Blog Post #2

Image by jfournierphoto via FlickrResponse to Did You Know? 3.0
      I cannot believe that the first text on a cell phone was sent in 1992. My friend had a cell phone in 1992.  I remember it and found a picture to post of it.  The big box with the big rubber antennae. I thought it was cool.  She was the only person I knew that had one. I bought my first cell phone in 1996, and the only reason I needed it was because my husband moved to Alabama and I was finishing up my student teaching in Louisiana. When I heard of texting, I thought it was silly and impersonal. I would rather have a conversation than constantly typing. This year my husband and I bought new cell phones and added texting, we started out with 200 texts. Now we have unlimited because texting is so much easier, no long drawn out conversations! You send your question and get a quick response.  LOVE IT! Like the saying goes, "Don't knock it until you tried it!"
      Technology has changed significantly since high school.  I used to have to type all my reports on a typewriter.  It was such a pain, especially when you messed up and had to insert the little white out strip.  I still did this in collage because computers were just becoming available to us and we still had to turn in hand written or typed essays for literature classes and English classes.  I dropped an English class two times, then finally they added a computer class where you could type up all your papers.  LOVED IT!  No more scratching out and having to rewrite. To attend USA I had to call my doctor to get my old medical records and the nurse said she would have to look up my shot records on fiche. Had not heard that word in years. We had to use micro fiche in the library to look up old magazine articles to write papers in college. Now people just search Google!  I do realize technology is moving rapidly just had no idea at what speed. The amount of information available on the internet is not doubling, tripling, or quadrupling but growing exponentially.

Response to Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman
      This video is about Rip Van Winkle waking after 100 years to find technology rapidly advancing, but time has stood still in the classrooms.  Lectures and note taking, children bored at their desks. The computer sitting in the back of the classroom all dusty and not used really was the only thing about the whole video that caught my eye. It is amazing to see how technology is advancing outside the classroom.  Why isn't money being spent in the school system to keep up with technology?  Why aren't teachers being told that they have to incorporate technology into the classroom?
     I know my daughter's elementary school has at least 4 computers in each class and a computer lab.  I know the computers are slow and outdated, they use the internet to play games that focus on reading and math skills. Unfortunately, money is not spent on technology in the public school system as it should be.  Our school is getting smart boards but not every class has one.  Computers are a big part of our future, so why not use them as part of the learning process.  

Response to Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity:
     I really do hate that creativity is so far down on the list in the school system.  I loved to draw as a child and I just started to draw again as an adult.  I do not really feel like I was educated out of creativity.  I did take an art class in high school.  I never took any in college, they were available to take though. I never really had anyone say to me I couldn't draw, but I always thought that I was not very good at it. I also thought art was not something I could make a living doing, because most artists did not become famous until after they had died. I encourage my children to draw and paint.  My son loves to draw. I will definitely encourage him to continue drawing. He is a very creative, imaginative child.  I do believe he needs the reading and math, but I also encourage his artistic abilities. All of my children have blooming imaginations. I wish schools would not only focus on the reading, writing and math.  They need to have programs to include the arts.  
      Why can we not teach kids through music? I actually taught a reading series 11 years ago called Sing, Spell ,Read and Write.  It addressed every child's learning style through a multisensory approach.  My children loved it and I loved it too!  I recommend checking it out and using it in a center if you cannot deviate from your school board curriculum. http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?subject=5&category=773&sid=1271744262-28687
    I like the story he told about the ballerina. She did not need to be medicated.  She needed to move in order to learn. Children learn from hands on activities. Some learn from singing. How many of us know the words to our favorite songs?  It is easy to memorize things through song. Multiplication Rap CD...kids love this too! 

Response to Vikki Davis' Harness Your Students Digital Smarts
      This is the perfect example of how the classrooms of today should operate.  This is a small town school that knows how to spend money efficiently.  They teach the children about technology and how to use it.  Technology is rapidly growing, children of today need to understand how to use computers and not be afraid of them. 
      I loved that they were learning how to create their own Avatar.  I agree with Vikki Davis that all children can learn but they cannot just learn with paper and pencil.  Computers capture student's interests, so why not teach them something their minds will focus own.  They should be comfortable with technology and not be scared to use it. This video just shows you that all teachers need to be introduced to technology, if they have not learned it on their own.  Teachers should have to go back to school and be technology trained.  Maybe not all subjects would benefit from the use of technology but it may make learning more interesting for the students if the teacher could find a way to incorporate it sometimes in the learning process.