Did you know?
This video was very interesting, yet slightly disturbing. A lot of it shocked me, like the fact that India has more honor students than the US has students. Our educating system must really be going down hill. I guess this makes our jobs as educators even more difficult! Also, It said that the number of texts exceeds the total population of the planet. This doesn't really surprise me, but it is really strange to think about. More than most likely, most of these texts come from the US. Text messages are great, don't get me wrong, but they are causing us to become non-social. It is becoming easier to talk to people through technology such as facebook, email and text messages, than it is in person.
It stated that "By 2013, a super computer will be built that exceeds the computational capabilities of the human brain." Then, a few second later it says that by 2049, there will be a computer that will exceed the abilities of the human species! People are becoming so independent upon technology that you can't help but think that someday all of the jobs will be replaced by robots! You can't help but get that idea from this information, or maybe I'm just paranoid. Either way, this video helps to prove just how rapid technology is constantly growing.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
This video cracked me up! Mr. Winkle basically represents all the older people who have not yet adapted to the technology changes. It really has happened very rapidly too. My family got our first computer in 2000, I believe. My parents still have it, but don't use it. Back then we had dial-up internet and we thought it was the best thing in the world. They now have laptops, a web camera, and wireless internet. They've come a long way!
In the end, it said that Mr. Winkles was comforted after he took a visit to his old school. I didn't really understand that part because even in schools technology is used far more. I guess it meant that people are still learning the same basic concepts, reading, writing, and arithmetic. This is true, although now we learn these things with the use of technologies such as smart boards, computers, and projectors.
The Importance of Creativity
Ken Robinson brought up some very good points. He explained how creativity is important in children, and even adults. Creativity is about being original, and if we have no creativity, then all of our work will be basically the same! From this video I learned that it really is important for us to encourage the children to use their imaginations and try to be different, to be themselves.
He brought up the point that when kids are creative, they aren't afraid of being wrong, and that If we are not prepared to be wrong, we will never come up with anything original. We must try to not make children feel stupid when they answer a question wrong. Using discussion questions after teaching lessons would probably give children a chance to speak for themselves and put things into their own words. We need to focus on helping them to not become just like every one else, but to be their own self and to think for themselves. For many questions there are more than one answer, and we need to help the children to explore all possibilities instead of just one.
Cecelia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
In this video, a young girl named Cecelia interviewed Sir Robinson. I agree with him when he says that the school curriculum should be more balanced. We put such an influence on subjects like science and math, and then we think so little of allowing them to participate in art, music class, drama and dance. Those kinds of classes help them to be creative.
He pointed out three main points about creativity. One was that Everyone is creative. Some people just don't realize it because they were taught a certain way their whole life. The second was that creativity is not about just one thing. He is right, being creative is not just about painting what you want in a picture. When I become a teacher I will have to be creative about decorating the classroom and thinking up creative ways to teach my students. The third was that you can teach people to be creative. This is true! As teachers, we must try to encourage children to be creative. When I get students like Cecelia, I must try to get on their level and try to understand things the way they do. She is a very smart little girl! It will be challenging to teach people like her because she seems so advanced for her age.
Harness your students' digital smart
In this video, the teacher uses all different kinds of technology to teach her students. She uses wikis, blogs, podcasts, virtual worlds, and other forms of technology to teach them. I think what she is doing is really awesome.
You can tell that in the video the children are enjoying the class. They seem to even pay attention a lot! It is really impressive, and they seem to really be learning a lot. I think that this is an awesome way to teach, and I'm sure that many schools will soon incorporate even more technology into their programs.
We see to often in today's society the pushing out of creativity. Sure it easier to squash that aspect of the human mind, but we are creating a generation of students with no critical thinking skills. Without even basic life skills, these students are destined to a very hard life.
ReplyDeleteWe must also embrace technology. My six years old little girl knows more about computers than I do. If we do not begin to teach ourselves what this great medium can provide we will truly be left behind.
"... like the fact that India has more honor students than the US has students. Our educating system must really be going down hill." India has more than 4 times the number of students in the United States. If we define the top 25% of students as honor students we get a number larger than the total school population in the USA. It is a matter of size You can also say that 25% of Indians with two ears exceeds the entire population of the United States!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by "social"? Only face to face contact?
Specifically, how can creativity be taught?
You are right Dr. Strange, I did not take into consideration the population of India. For some reason I was thinking that it meant students there were smarter than students in the US.
ReplyDeleteIf you are talking about when I said that things like text messages are teaching people to not be social, then what I meant is that people are becoming too shy to say things to your face. They feel more comfortable confronting you or asking favors through texts or facebook, than they do if they saw you in person. It is just my opinion.
Unless I misunderstood, Sir Robinson stated that he believes you can teach people to be creative. I agree to an extent with his reasoning. We can encourage the children to be creative. If we try to implement ways for them to think for themselves (other than just tell them facts and not let them express how they feel about them) and ways for them to brainstorm into our curriculum, then maybe there is a chance they can learn how to use creativity in a good way. So I guess what I'm saying is that maybe they can't be taught creativity, but moreover encouraged to be creative.