Blog Post #5

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? Post

Again, I love how original the post is. Whether he was being serious or not (I don’t he was) it came across as real. I have extended family around me that somewhat feels very similar to how Dr.McLeod. Sure, we as teachers can teach kids how to use technology and what it should be used for, but as soon as no one’s around they are going to explore the internet. You can only limit what a child (or anyone for that matter) sees or does for so long. Just make sure you’re honest with them about the dangers out there and be smart about what you tell them and what you shouldn’t tell them. McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He's also the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, and the National School Boards Association. In Spring 2011 he was a Visiting Canterbury Fellow at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Dr. McLeod blogs regularly about technology leadership issues at Dangerously Irrelevant and Mind Dump and occasionally at The Huffington Post.

From an educational standpoint, more technology needs to be in the classroom and we need to think of innovative ways to use more/relevant technologies in school. Seeing both sides to this is very important. Technology, just like everything else on this planet, can be used for good or bad. Example: We've always had a choice to buy a porno magazine and not to, just like we now have a choice to visit those sites or not. Again as parents and educators, we have to see where the fine line is with kids and adjust.

The iSchool Initiative and ZeitgeistYoungMind's Entry Video's

I could write all day about Travis Allen's video's. I've always thought it was only a matter of time until we went to a more digital way or learning in schools. For all the reasons Travis states, and more. I'm actually surprised we're not there yet even in High Schools. I think the University of South Alabama's (and other colleges as well) online system is flawed. If it were me designing and orchestrating how an online site works for a University, it would be very different. For one, EVERYTHING WOULD BE IN ONE PLACE. It only makes sense. Having our University Email in one specific spot, our USAOnline courses in another location, and then there's PAWS. It is absolutely ridiculous. Not to mention confusing. There should be on specific hub for a University with links inside that hub to take us to whatever other sites we need to go to. It would be much simpler for everyone involved.

As for Travis, I'm glad to see he is actually doing this. It's one thing to talk about it and another to put it into motion and make things happen. I think it'll be a while before we go to a more digital way of schooling (I don't think we'll ever go fully digital in our lifetime). There are so many benefits as Travis mentioned not to do it. Helping the planet, saving jobs and money are just a few that are extremely important. I enjoyed these video's very much and I'm interested in seeing what all will come from it.

Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir Video

In all honesty, I don't even know what to think about this. I know that there were a million things running through my head as I watched it. The possibilities seem endless. While watching, I was thinking of teaching an entire classroom of student's as they all looked at me from their room/computer. That just seems so awesome to me.

As far as the actual video itself it is amazing to actually pull off such a feat without practicing in person. I've been in a choir before as well as played other instruments and when you are performing it takes a ton of practice and rhythm. I think it speaks volumes of how well all these singers performed as well as the possibilities using this same technology.

Teaching in the 21st Century Video

Kevin Roberts conveys some very interesting points in his video. He points out something I've been thinking about myself for a long time. There's very little information student's cannot find on the internet. That wasn't the case 12 years ago. So what do we teach them? He really reached me when he said teachers are no longer the main source of information, we are the filter. The information is there to be used and it's our job to teach them HOW to use it and use it effectively.

As far as how it will affect me as an educator, I think there are still some intangibles that can't be solved with technology. Like interacting with other humans in person, forming real friendships, along with the code of ethics and morals students learn while in school. However, I believe it challenges us as educators to not only think outside the box as to how to use technology in the classroom, but also how to be a meaningful teacher when not using technology. We need to be focused on what they can take with them for the rest of their life after they leave our school. To me, that is the real challenge.