Blog Post Assignment 2

Did You Know?

Dr. Strange made his own version of Did You Know? based on the version by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. Their version is called Did You Know? 3.0.
Dr. Strange's version focuses on informing future educators on how important technology and preparation is when you become a teacher. He created a video full of facts and statistics of education and languages around the world. For example, he starts off with stating, "25% of the population of India with the highest IQ out numbers the entire population of the United States."
Another fact mentioned in Strange's version that stood out to me is that "18 million Chinese citizens speak English, and 300 million are learners." This statement caught my attention because we can barely use the English language correctly in America, let alone learn another language. How many of you can honestly say you are fluent in another language?
We, as future educators, should be paying attention to videos and information like this because in a few years this may become a reality. It makes me nervous that another country will soon be more fluent in our language than we are. It is my goal to make sure my students understand and appreciate the English grammar, not just learn the rules.
According to Dr. Strange's video, "Today's learners will have 10-14 jobs by the age 38." When I become a teacher, I will have to prepare students for not just one job but 10-14. This statistic could also change or increase in the next ten years as well. It is important for educators to continue to educate themselves in order to keep their teaching up to date.

At the end of the video, Dr. Strange ask his listeners, "And you want to be an educator?" My answer to Dr. Strange is YES! I understand that as a future educator I am taking on a big responsibility, and I hope to be the role model students need in life.

Did You Know? 3.0

Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod's original version of Did You Know 3.0 has different meaning behind it, but it can still be interpreted as a wake up call to future educators. The difference is that this video focuses on how technology and the world are changing while giving you freedom to develop your own interpretation of the effects.

One of the questions that stood out to me the most in this video was when Fisch and McLeod asked, "Whom did we ask before Google searches?" In the past, research had to be conducted in the library or in another resource center through encyclopedias and books. Today, we can find answers with the click of a button. Our world is going "green" in the sense that more and more articles, research, and books are being published or purchased online to save time, paper, and money.

When I watched the ending of the video and saw the last question, "So what does it all mean?", I took to heart how important technology is. As a future educator, I now understand the importance of incorporating technical resources into my classroom. I plan to adapt to and learn how to use any new technology that comes my way.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle Wakes is a cute, comical video created by Mathew Needleman. In this video, the character, Mr. Winkle, wakes after sleeping for 100 years. He gets up to go to work, but when he walks outside everything looks unfamiliar. His office is now inside a tall building full of computers and other resources he does not know how to use.

In distress from a complicated office he goes to the hospital because he is feeling loopy. Once he walks into the hospital he begins to feel even worse. The doctors are using x-rays and other resources that he is unfamiliar with. With no were else to run, Mr. Winkle heads to his old school.

Inside his school he feels comfortable and warm because it is still familiar to him. The students are sitting in desk while listening to a teacher lecture, but the computers sit in the back collecting dust.

Needleman illustrates an excellent issue that is seen in classrooms today. There is not enough use of technology, and it needs to be addressed. I know that some school systems cannot afford top notch technology because they are funded by the government. However, teachers need to use the resources they do have to their greatest ability. When I teach, I plan to incorporate technology into my lessons as much as possible.
The Importance of Creativity

Ken Robinson once talked on TED about The Importance of Creativity in schools. According to Robinson, "schools kill students' creativity." He believes that everyone is interested in learning in their own creative way. In his speech, he establishes the idea the education is meant to take us into the future that we cannot grasp realistically today.

Robinson stated, "Kids will take a chance. If they don't know, they will take a go. They are not afraid of being wrong." He believes that the education system demolishes this drive in children, because the students are so worried about getting the answers right. They do not use their imagination when they are focused on not making a mistake.

In my classroom, I want to instill in my students that no answer is incorrect if they can back up their answer. It is important to me to challenge children to think outside the box. If I force students to learn information my way they are not learning for themselves, but instead they are simply memorizing.

Ken Robinson stated, "Intelligence is diverse and dynamic." This means that the brain should be interactive with creativity, academics, and fine arts. He mentioned the fact that there are many students who think they are not smart, because their talents are not academics.

This stood out to me, because I believe that every child is unique and brings their own special qualities to the classroom. We are not robots. I want to assess my students based on their achievements, not on their mistakes. It is a goal of mine to challenge every student I teach to go the extra mile and achieve more than they could ever imagine. In order to do that, I will encourage my students to be creative and be true to who they are.

Think About Glass

In February 2012, Corning made a video about A Day Made of Glass. At first, I did not understand what was going on until I watched the A Day Made of Glass: Unpacked version.

Basically, Corning gives you a glimpse of what the future holds. Their plan is to create a tablet that will replace cell phones. These tablets will work other glass products to transfer and display information. It will be luxurious and resourceful, because it is made of glass.

I will be looking forward to the day when I can use one of these large scale information walls in my classroom. They are made of glass, so they will be luxurious and elegant. It will also be nice not to have to use any type of projector. The information would be presented electronically from "my tablet." Although, this new technology would take me sometime to get used to, I would love to be able to adapt it into my teaching.

Hopefully, by the time I am in a classroom the luxurious class activity tables will be affordable. I would love to use one of those in my classrooms! (If you do not know what I am talking about, take a few minutes and watch the video so you can fall in love with them as well.) Having a electronic activity table illuminates the need for numerous activities, because I would be able to create many games or fun ways of learning electronically. Since it is made of glass it will also be easy to keep sanitized and clean.

Technology is changing every day. There are so many new and fun ways to teach lessons. I cannot wait to incorporate different concepts of learning into my classroom using electronic resources.

Project Glass

Google made a terrific improvement in video technology when they created The Google Glasses. At the beginning of July, they had a live demo showing off their new invention. In the demo, experts jumped parachuted off an airplane, landed on a roof, biked downstairs and into the recording studio.

In the video online I got to watch the whole process from "The Google Glasses." It is crazy how they could record from such a high altitude! Who knows, in a few months we might see people walking down the street with blue-tooths in their ears and Google glasses on their face. Technology is never ending and constantly changing, so as a future educator I am prepared for whatever comes my way.