Blog 2

I enjoyed watching Ken Kay's discussion on what every student needs to know.  Companies want workers that are thinkers and problem solvers.  It's not only important that they know the material for work, but they also need to be able to work together to solve problems.  They need to us as teachers to help them develop these skills.
It's not only important that children know the basic skills like reading, writing, math, social studies, science..... but they need to be able to apply it to real life.  Why is it important that they know this and how will it help them in the future.  I will always remember the time I took my youngest son grocery shopping with me. He hates math.  And I mean he really hates math!  We were looking at cans of tomatoes.  We could get two small or one large can.  When we did the math, we found it was cheaper to get the two small cans.  I will always remember the shock he had when he realized he just used math and why it was important for him in daily life to know how to multiply and divide.  I think that up until that time he just thought he would never really use math in his daily life.
 Jay Mathews wrote in his article The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad: 21first century skills about rush of implementing a new teaching fad.
"Every aspect of our education system -- preK-12, postsecondary and adult education, after-school and youth development, workforce development and training, and teacher preparation programs -- must be aligned to prepare citizens with the 21st century skills they need to compete." This is the all-at-once syndrome, a common failing of reform movements. They say changes must be made all at once, or else.

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Every few years teachers are introduced to new and improved teaching fads.  Whole language was one that came out a few years ago. We were told how wonderful it was and how it would reach so many children.  The problem is nothing beats plain old good teaching.  Teachers that engage their students in learning and motivate them to do better. 
Technology is here to stay.  It is everywhere, in the grocery stores, hospitals, librarys - EVERYWHERE.  We need to use that to our advantage.  I know a lot of teachers at my school who are very reluctant to use technology. My suggestion is that you try a little at a time.  If you keep trying new things, adding technology a little at a time, then you will be moving forward.  Moving Forward slowly is a whole lot better than being stuck in the past.

Mr. Winkle awakes

I have been trying to embed the video Mr. Winkle Awakes.  I am really hoping that this one works.  I have already talked about this video and the other videos in my other blog.  Have a great day everyone!!!!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lm1sCsl2MQY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Mr. Winkles awakes

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lm1sCsl2MQY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Implementation 1

Mr. Winkles Awakes is a great video. All teachers should see this.  Ours schools are changing. But Technology is changing faster.  We need to keep up with technology and engage our students.  We don't want to be like the school in the video, the same as it was 100 years ago. 

I went onto iTunes U.  I didn't really think that I would find a lot that I could use with my young students.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole group of videos on using the app iMovie on the iPad.  I use iMovie a lot with my students.  They use this app on their ipod touches to make reports and movies.  I know that the app is a little different on the iPod so I was really interested in learning how to use iMovie on the iPad.  It was really informative and full of great tips. 

I really enjoyed watching the video by Marco Torres and Donal Henderson.  It really reminded me of the first video I watched, Mr. Winkles Awakes.  They added humor with facts.  Education hasn't changed much over the years. I really like the idea of students learning skills that they use in the work force.   They stated that  companies want workers that are thinkers.  Isn't that what we want our students to become?  I really hope that I can teach my students not just what the answer to problems are but how to solve problems.  Technology can do that.  Children are able to become creative thinkers if are able to incorporate technology along with our daily learning.  I guess that is why I enjoyed  the iTunes video on iMovie and ipads.  I was getting so many ideas on using it with many different subjects.

Blog 1

I just loved the video Mr. Winkle Wakes.  The moment I saw it I emailed it to my father to watch. This was created by an Apple Distinguished Educator, Matthew Needleman.  My father informed me that I have actually met the guy but to be honest I really don't remember.  It brings out the question, "Has school changed in the past 100 years?" Unfortunately I have to agree with the video.  School hasn't changed much at all. Teachers are scared of technology and resist using it. They are afraid the kids will know more than they do.  Problem is they are right! When it comes to technology kids can run circles around most adults.  But Shouldn't we use that for our advantage????

The World is Flat was another really interesting video.  It really shows how our world is now getting more and more connected globally.  We are connected to other countries by the internet.  My oldest son is currently on a school trip to Spain. Morocco, and Portugal.  He's gone for two weeks.  I have talked to him and communicated with him almost every night.  He's having a blast! We bought him a cheap international cell phone but he isn't using it.  He's using his iPad.  He facebook messages me or we facetime each other when he is in the hotel.  My how times have changed! When I was in college abroad in Europe I didn't call or email my family.  They had to wait to get letters in the mail or postcards from places I had visited.  The internet really connects us with people around the world.  I laughed when he mentioned the taxi driver that had his own website!

Those Wacky Kids! I can just hear my grandmother saying that.  I know I keep mentioning how times have changed, but it is the truth.  I have two teenaged boys.  I really have a hard time keeping up with technology with them.  Five years ago, the daycamp I work with during the summer started a Facebook account.  While we were on field trips we upload photos of the kids having fun.  Parents and kids loved it and soon we had new kids that wanted to join in on the fun! Kids from our school would see their friends having fun and wanted to know how they could join.  My kids band teacher and choir teacher would use Facebook to keep the kids and parents informed on band related events.  Just when I get used to Facebook my one son says that Facebook is old, not the"in" thing anymore.  He uses instagram and the other child uses instagram and snapchat.  It is hard to keep up with them.  They are connected with friends through all these sites.  You tube is amazing.  Can you believe I learned how to tie a tie through You Tube?  Of course with all things comes negative side effects.  I know that You Tube has a lot of informative videos on it, both good and bad.  Many teachers use this as a reason to not use it.  What if they see something that is bad? What if they hear bad words, see bad content or connect with the wrong people?  I'm not sure what the magic solution is.  Do we ban all technology?  I hope not.