Blog Assignment #2

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

This video was very interesting to me. I agree with most of the information in this video. I’m not entirely sure if all the percentages are correct though. I personally work 8 or more hours a day. I don’t have the time like other students to watch TV. Granted I am not a full time student here at South, but my entire week is spent here in the evenings. I’m not sure I would be able to go full time while working a full time job.

This movie does capture my college experience in some ways. I do wish that class sizes were smaller. I wish that more of my teachers new my name. I wish that some teachers would actually act like they wanted to be there teaching me. I do listen to music a lot, but that’s primarily listening to the radio at work. For me to make this movie more about me, I have to organizing my time. A lot of my time is spent going back and forth between work, class and home. I spend anywhere from 1 to 2 hours traveling every day. When you work full time and go to school in the evening, you have to be prepared to give up certain things. Unless you organize your time efficiently, then you will be wasting what precious time you have.


“It’s Not About the Technology” by Kelly Hines

I believe that Mrs. Hines has some good points. If the teacher is not enthusiastic about learning and teaching his/her students, then how do you expect the student be enthusiastic about learning? I don’t agree completely that it’s not about the technology. I think if you incorporate the technology into the classroom and have teachers who understand the best way to use the technology, and then learning can become fun.

I agree that the teacher must be a learner. If the teacher does not continually stay up to date on the technology available, and the new ways to teach, then the teacher falls behind. I also agree that learning and teaching are not the same. If you constantly say the same thing over and over again, who is learning? I believe that in order to learn, you must practice. Teach it, and then have the students do it. The more you practice, the easier it becomes and it will stay with you longer.

Using technology in the classroom without good teachers is pointless. If the teacher does not understand the technology, then how do you expect the students to learn from the teacher? I understand that teachers learn from there students. But if the teacher is continually learning from them in the areas of technology, something needs to change. When you have teachers who understand the technology and can use it in the classroom to increase learning, think of how the students will grow.



Fisch: Is it okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher?

I agree with Mr. Fisch’s post. I can see both sides that he talked about. I am for the teachers being technologically literate. If we continue to allow our students and future students to be taught by teachers who don’t care if they are literate in technology, the students will be the ones to suffer the most. When Mr. Fisch talks about the parents saying "I was never any good at math either", if we allow our children to use this excuse then we are letting them get away without putting forth the effort. We can tell our children that we were never any good at math and then get them the help they need, and encourage them to do there best.

I also agree that “Head teachers and Principals who have staff who are technologically-illiterate should be held to account”. If you don’t hold Head teachers and Principles accountable, then who do you hold accountable when the students are technologically illiterate? If you hold the teachers accountable for the students, then someone has to be accountable for the teachers who are technologically illiterate.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count:

This site is amazing. I never really knew how many people used the web. To see this change every second and realize that technology is our future is WOW!! What does this mean to future teachers such as me? I think it means that you have to be technologically literate. If you don’t have the basic knowledge, then how can you teach in a world that relies on technology? If you don’t learn the skills and continue to use them and update them, how can you teach students of the future? If you do learn the skills and continue to use them and apply them to teaching, then the students you are teaching will be able to understand this technology and possibly teach you something you didn’t know.