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.