Blog Post 2

The video Did You Know? 3.0 by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod was intriguing to say the least. It definitely captured my attention from the first frame. What shocked me the most about it, was what they said about India. They have more honors kids than the United States as a whole has kids. With the bit about the most in-demand jobs in 2010 not even existing six years ago, one really has to step back and look at that from an educational perspective. Most of the children you wind up teaching, will go into fields that don't even exist, just like the video said. I don't think this should scare people away from teaching, but should make them more excited about it.

Another thing that shocked me what they said about internet usage in general. We, as a society, have been extremely dependent on it. Not that this is a bad thing, because things that could not reach other societies, can now get there in the blink of an eye. When used wisely, technology is actually a brilliant tool that everyone can benefit from. I believe that was one of the multiple points pulled from this video. We shouldn't be afraid of using technology, but embrace it.

Mr. Winkle Wakes was a little odd to me at first, but I really did end up enjoying it. Basically the video follows this man named Mr. Winkles and how he awakes and finds himself in a technologically advanced society. He goes to an office building and a hospital where technology is being used to its full potential and he resists such a change. Mr. Winkles finally finds himself in a school, where nothing has changed and he enjoys it. The teacher still lectures and the only computer was in the back of the classroom and covered in dust.

This video shows a very interesting take on education, because for so long teachers and people in general were against using technology in the classroom. Even when I was in high school, most teachers only had basic computer skills and were stuck when something broke. The video showed that, no matter how resistant, we have to be willing to change and adapt. If you don't adapt, then you will be left behind.

I positively loved this video by Ken Robinson! This quote really struck me during the video: "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." Sir Robinson makes quite a few good points about the education system nowadays. Mostly how the hierarchy does not favor the arts in schools. People are pushed into things like business and "useful" careers. They say that you can never be a musician or an artist, so why bother? Basically, they undermine being creative and essentially try to squish it out of people. If you nurture the creativity of a child, they will flourish in all aspects.

The interesting story Sir Robinson tells about the dancer and what he says is true. Sir Robinson states that nowadays she would've been handed drugs and probably never would've realized her full potential. That's how society operates now and its scary. If we rid our children of creativity, then they will wind up as uninspired masses. I applaud this video, as well as Sir Robinson, and people really need to take a closer look at what they are doing.

Cecilia Gault's article and video interview with Sir Ken Robinson was really interesting. She is incredibly young, but her writing suggests that she is clearly very knowledgeable about the world we currently live in. She sees the value in creativity, mostly because she goes to a performing arts school. These schools shouldn't be the only ones embracing creativity; it should be nationwide. I'm sure in a few years, she will continue to hold onto this knowledge and expand on it, as opposed to just falling along the wayside. It'd be interesting to see where she is, education wise, in a few years.

Vicki Davis is a brilliant teacher by far. This video shows just how welcome change can be in a classroom. Or how successful one can be if they are just willing to change. Instead of just lecturing and teaching with pen and paper, she uses computers and teamwork. Not only is her classroom learning in different ways, but they are connecting with people from around the world. They are in Georgia and have connected with people in Qatar. Vicki Davis also says that she is learning from her students as well, it is not just her teaching them.

In today's world, Vicki Davis is showing how successful technology can be within the classroom and how you can connect your students to the outside world, which is so much bigger than we believe it to be. Like I pointed out with the first video, technology is a tool that should be utilized to its fullest potential, especially within the classroom. You can build teamwork and cooperation with the students and give them skills that are becoming more and more valued in the workforce nowadays.