Blog Post #3

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
I think that Scott McLeod did an excellent job portraying the outlook of technology of so many adults; as well as tying in the importance of teaching technology to students. It is important to monitor younger students but keeping them away from the technology is only going to hurt them. Yes, there are some negatives on and about the internet, but can you not find a negative to any great thing? Students should be taught how to use the technology that they will soon be required to use for future jobs, universities, etc. Considering that Scott McLeod is the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education I believe that he has great credibility in regards to arguments concerning the needs and importance of technology.

The iSchool Initiative
This video was a very interesting outlook on how the fix the problems of budget cuts and larger classrooms. I have an iPhone and I use on a regular basis for emial, looking up information, directions, and many other things; however, I do not think it should be used in a classroom. I think that technology in the classroom is great and the Scott McLeod was absolutely correct about the advancement of technology; however, I think that iSchool goes a little too far. Technology should be in schools, but not to the extent of the iSchool. I agree with Travis Allen about the convenience and benefits of students and parents being able to look up assignment due dates, grades, lunch menus and such, but there are already programs that do that. My boyfriend's mom works at an elementary school in Georgia. At that school, teachers have to update students grades and attendance each day. On test days, teachers have to have that test grade uploaded for the parents to see by the end of the day.
One question that I have about the iSchool is what will happen to schools? If teachers can email students all of the assignments and notes and students can access all of the books on the iSchool, what is the point of even going to school? Why should it matter if class sizes continuously grow? And how would you integrate iSchool into schools? I do not know how possible it would be for iSchool to work considering how many teachers are already technology illiterate.

The Lost Generation
I liked this video. I especially liked how it was setup to say the exact opposite once it was reversed. I really like the technique she used and the points that she made. She really brought out brought out many peoples' views. For instance, when she talked about how our generation is dealing with problems in the world that we did not create and can not fix. Many people believe that; however, many people also believe when she reversed it and said that we can fix the world that we are given. I loved her ideas and the way that she expressed them.