I really enjoyed Mr. McLeod’s post and couldn‘t agree with him more. I think it was a clever way of putting out there that children should not be sheltered from technology, which is the truth. Technology in a child’s life can be more beneficial rather than being harmful, and the parents will have to realize that if they want their child to be open to the opportunities of learning in the future. Mr. McLeod is an Associate Professor in the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University and he also is the Director of the UCEA. He is very pro technology in the classrooms and is also widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues.
The iSchool Initiative
This video is quite shocking! It is hard to believe everything a student will need to know in a classroom can all be consumed onto one little ipod. Travis, the student that came up with this solution, is in no doubt brilliant. The idea of students having every information tool they need within a touch of a screen is amazing, but at the same time makes me wonder if the students will actually be learning efficiently from the “ischool.” If all the knowledge a student can ask for is one touch away, then how is the student actually learning when the information is just simply given to them?
Another topic in the video that was brought to my attention is how the ischool will be saving students money. One of my questions is will the school be supplying the ipods or will the students have to purchase them themselves, and also what happens if a student breaks their ipod or has technical difficulties? I read in a comment below the video that school are already starting to use this idea of the ischool around the nation. I hope to soon see the outcome of this mind blowing solution of fixing school systems.
The Lost Generation
This video is definitely an eye opener. When first watching The Lost Generation, I thought how depressing! It is sad to see all the negative things taking place in our lives today that can lead to even worse scenarios in the future. Once the narrator flipped the words around it makes you realize there is hope. In my opinion this video should be passed along to everyone so they can see that we are the only ones capable of making changes for the better of our future, instead of allowing things continue to spoil. Overall I liked the technique used in the video and thought it was very clever.
Eric Whitaker’s Virtual Chior
For starters the voices of the choir in this video are phenomenal. This is wonderful piece of art created by Eric Whitaker using technology, which is simply amazing. It had to take a lot of patience and talent to put this together, and they all did it through a computer screen. This is a great example of how technology can change the way people do things and be connected through the world as one.
What do you mean by "learn"? It appears from the context of your remarks that you mean memorize. NO, NO, NO! We need people who can ask questions, look for solutions, solve problems. The iPod Touch or iPad or other similar devices encourage that. Are afraid there are no teachers involved. Just wait until you listen to a TED speech by Professor Mitra which will be AA#2 next week!
ReplyDeleteHey Courtney! I also loved the idea of the iSchool. Even though I don't really like USA's ecompanion and the way it is set up for hybrid and full online classes, I do think that having the choice to use the internet is very smart! The iPhone especially is convenient for the sake of it's size and it's ability to navigate. If this idea were to take off, I wish I'd be in elementary or middle school when it did! Because colleges are doing so many things on computers, I think we as teachers need to help future college students by intergrating technology at an early age in education.
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