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Did You Know 3.0?

Karl Fisch's presentation was very informative and really made me think about technology and it's rapid growth. I know that technology is constantly growing and changing at an unbelievable pace, but I never realized just how quickly that pace is. It is amazing that a student's knowledge and work with technology is outdated before that student finishing his fourth year of a four year school technology program. Myspace and facebook are both extremely popular websites; however, it puts the size into perspective knowing that if Myspace were a country it was be the fifth largest. By comparing the amount of years that tv, radio, ipods and facebook took to reach 50 million people, it showed how quickly technology is becoming more and more of a necessity for everyones lives.

I found many of Fisch's statistics shocking. I know that education in America is not as good or as progressive as many other countries; however, the statistics about the number of honor students in India compared to the population of students in America is unfathomable. I also found the statistic regarding China and the English language shocking. Fisch's statistics on education in other countries reinforces how behind America is falling when compared to India and China.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Mr. Winkle Wakes was, to me, exactly how technology and education truly are. Technology is progressing at a rate that is impossible for people to keep up, while schools have not made much of a change at all. I believe it is safe to say that almost all businesses are like what Mr. Winkle saw. Many use Skype as part of their communication with other businesses in other countries and all have the internet and email. As true as it was about Mr. Winkle's office, it was sadly just as true about many schools being the same. A lot of schools and classrooms have one computer in the room that is rarely used, if at all, by the students.

Students are very up to date on technology and base a lot of their lives around it. They see facebook, twitter, text messaging, etc as their means of communication. For most students, the majority of their time is spent using some type of technology. That is what students know and are interested in using. Schools today need to integrate education and technology. Students learn better when they are interested in the material. By integrating the technology that students are familiar with with their academics, the students will take more of an interest in what they are learning.

The Importance of Creativity

I completely agree with Ken Robinson's idea on The Importance of Creativity. Not all children learn the same or are interested in the same thing; therefore, children should not all be expected to progress the same academically. Some students are more visual and hands on learners than other students in the class; but, because of many of the academic programs schools adopt, those students are not reaching their full potential in the classroom. Sadly, a lot of teachers stand in front of their class and just teach the lesson. The students may have a worksheet to complete or a related assignment, but in many cases the students are not involved in the lesson. There is no discussion and no chance for the student to find things out for his or herself. The students are being taught what they should know with minimal creativity.

Schools are becoming more and more focused on standardized tests forcing the teachers to have to cut out subjects such as art and music which leaves the students few opportunities to use their creativity. Students are being taught what they need to know to get a good grade on the tests that reflect the quality of their teacher. Many students never reach or even know of their potential in school because they do not have the subjects such as music or art in which they would excel. Schools are focusing on the here and now and not the future. More and more jobs today demand creative thinking that students are not given the opportunity to discover in school. If students' creativity is not practiced when they are younger, they will lack in creative thinking later in life.

Harness Your Students Digital Smarts

Vicki Davis is doing an extraordinary thing in her classroom. She is able to take a rural classroom in a rural community and connect them to the rest of the world. She has a classroom that actually allows her students to use creativity and independent thought. She introduces them to technology that they would not otherwise use. I like that she introduces and depends on the students creativity to do well in the class.

One thing that I really like about her class is that she allows students to find information and answers for themselves. If she uses terms the students do not know, the students Google the term or concept instead of her telling simply them. I also like that the students have the access to communicate and research with students around the world. It allows the students to gain research done by other students their age in different countries. This allows the students to depend more on themselves and helps build their confidence.