Video #1

Mr. Wesch's "A Vision of Students Today" brings up some very good questions.
Is the current system of higher education working? College is suppose to teach
students not only subject matter, but also how to use or apply that knowledge to
solve problems they will encounter in the future. Most of my classes just pump you
full of information, but don't show you how that information can be used. How many
of the courses required to get your degree are still relevant in today's society?
Technology will solve all our problems? I don't think so. For those few students who
type faster then they write I can see them taking note on a laptop, but the students I know
that take their laptops to class they do anything but take notes with it. Online class are suppose
to be the future of education, but having taken a few online classes; I honestly would prefer
to go to regular class. I think that online class are great of some personality types, but not so good for others.
The cost of higher education is astronomical;it takes between ten to twenty years to pay off most student loans. What is going to cost in thirteen years when my daughter will be going off to college? Can the cost of higher learning be lowered? Why does a ebook cost almost as much as the hard copy textbook? Why is the international textbooks cheaper then the US textbooks?
I don't have the answers to these question, but I hope there is a way to fix the ever grow cost of college.



Video # 2

"It's Not about the Technology" by Kelly Hines, was a very insightful article, posted at www.eduratireview.com. Ms. Hines, who is a tech-savvy teacher,tells us that it's not the lack of technical tool, but the mind set of the teachers that need to be changed first. I agree completely; what good does it do to put a smart board in a classroom with a teacher who can't check their email, or doesn't know what a blog is. Number one on Ms. Hines' list of things to change
is that teachers must be learners! I love it. Teachers should always stay as updated as possible in their subject, research,tools, and the world around them. Kelly wrote "If a student has not learned, no matter how much effort has been exerted, no teaching has been done." I could not have said it any better, if the student didn't learning anything how can you say you taught them, start over and try teach the subject in a different way. I think Ms. Hines got to the root of the problem in most of today's schools. Most teachers I've encountered since my daughter and nieces have started school have been good teachers, but there have been a few that gave me cause for concern. There are too many out there that don't want to change the way they've been teacher for years, I think that some of that is on the administration as well as the teachers. The principles should know which teacher need to go to workshops to learn new tools and make sure they use them, and which ones should retire. If you are no longer passionate about sharing your knowledge with your students then it is time to get out of the classroom.


Video# 3

Mr.Fisch's blog "Is it Okay to be a Technologically Illiterate Teacher?" was the best blog I have read so far in this class. He's statement that" technologically illiterate teachers today, is like a teacher not knowing how to read and write 30 years ago." made a few people mad, but nobody really disagreed. The general consensus about the reason that there is some tech illiterate teachers out there, is that they are afraid of making mistakes. I think that is a cope out, nobody can learn something new without making a few mistakes along the way. They don't expect their students to be mistake free when learning a new topic, at least I hope not, so why should the expect it from themselves. I also think that it is the responsibility of the administration to hold their teachers accountable for not using new technology in the class room. My daughter started taking computer class in preschool at age 3; so my husband, a programmer, built our daughter her own computer when she was 4, and now at age 6 she is more computer literate then some of the teachers she had since starting school. I was personally appalled at her teacher's lack of computer knowledge last year, however that teacher and the rest of the kindergarten teachers took a summer workshop on how to use smart boards, which they had installed during the summer. I have always considered myself a computer literate person, but since starting this class, I think I have a few things to learn before I'm ready to embark on my teaching career.