Did You Know 3.0
I thought this video was very interesting. I love little facts like that. It is crazy to think about how much technology is changing and has changed already. I thought about how I tend to think that nothing else big can be created. We have already done it all. What else could possibly come out? But just because you can't picture the next big thing, doesn't mean it isn't coming and rapidly. I bet every generation things that.
It is a little concerning to me in the sense that I value my privacy. I feel like if the "higher power" were ever to turn, we as people should be able to protect ourself. We should be able to get away from harm. But with our current technology, I feel powerless. Our houses are on Google Earth. Our cars can be tracked? I know this example sounds a little extreme. I like technology and I appreciate things like the iPad, iPod, and my PC. But I do believe there should be a limit to how much of our privacy is taken away. It seems the greater technology becomes, the less freedom we have.
Mr. Winkle Wakes
I think this video makes you think about the way in which technology changes. In our everyday lives, we are exposed to new technology a day at a time. It seems progressive. But if you were to pay no attention to technlogy or have no access to it for 100 years (which is unrealistic but proves a point) it would completely overwhelm us. We would feel lost in our own world.
We become ok with the technological changes because they come gradually and most benefit us in our everyday life. We explore one new thing at a time and we take the time to figure it out. We talk about it with our friends. We discuss what we like about it, how it works, what they should have done different, and if we are going to get one or not. If we were to get exposed to tvs, computers, cell phones, ipods, ipads etc... all at one time it would have a negative impact. One, we would be totally ovewhelmed. Two, because they were introduced all at once, we wouldn't know how to use them; we probably wouldn't learn how to at a level we would have if they were introduced one at a time. Since they have all been introduced at different times, most have incorporated them into our life for every day use and we understand how they work.
Sir Ken Robenson: The Importance of Creativity
I was pretty bored in this video until about minute 12. This guy is very, very funny and he makes valid points. He talks about how the way we teach needs to change because it is outdated. We need to keep up with the world around us. I enjoyed the illustration about the girl who wasn't doing well in school. They said that she couldn't sit still and a conference with her mother was called. As a teacher, our first reaction would be to discipline and reprimand the student. Or like he said, put her on medication. This proves his point that the school system was killing her creativity because she was meant to be a dancer. One person took the time to see that and then she was enrolled into a dance school. She is now a multi-millionnaire.
He makes lots of valid points. We do need to revolutionize the education system. We get that. You can make all these sweeping statements, that is EASY. But the real challenge is HOW are you going to do it? How are you going to incorporate this change into the school system? I think that like most things, it's easier said than done.
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
I really like the fact that this teacher is out-of -the-box. She is trying something new. Not only is she teaching in a different way, but she ACKNOWLEDGES that the students are teaching her things too. Sometimes its hard to learn from people who think they know it all and that their word is THE WORD. She uses her classroom as a learning environment for everyone, including herself, the teacher. I really respect that.
Another thing I thought about was when she said that not all students are going to excel using pen and paper. Certain types of students will. But, not all will excel using computers either. People have different learning styles and it's cool to see a teacher adapting to try to teach more than just ONE way. It opens up a whole new area for students to explore, and possibly find their unique gift.
Privacy is gone. Facebook has made sure of that. But it is not just Facebook, it is all of the new communication tools. I am not sure that threatens our "freedom" however. How do you see our "freedom" as opposed to our "privacy" threatened by the new technologies. I could argue that the new technologies increases the average person's freedom, or potential for freedom.
ReplyDeleteBored for 12 minutes of Sir Robinson. That's hard to believe. Or you are easily bored.
This was an awesome post. I do agree with you on the whole technology thing. The fact that we can be tracked, even when we didn't give people permission to is just creepy. I threw a fit when we had to sign up for the blog b/c the only way to get the code was for them to text you so we had to give our numbers to some thing on the computer. I do have junk mail address for things like signing up for things, but couldn't do that for this. So yeh, I feel you on that one. It all just screams one world order to me.
ReplyDeleteThe presentation done by Sir Robinson was actually my favorite part. A couple hundred years ago, it was true that only the elite got education with a few exceptions here and there, but they were educated in everything, not only academics, but in dancing and fencing and horseback riding, all sorts of things along with their book studies.
Well for example, more and more places are making you use electronic payments only. A lot of places won't even accept personal checks. This makes your chances for identity theft much larger, which ruins your credit. We are losing the FREEDOM of choosing HOW we want to pay for things that WE buy.
ReplyDeleteAnother example, so many electronic advances are being added to our cars. It takes the away the freedom to work on our own car when it breaks down. Nowadays we have to take our car to places with EXPENSIVE electronic equipment just to see what a CODE says is wrong with our car.
A third example, through the advancement of cell phones, we could travel the country having the freedom of no one knowing where we are going. Now, through GPS tracking, people have the ability to track you wherever you go in the world. I think we should be able to go somewhere without satellites tracking our every move.
Lastly, satellites have the ABILITY to look into your bedroom windows at your OWN HOME! We can't even be at our own house without people watching us.
Our government is less than 250 years old and it is relatively young compared to other countries in the world. At some point in history, almost every government has turned on some or all of it's people to oppress them. A couple of examples are: Stalin with Russia, Hitler with Germany, Mao Tse Tung with China.
Yeh...a lot of people argue technology is not eveil or good, it depends what a person does with it....unfortunetly, I think the uses for not so good things totally outnumber the good things it's being used for as for as personal lives are concerned. It is unnerving to be tracked like that and not being able to pay cash for things. Even the Orlando turnpike, to get off certain exits you have to pay the toll with some sort of card, whether it's a electronic pass or credit card, both are traceable.
ReplyDeleteOn a different scale technology has helped immensely with scientific research and medical break throughs. I guess we have to accept the bad with the good, but that doesn't mean we have to be happy about it. I agree with you, our country is getting more oppressive and more communist and certain technologies have aided in that to a great extent.