systems. Technology has essentially 'left us behind.' The shocker here is that video was made in 2009. In EDM310 we learn that the goal of having technologically savvy schools is still far from being reached. And we are encouraged to seek it out and embrace it with our peers and future students.
     Dr McLeod's poem, "Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff" is a dare that we as pre-service teachers should take seriously. Ignorance is not bliss and causes more harm than ever in today's fast paced electronic driven world.


The iSchool Initiative  

     In 2009 Travis Allen, 17, sent out a challenge in the form of a YouTube video to students, school administrators, and business people around the globe. He believed he had found a revolutionary way to revamp our failing school system while saving money and natural resources. Technology has already changed the way we shop, socialize and play. The next natural step according to Mr. Allen is to incorporate it into the school system. The iPhone and iPad platforms and Apps already include the tools needed by the average student and teacher: calculator, calendar, math/science/literature resources, and email to name just a few. Building from those tools should be storage/tracking/monitoring devices and websites dedicated to the course and grade. These few initiatives could revamp the entire school system one day.

     I have a few questions to contend with this design of his. First, is this initiative solely owned by Apple or would it be opened to other companies, product developers, or publishers? Plus, while Mr. Allen finds this way of learn easy and efficient is it adaptable to all learning styles and abilities? I applaud his effort and ingenuity thus far in his short lifetime. He is light years ahead of most people and he seems to be using his "powers" for the good of society. He exemplifies the German word "Zeitgeist" which means in the spirit of the times. His entry into the Zeitgeist Young Minds competition displays his forward thinking, innovative determination.


Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

     Contemporary composer Eric Whitacre truly creates a virtual masterpiece with this rendition of his "Lux Aurumque." It is immediately a meditative and hauntingly soothing piece of music which is presented 100% by a virtual chorus from around the world. I am not sure what is more difficult- working personally with this size choir or manipulating their vocals to produce a piece of work such as this. It is quite impressive an undertaking. Virtual is a new form of reality. Seeing the different locales of the singers was interesting. The two dimension aspect of it left me more unsettled than uplifted. As far as concerts go, I prefer my performers be in the same time and space with me.



              Teaching in the 21st Century       

     Kevin Roberts' energetic Prezi outlines the tradition role of the teacher and quickly obliterates this old notion that still haunts our school systems: teachers are no longer the sole keepers of the facts, sources, or information. There are far too many resources which are readily available to the student at almost any moment. With all the answers available somewhere  online the role of the modern teacher becomes that of a "tour" guide through a lesson plan. The teacher is now part instructor, part information filter, part detective, and part collaborator.
     "Burp back education" is a dead end street. Participation in your own education now is encouraged with the 21st century student. Many times the learning curve will be traveled by both student and teacher as a collaborative effort. This means more of a hands on atmosphere in the classroom for me and the students. I will now need to know more about the available technologies than I currently am even aware of, let alone being able to use comfortably and creatively. With the vast amount of resources, electronic and human at my disposal this should not be too difficult. A good teacher is a role model. If I can do it then most certainly my students will also.


Reading Rockets

     Good call Anthony Capps on suggesting this site for EDM310. As an Elementary Ed. major I believe there are a few gems here waiting to be mined. Right off the bat I ran across a themed booklist site and author studies...yes, and more YES! Finding the right book can go a long way with encouraging a young reader to become a lifelong reader. And then through author study students discover a book is more than words and pictures but an extension of an interesting person's imagination or actual life. There is the jumping off spot for the students to begin to pen their own work. Throw in the comprehension app games about synonyms, antonyms, facts/opinion, inferences, and homophones and let the creative writing begin. Several of the apps are free.  

     In the Just for Fun section there are widgets, e-cards, writing contests, and downloads. The quotable site was interesting. I can see a few bulletin boards or reading centers using thise quotes throughout the year. Best of all is a section dedicated to assisting the struggling reader. These guides are not just for the classroom but also geared to parents so that the whole child achieves success in literacy. I have bookmarked this site for future use. It is a goldmine.