Blog Post 2

What will teaching in the 21st century be like?
     In the first video, Mr. Dancealot, we are shown a professor who is using technology, a power point, to teach his class how to perform popular dances. His approach to how he teaches this class catches his students off guard since they are only being told how the steps should be done and not practicing them. The central message tied into this video is that, while technology is a good tool, it is not always the appropriate tool to use. The students did not understand the dances because they were never given the opportunity to experience them first hand. The author of the video makes his case in the conclusion of the film by showing that the students were not prepared at all for the final. During the final exam they were expected to perform the dances but since they had not previously done so, they were unable to do them for the final. I do agree with the conclusion that technology is not always the best tool for everything or for certain classes.  I feel that maybe watching videos later of the dances would have been beneficial to Mr. Dancealot's students but only after they had been shown in the initial presentation how the dances should be done.
   

Outline for Teaching in the 21st Century:

Thesis- Learning is evolving, teaching has to evolve too

Main points: Information is always available, teachers are more of a filter, keep students engaged not entertained, keep students creating

     The main point of the video, as I understood it is that teaching has to evolve in order to keep up with the ways students are learning and finding information. To quote Robert, "students can find information, anywhere, at anytime, and [written by] anyone. This is true. Information is available at the click of a button which leads into his next point that teachers are seen more as a filter now. Teachers have the responsibility in showing students where is the best place to find information and what reliable sources are. One of the main reasons to evolve ways of teaching is to keep kids' attention. We are in a time where constant stimulation is possible. Kids stay entertained by playing on computers, smartphones, and tablets almost all the time. The generations now were practically born with a smartphone in their hand. So it is a challenging task to keep kids focused. Robert's solution to this is to keep them engaged in learning rather than entertained. To be engaged is to really want to learn about the material that is being presented and it is that engagement that will make them want to use all of their available resources to learn more about it. In a way, this becomes a successful cycle. An additional point made in his video is that there has been so much created so far that originality will have to be expanded too. While being taught about resources, students are shown how to avoid plagiarism. The more sources found, the more a student will have to use their own creativity to make a statement of their own, an original idea. If he is correct in his hypotheses, it will really have an impact in the way that I will have to approach teaching. As an educator, I want students to be interested in what I am presenting to them and want them to have questions. I think using the technology skills that they have acquired up to that point will be a really useful tool in keeping them motivated to learn. Additionally, since I am most interested in teaching health education there are so many apps that can help students learn about their own body really learn how to become healthy.

     My overall reaction to The Networked Student video, is that in that particular case the teacher isn't even teaching the subject to her student but instead showing him how to use the internet to find the information on his own. While I agree that it is important to know how to find resources and take initiative to learn about a subject, I think it is more important that a teacher teach on the subject as well. I do not think the search on your own method will work for every subject and even if it would, the student is spending more and more time at night looking up information on their own for multiple subjects. Ultimately, the student could become overwhelmed with having to do research on a multitude of topics. I also did not like that out of all the reasons listed as to why a student even needs a teacher, "an educator" was not one of them. The point that I am trying to make is that learning to become a learner is important but not at the loss that educators and professors don't even teach on their subject anymore. Why even attain a professional status if you don't intended to share your own knowledge on a subject? 

     In the video, "Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts", the main thesis focus's around how using technology can provide for all students and cater to all types of thinkers. Miss Davis really focused in on different and innovative ways that she could inspire her students to learn and understand all types of material that she was teaching. My overall reaction to her "argument" that the technology has improved her classroom setting was, for the most part, indifferent. I say indifferent because I see her positive points coming from it, I just think that it may take up too much time learning the new programs more than learning the overall focus of the lessons. However, I ultimately agree that it will help keep the kids focused and engaged in the new concepts they learn. 

     Who's ahead in the learning race? My first thought upon watching this video is that it is great that so many younger students are given the opportunity to work with so much technology available to them. It was interesting to see that they were so easily adapting to the MacBooks that they were given to do their work with. In comparison to college students, it would seem that they are "winning" the race but I also feel that to say that would be unfair. Students in the third grade, along with the majority of younger kids, pick up on using new things more easily than the older population, such as college students. My personal position in this race is not all that impressive unfortunately. I know how to work computers, smartphones, and tablets but there are several applications that I couldn't say that I am comfortable with. Hopefully I can catch up to my third grade competitors though!

     The concept of flipping the classroom is only slightly new to me. In high school my chemistry teacher used podcasts to help reinforce her discussions and lectures that we had gone over in class. The podcasts turned out to be very helpful whenever the chapters started to become more difficult. However, I have never heard it being used as an initial teaching tool. My thoughts about this go both ways. I think that it's great a student can view a lecture at night and then come to class with the questions that they have. I do not like the fact that the kids that do not have the appropriate technology would have to come in earlier the next day to use the teachers' computer. It just seems a tad unfair and I think that before things like that are assigned that all students have equal opportunity to do the work at home. Additionally, when the teacher in the video said that it would be helpful to them because they wouldn't have to spend so much time in front of the classroom. I was kind of taken a back by her statement because I feel that is the whole point of being an educator, to be up in front of the class. Perhaps that is just me though. I do not think that this approach will effect me as a teacher or be useful in the subject that I want to teach, that may change over time though.