Friday, January 22, 2010

Week 2 Assignment

A Vision of Students Today
I really enjoyed this video about the average college student. I must agree with majority of what the students said, well wrote. College is tough, especially when you have to work or a family. I would say this video shows a glimpse of what college appears to be. I especially liked the girl who showed what she wrote about "18% of my teachers know my name," I find that true because some of the basic courses, such as a history, is filled with 100 or more students and how is one person suppose to know 100+ students names.
I went to Mississippi State University as soon as I graduated from high school; when I attended, all the classes that I had were filled at least with 200 students. It was really hard to understand what the teacher was talking about in class, and in my opinion, the teacher did not care if you passed the course or not. At MSU, they did not use chalk boards at all, it was all done by lecture or power point. I am not sure if I could add anything else to this video other than, using more than one camera, because I felt a little dizzy after! As I stated earlier, I really enjoyed this video, I thought it gave a good in-sight of what a typical college setting is.

"It's Not About the Technology"
I was intrigued by this article because it demonstrates what teachers need to know and what future teachers need to know. Mrs. Hines made some really strong points, the point that stuck out in my mind was "Teachers must be Learners" because there are not many teachers that are learners. Some just do not want to learn any more because of the schooling that they have had. But, a person never stops learning. Technology is now and the future, teachers as well as students need to embrace it.
Teachers need to teach technology to their students, as well as the students teaching the teacher about technology. Good teachers need to enlighten their students with the enjoyment of technology. I believe that majority of the schools need a program or seminar to teach the teachers how to use the various technological equipment and how to teach the teachers how to teach it to students. We need good technical savvy teachers in our classrooms. I really enjoyed this article.

Is It Okay to Be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
This article was very informative. I was enlightened with Mr. Fischs' thoughts about technologically illiterate teachers. I believe that if a teacher wants to teach anything, including technology, they must want to teach it, learn about it and want to learn more about the subject. In my opinion if a teacher just has to teach students about technology, even though they do not want to, it is a double standard. Teachers want the student to be interested in it, when they, the teachers, are not interested.
I feel that all teachers should be technologically literate. Technology is here today, tomorrow and in the future, so get use to it. If a teacher does not want to acquire the skills about technology then that teacher needs to change their profession. When a teacher does not include technology in their classroom, the students are the one who are being jeopardized. Overall, I was really intrigued with this article.

Gary's Social Media Count
One word, WOW! It is so crazy how much can happen in a second. When I first clicked on the link for the social media count, it started out as 80 something new blogs and now it is almost 3000 new blogs. It just goes to show that everyone, well almost everyone, is using technology. I wonder what would happen if all of sudden computers, phones, etc just magically shut down? I know I would freak out, I depend on my computer for just about everything.
Teaching is changing so much because of technology. I think it is up to the teacher to stay updated with the new and improved technology, as well as schools. Children need to be technologically literate, as in Mr. Fisch's article. Technology is never ending! As I am bringing this blog to a close, the number of new blogs is 6000!!

4 comments:

  1. Good post especially the last one, made me smile.
    I have had an ongoing debate with Dr. Strange and have felt that it is alright for a veteran teacher who is proficient in what they do not to be technologically minded. However, I maintain that all future teachers should be required to become aware and to use technology in daily activities.
    The College of Education at the University of South Alabama produces 85% of the teachers on the Gulf of Mexico; it is great seeing the talent that so many people from different walks of life will be exposed too in the classroom as a result of EDM. You are one of the first teachers anywhere in the country that will be able to go into a classroom and at least know what every piece of technology can do for the school and the children you teach. You will also know how to find and validate information quickly making you able to stay on top of new technology. Any school will embrace people who are technology savvy and willing to apply for grants and incorporate new experiences in and out of the classroom. Good luck.

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  2. I liked reading your thoughts on this weeks assignments! I have asked the same question as you did this week -- "how is one person suppose to know 100+ students names?" Honestly, to me I find it impossible. I am terrible at remembering names. I also like it when you said that "When a teacher does not include technology in their classroom, the students are the one who are being jeopardized." That is correct! The teachers are not harming themselves, but harming the children they are teaching.

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  3. I agree with you if a teacher doesn't want to become technologically literate then they need to find another profession. We as teachers are holding the future in the palms of our hands and we must do our best to not let them slip through the cracks of the education system

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  4. you are so right about the class sizes at larger colleges-- i went to southern miss and no one knew my name! Also I agree about teachers wanting to stay illiterate about the media. Great posts

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