Thursday, September 2, 2010
Blog #2
After watching the video “Did You Know?” I learned a lot of facts that I wasn’t aware of. Everything seems to increase drastically as technology is advancing, and population is growing.
This movie is also giving you facts about different countries around the world. While watching this movie it made me realize that a lot is happening around me every second and I don’t even realize it. This shows that a lot of us are in there own world and are maybe not aware of what is going on in their environment.
“Mr. Winkle Wakes” which makes me think about my great parents. In this video you realize that the world changed from when you were a baby until now. After watching the video you see that Mr. Winkle Wakes is not comfortable with the “busy people” or the “strange sounds” that he hears.
He went to different places in the city and didn’t understand all the new things he was seeing but then he went to a school and realized that some things never change even after a hundred years.
This makes me think about the future and when I will be older. There will be definitively new inventions and I wonder how will I react to them.
In “The Importance of Creativity” I was reminded that everyone has a different and interesting education. I was also reminded that each one of us is talented but do not always show it. Picasso once said, “All children are born artists” and I think it is very true.
In schools we do have Art classes but it’s down on the hierarchy of education. Some of us think that Art is not as important as Mathematics and Languages. I don’t agree with this because I believe that through Art you can show your personality and be different from everyone else. Often when you tell your teacher or even your parents that you want to do Art or Music they tell you that you shouldn’t do it because you’re not going to become an artist or musician so there is not point. And this is not the best thing to do, as we’re not growing in creativity, we’re growing out of it, which I personally think is a shame.
“Harness Your Students’ Digital” makes you think about how you want to teach as there are several ways you can teach and make it interesting for the students and for the instructor.
Vicki Davis uses different type of technology to work with her students she uses computers and phones. She believes that every student can learn, but there are different types of teaching. You can teach through paper work or using computers like she is. Vicki Davis makes it also interesting for the student, as she is not only the one who is always teaching the students, she makes the class do presentations and learn from one another. I believe this is very efficient as it differ from all the other classes where most of the work is on paper. She also makes the students think, as she doesn’t give them the answers to everything, she lets them do researches and I think it’s a great way to learn. I personally believe that when you do some research for yourself you tend to remember it forever oppose to being told the answer.
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I like what you have to say about the last video the best. From working for Dr. Strange with EDM 310 students, I have learned couple valuable lessons about myself which relate to your comment. The first is this-- I enjoy the struggle to find new information most days. I have not always been that way, but I am now. Many students do not know what it means to be confident in their struggle. It is important to let them DISCOVER the value in the battle to find an answer/solution/reason to their problem. You said that you to appreciate learning things by "doing research for yourself"-- I wonder how many people in EDM would honestly agree.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing I have learned, is that it IS A CHALLENGE, not to just do something for a student in need. After you have explained something five times-- its easy to kneel down, go through the motions in 2.5 minutes and say, "okay, now you try." Instead, I should begin by asking, "what have you tried so far? Why hasn't it worked? What are you going to try next?"
This little reflection has set me on a mission to evolve, I hope you're ready for the change!
Eloise I could not agree with you more. It seems that when you research something and discover the "correct" answer, and often times there is more than 1 correct answer, you tend to have a sense of pride and ownership in your work. Vicki Davis encourages her students to become independent thinkers as does Dr. Strange. It is nice to see that you recognize this and that you're able to act accordingly.
ReplyDeleteIn Mr. Winkle wakes, the video shows how behind our school system is. Even though we have made great strides and advancements in technology, day after day our students are met with opposition in the schools when given "BORED" work. What will you do to ensure that you are a 21st century teacher?
Elo, I love your response to the 'Importance of Creativity.' Arts have always taken a "back seat" to language and mathematics. I never understood that. Instead of of harnessing our students creativity to express themselves, we are simply squashing it out them by telling them to be like everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI think I, as Anthony puts it, "honestly agree" that doing the research for myself would be much more self rewarding. I think most people (even though I know they won't) should agree if they are a becoming teacher. Discovering the information for myself helps me remember it a lot longer than if some teacher just tells me.
Eloise,
ReplyDeleteI like how you stated the hierarchy of subjects within school systems is wrong. I agree with you that fine arts are very important for students to learn. I believe they are important because they promote self growth physically and mentally through creativity. Throughout school, I have noticed that if a class is to be cut, it is always the fine arts classes to get cut first, never other classes. In education, the universal view is basic subject’s are the most important, but children do very well in subjects that harness creativity, and this should be noticed by parents and educators.
I also agree that parents are hindering their children's creativity by telling them not to pursue something because of money reasons or the low possibility of becoming a specialist in certain fields, like famous painters and actors. I think this is wrong because a child could be apt to do better at one thing and a parent should encourage their children, and tell them to pursue their passion, whether it be something in fine-arts or not.
Elo,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up a good point ... we’re not growing in creativity, we’re growing out of it ... this is true in our schools today. We are trying to test people to death rather than let them be creative and truly learn skills and knowledge that can last a lifetime.