Dr. Millers video This is How we Dream is a great video that brings to light the change our world is undergoing. For centuries our education system has been set up around print documents that are largely being lost. Our world is now going to all digital based documents, and unfortunately the education system has not caught up.
We as teachers have a responsibility to learn how to create these web based documents not only to teach our subjects curriculum but to also teach how to create them. In order for our students to survive in the business world they need to learn how to write and share their ideas on the web. I believe the major point of this video is the idea of sharing. Ideas are no good if never told to others. We need to share what we are thinking to get feedback and get something out of them.
I am not sure that I am prepared to write with multimedia just yet. However, I am learning more and more everyday in EDM310 that will make me more prepared to write with multimedia. We need to make a real effort to learn these techniques. Don't take this class lightly. Make an effort to really learn from this class and when the class is over, don't put up your computer and forget what you've learned. Use It!
The Chipper Series and EDM310 for Dummies were very funny. I would like to put my vote in for an Academy Award right now. The Chipper Series made me think of my first venture in college and how I was such a procrastinator. This class has helped me with my time management and kept me on track with what I am supposed to do for this class as well as my other classes. EDM310 for Dummies was just comical to me. If I look back at how I felt at the beginning of this semester I felt the same way. By just doing the assignments that we were assigned early on I have learned how to do the things necessary to complete everything in a more efficient manner.
If I were to create a video for the next group of EDM310 students, I would create one that shows them how doing the work assigned makes things easier as you go along. I am now able to post videos, write blog posts with links, and many other things that make each assignment simple. We should let the new students know that this class is not all that hard, it just takes a little work.
Learn to Change, Change to Learn is a great video that gets you thinking about how our education systems need to change. I find it appalling that the education industry was ranked 55 out of 55 in level of IT intensiveness by the U.S. Department of Commerce. How is the education industry below Coal Mining? That is terrible. Our education system needs to get away from standardized testing. We no longer need to memorize facts and regurgitate them to be considered smart. We have the technology to find out anything we want to know by hitting a button on our smart phone and asking it a question. We need to give children the skills to use these technologies responsibly. There is no excuse for education to continue to lag behind. We need to evolve our industry, as every other industry has, to the point where it is ahead of all the others in the IT department. School should be where students learn the technologies needed in the real world. Don't you think that would make our economy more efficient? I do.
In RSA Animate's video The Secret Value of Time there were two ideas that struck me. First was the idea of how boys use video games to create there own world and that they are bored in a classroom because it is analog and not digital. We should use this knowledge and make the classroom digital. Children will be more excited to learn new things if we make lessons that allow them to create something. The second thing that struck me was the fact that only 20% of American families have sit down dinners. In my family we sat down to dinner together every night. My parents used that time to find out what we had learned in school and ask us what was going on in our lives. We should all have sit down dinners. When I have children I vow to sit at the table to eat as much as possible in order to stay in touch with what is going on in their lives.
In another video by RSA Animate Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us my ideas of how we are motivated were turned upside down. In economics classes we are taught that the almighty dollar is our main driving force for motivation. This video shows that is not the case. We are driven by knowledge. I feel that is what might save this country. I have alway wanted to just learn. I like learning new things and creating ways for others to learn. That is part of the reason I want to become a teacher. We are not going into this profession for the money. God knows that we are not gonna make a fortune at what we are doing. I want to make this world a better place. If we give our students the ability to create and seek knowledge on their own by directing them in collaborative projects of their own desire they will learn and be more productive. They will be much more enthusiastic about what they find because they found it themselves.
David,
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely rights that "teachers have a responsibility to learn how to create these web based documents not only to teach our subjects curriculum but to also teach how to create them." We are educators, therefore, we should be the ones educating our students with up to date materials and resources. We should be preparing them for their future, and this can only be accomplished by using technology or whatever new advancement that has taken place. Technology is an essential aspect of technology today, but schools are obviously not understanding this. It is discouraging to know that we are being prepared to use technology, while the education system is restricting technology. Like you said, "we need to evolve our industry, as every other industry has, to the point where it is ahead of all the others in the IT department." I hope we can make this happen and create a better environment for our students!