Blog Post Number Four

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff, Please?
Dr. McLeod is an Associate Professor in Educational Administration at Iowa State University. He is the Director of UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE). CASTLE is supported by many companies such as, Microsoft and IBM. He has received numerous rewards for his work in promoting technology in Education.
I love the way Dr. McLeod approached his ideas in the poem. It was very sarcastic. He is definitely right. If we keep our kids from learning and using technology, then his and other kids will have the upper leg. We must teach our children the correct ways to use technology and how to be safe with it. The way to do that is not by keeping it away from them.

The iSchool Initiative
I loved this. I wish school would have been like that when I was in school. It is much better for the environment and it also saves money all the way around. This would teach students to actually problem solve instead of having all the answers right in front of them.
If students have to look for their answers and collaborate with students through the use of technology, this is engaging them in what they are doing. They would actually be learning by doing. What a way to remember the stuff you are learning. If it leaves an impression on them, they will not forget what they are learning.

The Lost Generation
I loved the format of this video. It started out by stating what people in this world say about the new generation of students. They wonder what will happen to this world we live in. I believe, if we teach them in the right way and teach them to do things instead of just looking for an answer in a book, then they could take this world farther than it's ever been. The video then turns it around to say what will happen if students learn to use technology and to problem solve in their every day lives. We must teach them to collaborate and think critically.

Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir
I thought this was awesome. I have never seen anything like this before. I did not even know that this could be done. WOW!! This goes to show that with the use of technology, we can go anywhere and do anything.

Teaching In the 21st Century
"Teach" in the 21st Century means to engage your students in what they are learning. If they are engaged in what they are learning, they will never forget it. Education has to change or we will always be behind. We are filters for our students. This doesn't mean that we should just give them all the answers. We should help them to search for answers to the questions we pose.
Creating things through technology would also help the students who are creative. This type of education could bring all students together in a way that we have never seen before. I would love to see my students actually learn by doing and creating.