Blog Assignment #2

Did You Know
After watching the two videos, Did You Know? 3.0 A John Strange 2012 Version and Did You Know? 3.0 by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod, I was completely taken back by the surprising information in both videos.

The first video I watched was the one by Dr. Strange. The statistics were eye opening and extremely unsettling. As I watched the video I realized that we as Americans tend to rank ourselves among the top when it comes to things such as: education, technology, and social media. In reality we are not among the top nations in these areas. I think back to my mother, who is from Germany, and that on top of taking German as a class she was also required to take English. That requirement has not changed, as my cousin(who lives in Germany) is also required to take English courses. Yes, our schools require us to take a foriegn language in high school but in other countries learning a foriegn language is being taught at a younger age and progressing them to be fluent in those languages. Most other countries, as mentioned in the statistics shown, are far better educated that America. It is devastating to realize that, unknown to many, our nation is being surpassed by other countries in almost every aspect. Yet, as Americans, we are still in the mind set that we are far better than any foriegners.

While watching the second video I became even more unsettled. I had not realized that in 2004 the top jobs of today were nonexisitent; and that the methods, that students are studying trades in their first year of trade schools, will be outdated by their third year of trade school. Technology is certainly progressing. The video even stated that in 2016 they are forseeing the production of a computer that will work like the human brain(with its capabilities and information). I am impressed that technology is constantly progressing and its vast capabilities.

Mr. Winkle Wakes By Matthew Needleman
I thoroughly enjoyed the video Mr. Winkle Wakes By Matthew Needleman. It was cleaver to use a child-like story to portray a simple yet important message. This video shows the importance of technology and its impact on the world, and how the use of technology has not made its needed impact in the classroom.

I agree with the video, that technology needs to make a greater impact in the classroom. However, I see nothing wrong with leactures and note taking. Technology should be used as an aid in the classroom to accompany leactures. Students should be shown how to use the resources that technology offers, in order for them to keep up with fast and ever changing technological world. Students can be taught skills through technology that will help them in the job market in their years to come. Technology is all around us and this video helps enlighten, those like Mr. Winkle, on this topic. I hope that more people see this video and realize the importance of technology in our classrooms today.

The Importance of Creativity By Sir Ken Robinson
The video The Importance of Creativity By Sir Ken Robinson was insightful. I completely agree with his views on the importance of creativity and how the school systems are killing the creativity in students. In his speech he gives many examples of how education is shunning the arts in the schools. He explains how education is focused on the hierarchy of subjects that society deems important; including mathamatics, sciences, and literature. This excludes fields such as dance, music, and art.

I myself have seen this happen, as I was heavily involved in the music department throughout grade school. The basic subjects of math, science, history, and literature were said to be the most important; and the art programs feel to the bottom of the list. Education has taught us that creativity is not important or necessary in the educational environment. Creative topics like dance and music can lead to extraodinary talents and yes, there are promising careers in those fields. It is disheartening to see kids with vast creativity get medicated and ignored and told that it is ADD or ADHD. It has become an excuse for people. It is important for students to have the ability to express their creativity, as well as be taught the necessary basic subjects.

Mr. Robinson has some great thoughts on the importance of creativity and I strongly agree with his thoughts. When I become a teacher I plan on encoraging creativity with my students.

Think About the Future: A Day Made of Glass 2, A Day Made of Glass 2: Unpacked. The Story Behind Corning's Vision, Project Glass: Live Demo at Google and In Light of Mr. Winkle Wakes
After watching these videos I am in complete awe of technology advances. A Day Made of Glass 2 I was completely amazed at the technology that Corning has access too and that this company is trying to make this accessable worldwide. After watching A Day Made of Glass 2: Unpacked. The Story Behind Corning's Vision, it was shocking to hear that for automobiles glass is already accessable, although it is at unrealistic price. Technology is a wonderful thing and it is important that we all know how to use it, because in the future our lives are going to be more and more technology based. I like how the videos showed how glass would be used in the classrooms and how it would be a very hands on experience. I appreciated how Project Glass: Live Demo at Google showed how mobile glass can be. It seems to be a great product and a significant advance in technology. However, I was a little uneasy about the idea of glass at a park. Nature is one thing that should be experienced without technology. Call me old-fashioned on that part, but that is simply my thought on that one.

In light of Mr. Winkle Wakes, if I were to awake after one hundred years of sleep to see glass walls, like Corning's product, I am not sure what I would think. It is mind boggling to realize how far technology has progressed and the unfathomable future that technology will hold. It will be interesting to see where technology will take us.