Blog Post 4

Scott McLeod, JD., Ph.D

Scott McLeod is an Associate Professor in the Education Administration program at Iowa State University. He is also the Director of the UCEA Center for Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Mr. McLeod also is the co-creator of the video series "Did You Know?" At Big Think, he blogs regularly about technology leadership issues at Dangerously Irrelevant.

In Scott McLeod's blog post "Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?", he uses a humorous approach to explaining the importance of allowing our children to use technology in the classroom. He states all the bad things there are on the internet for our children to see and how using a computer everyday is bad, but then at the end he says he is teaching his children all of it and says "can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two". Mr. McLeod is right, there is a lot of bad stuff on the internet, but there is so much more stuff to help our children. If our children aren't allowed to use the internet to learn are they really learning? We live in a technology advanced world and our children need to know how to use technology or they will not be able to keep up with the rest of the world.

The iSchool Initiative

In his video, Travis Allen a high school senior, talks about how a regular school should become an iSchool. He says we can replace all the paper, pencils and pens, text books and any other supplies we need in class with just one ipad or iphone. He shows several different examples of what is offered on the ipad, such as a calculator, a Wikipedia, and several other links to find educational related information. He says students would still be able to take notes and research without using paper and pencils. Travis also talks about how the teachers and students, as well as the parents, would be able to all stay connected at anytime from any place. Going from a regular school to an iSchool would also help the environment. We would be saving several trees by eliminating all the paper we have to use.

I have to admit that Travis has some good points. I don't know that I am completely for taking all books and paper out of the classroom, but I do feel like we should use more technology in our schools. Ipads are very advanced and you can perform almost any task needed just with a touch of a few buttons, but I'm not sure that all children are responsible enough to learn how to use them and keep up with them. I know its easier to keep up with one ipad then 7 different textbooks, but I still think there will be some students who will not learn as effectively this way. I think maybe we should start out slow and see how this idea works. If it works the way many people think it will, then great we get rid of books and paper, but it needs to be a process not just an all at once change.

You Can't Be My Teacher

In the video,, Darren Cannell is using her son to show the importance of using the internet in the classroom to teach. He is still a small child and already understands that we should be using more then just text books to teach our children. Is it possible to prepare a child for the world in which we live if we only use text books to teach?

No,it is not possible. We live in a very technology advanced world. If we continue to use only text books to teach our children and never teach them how to use the internet they will never succeed in the way others who have learned to use technology do. Yes, there are bad things on the web, but if we supervise and teach children how to use computers appropriately we should not have to worry at all. The good of technology defiantly outweighs the bad and we as future teachers need to realize that. Text books aren't enough anymore. Children need to be talk using different forms of technology and computers are just the beginning.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

For those of you who do not know what Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir is, it is a group of 185 people from 12 different countries, who have never met yet they preform together. That's right they perform beautiful music together just using the internet.

Wow is about the best word I have to describe this. I never would have thought it to be possible to perform with 184 people I have never met, but after watching this video I see it is very possible. All they used was their computers and the internet and they were able to come together and make beautiful music. This is amazing. I am learning more and more each day of what is possible just be using the internet.

Teaching in the 21st Century

While watching the video Teaching in the 21st Century, by Mathmadesimple, I began to think about the assignments I was given during my school career. As every student is, I was required to do a research paper, but I was not required to use the internet or any other form of technology to do it. We could use the computer, but most commonly we use books to do our research. What if we were required to use the internet then? I feel if more teachers required and allowed their student to use resources other then books to do their assignments students would do better and be more intrigued about their work.

This video had some good points, especially comparing entertaining with engaging. Yes, the internet can be fun and there are many entertaining sites to go to on the internet, but it can also be educational. Shouldn't the work we ask our students to do be at least a little bit fun? If we assigned work on the internet rather then with pen and paper, do you think the students would be more eager to research and do their best? I do. I feel like if we give our students the chance to use their skills in an area such as technology instead of just saying"here write me a paper" they will do better and learn more.

To teach in the 21st century means allowing our students to use the technology we have available. Our world is always changing and so should the way we teach our students. I do not feel I was prepared for the world in which we live just by doing the assignments required in school. I don't want my students to feel this way. I would hope that the assignments and the way in which I teach will help my students prepare themselves for the world. The only way to do this is to use more technology and allow them to do things differently then the way most of us have been taught.