Blog Post #5

Stop Teaching Your Kids   

Scott McLeod has a Ph.D and is the Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Kentucky. He also is the Founding Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. And co-creator of the  popular video series,  Did You Know? McLeod is recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school.


I think Dr. McLeod's  post is interesting and I agree will him on some parts. I believe that technology can sometimes be dangerous. Technology has it's pro's and con's buts that like everything else in life. All jobs now days require the use of technology. We do not need to shelter the children, but we do need to protect them. This would actually wind up hurting your children in the longrun because of how connected the world and it's people are to computers. We need to teach our children the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors on a computer. Computers are notoriously dangerous because of sexual predators and various types of perverts. Technology is not all bad.


iSchool 

The iSchool Initiative, created by Travis Allen as a high school senior. He was 17 when he first launched this video on Youtube. His idea could revolutionize the public school system as we know it. In this video, Travis is basically saying that schools would save more money if they stopped using old methods of teaching. He is stating that it could cut cost as much as $600.00 per students down to $150.00 per students. Students would have access to resources on there iSchool that give them virtual school books as well as helpful tools such as U.S. Constitution, World Wiki, and Star Walk.
    I was very impressed by this idea of the iSchool it could greatly benefit the educational world. There would be limitless opportunities to better reach out educationally and as a community. By using the iSchool they would cut down on cost of textbooks. In using the iSchool students with physical limitations would be able to interact more in a normal classroom. . They would not be the student with the special learning equipment instead they can customize their iSchool to better help them. It is a shame that the education system is the last to fully catch with the technology upgrades throughout America. Everything that is discussed in the classroom or in the textbooks can be found on the internet. With this technology the education system would be fully take advantage of all the usage of the internet.


Virtual Choir

I was thoroughly amazed with the ability to take 185 singers that had never met and put together a flawless performance that professionals should bow to. With the use of internet and technology  anything is possible to accomplish, the internet and technology gives us limitless opportunities.

21st Century Teaching
Kevin Roberts has a different view on teaching. He basically thinks that teachers should be guidance for children.  They should let the students figure things out on their own. "Teachers are not the main source of  knowledge, we are the filter." Why do we even need teachers?  Without teachers, students would not have the knowledge to go search for knowledge.  You can find out anything you want to know just by googling it. Technology is expanding everyday and there are many apps that can be used to learn  school materials online. . No one is born into this world with the knowledge of how to read, write, or use oral language. These skills are necessary prior to being able to use technology which means we still need to teach students by communicating in person.


Reading Rockets

The website Reading Rocket is very helpful. There are tools for teachers, parents, and principals. This website gives you tools to make better learners. I viewed the grocery store activity sheets and was amazed. Even for those that I do not have kids you can say you have seen how hard it is to keep a child occupied while grocery shopping but if you give them something to do that is fun as well as educational grocery shopping is no longer a chore. I spent over a vast amount of time on the website and still had not looked at all of the information and tools that were being almost spoon fed to you. Teachers can  provide retrieval practice for students. Games allow children to understand topics in a fun way.  By giving teacher-prepared handouts prior to class lectures, the students are able to learn the subject beforehand. We need to teach students to be active readers. Breaking down the subject in steps can help students to grasp the concept better.