Blog Assignment #5

Don’t teach your kids this stuff. Please?
Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He founded CASTLE, the nation’s only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators. He is also a co-creator of the video series, "Did You Know?"

In this post, Dr. McLeod lists numerous ways technology can be used to help educate children and enhance their academic experience. When you first start reading the post, it seems as if he is against the notion of these technologies because its written with a pessimistic tone in descending broken text. This does a very good job of setting the stage for argument reversal in the end however when he makes his point that if parents, teachers, administrators, and board members don't allow the integration of technology into the curriculum, their children will be a step behind.

I agree with the overall message that Dr. McLeod is trying to convey in this post. While there are some bad things on the web that you want censor for kids, the internet and technology in general can be excellent tools for engaging children in the learning process. As anyone that spends anytime with children will realize, they thrive on being creative, innovative, and actively engaged in activities. Imagination is a driving force behind much of the psychological motivation in children and children are becoming more and more proficient in using technology at an early age these days as personal computers and smart gadgets become regular household and even personal items. When you think of it this way it seems silly, at least to me, to withhold technology from them in one of the most important aspects of their life. Instead of rejecting technology from curriculums, educators should embrace the tools available today to enhance the learning environment. While I don't believe there is anything wrong with pencil and paper work, the fact of the matter is it just isn't necessarily as stimulating to a child as a technology enhanced project could be. While children are young and still thrive on their imagination I believe it is important to nourish and stimulate it in the best and most effective ways possible. I believe technology can be used to achieve this purpose and educators should take advantage of this crucial phase of mental and psychological development.

More 'Simple Truth's of Life' Illustrations

The iSchool initiative (Mobile Learning)
In this video Travis Allen discusses how the ipod touch can benefit schools and students on an individual level as well as reform education across the board. He goes into detail on various apps that could aid teachers in numerous subjects as well as the positive economical effects of the initiative. He also advocates how the technology can benefit the community by holding both teachers and students accountable while simultaneously improving parental connections and administrative institutional unity.

I really enjoyed this presentation by Travis. I remember when the first iPod touches first came out. I and most of my class mates got them for Christmas or out birthday's in our junior year and almost everyone in my graduating class had one by our senior year. It annoyed many of our teachers to no end and often got us into trouble because our teachers wouldn't believe us when we told them they had real educational value when we used them in class. While that may have been a valid reason to disapprove of them when the first generation came out, I believe it is now an invalid reason. With all of the apps that have been created specifically for the purpose of education over the past few years it is impossible to deny the positive impact this technology can have on learning.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir - 'Lux Aurumque'
In this video, Eric Whitacre directs a virtual Choir through the use of webcams and composes all of the recordings into a beautiful, harmonic masterpiece. I love videos like this that combine the power and innovation of technology and the internet with creative skills and ideas of artists. As an artist myself I really enjoy and appreciate how the world of art has evolved because of technology. While I love traditional style art pieces in terms of drawing and painting, I also enjoy the newer aspects of digital art. I love being able to share, find, communicate, and collaborate with other artists through the internet. This video is a perfect example on how the internet and technology can be used to collaborate with other people on large scale projects. It's quite neat and unique and I love the idea that all of the people participating in the project have entirely different backgrounds, motivations, and paths of life, yet come together to produce this unified and amazingly well put together project. It is an excellent example of the human network becoming more global and interconnected. This is very promising also because it increases the field of talent you could find and work with for projects. As we journey further and further into a future filled with technological advances one can only dream of the future artistic ventures we will be able to pursue.

Teaching In the 21st Century
This video by Kevin Roberts raises a very important question. What is the role of teachers in this century? As the video alluded to, information is readily available and at the fingertips of students today. As a result, teachers are not necessarily the main conveyers of factual knowledge to their pupils anymore, but filters. I agree whole heartedly with this sentiment. Anyone can simply google a topic that they are interested in and be presented with an overwhelming wealth of knowledge. While this is definitely a positive thing, it has its problems as well. Because it is so easy to google information, it is equally as easy to come across false or misinterpreted information. For this reason it is imperative to teach critical reading and analysis as well as research skills. This way not only would a student be able to find and supplement their education with personal research, but they would learn the skills necessary to seek truth and debunk pseudoscientific research in all subject areas. I personally have been fortunate enough in my academic tenure to have multiple teachers and professors in both high school and college that thought and taught this as well. I can honestly say that developing critical reading and analysis skills because of these teachers has had the most profound impact on my learning than any factual information I've learned in a class. I'm a frequent reader of various scientific, psychological, sociological, medical, and health blogs. I cringe at the very thought of possibly accepting some of the things I've read on these blogs throughout the years as fact if I had not been taught these skills by my teachers. I realize the major impact these skills have had on my personal education and I plan on imparting them in my future students as well. After all, the answer to a question can always be found, but you have to know how to look if you want it to be correct.


To hear and see what other educators have to say about this and various other topics check out the new Teacher Wall and Education Nation!