Introduction Blog

http://www.wordle.net/
The text and design of the web site itself are Copyright © 2009 Jonathan Feinberg, and all rights are reserved.

Did You Know:

I was shocked by the information in this video! It is incredible to me how fast our planet's technology is growing. I was born in 1986 and can still remember my father bringing home one of the first Buick models with a key-less entry remote!
It seems to be that according to the video, if people do not jump on the technological "band wagon" then they will be lost, and left behind. I found it interesting that technology is moving forward at a rate that is faster than people can keep up with, and it will continue to move forward even if everyone isn't involved in the movement. I use the word movement because I feel like technology is quickly replacing traditional ways of living.
Mr. Winkle Wakes:

This video seems to be an anti-technology-in-schools clip. At the same time it goes back to what I said about the "Did You Know" video in that Mr. Winkle slept so long, and didn't pay attention to the developing technology around him that the new look of the world didn't sit well with him. In fact, Mr. Winkle was lost and confused when he woke; everything was a bit unsettling to him since technology had soared forward.
Again, I feel like if there is only a small portion of the population that chooses not to accept the developing technology, it will move forward anyway. It was only when Mr. Winkle went into the school without technology that he felt like things around him were normal. However it seems to me that the students in the classroom were bored without the integration of technology in their classroom. It seems like technology today is something that interest students and keeps them motivated.
Ken Robinson: "Creativity is as important as literacy." I agree with Ken's statement strongly, partially because I love art and seeing children create in their own way. I also have learned in some of my education classes so far that many students are more motivated to study a subject when arts and crafts of sorts are involved in the lesson.
Furthermore, I agree with Ken when he mentions that students are being taught away from creativity. In order to continue in art and creativity as a student goes through school one must continue to learn to develop their creative skills. Art skills builds on themselves just like subjects such as math, science, and history. It seems that schools seem to be less and less interested in integrating creativity in the classroom as students progress through the years because teachers feel that art is distracting or an activity done at a younger age. This is really upsetting to me because art is a wonderful way for students to express themselves and a great learning tool for many people who struggle with other means of learning such as through audio skills, or memorization.
Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts video: I really enjoyed listening to this teacher, because I got the impression that she is learning right along with her students. She said that she didn't know everything there was to to know about the software she uses or the terms she uses, but she encourages her classes to help each other out. During the class everyone in it is learning. It was nice to her that Mrs. Davis at one point said that her students taught her about terraforming.
It seems to be a trend that when the teacher is learning along side students in early stages of schooling, the students are much more motivated to be engaged in the subject being taught. When you add creativity and projects that use more supplies that just paper sudents tend to be even more excited about the topic of discussion. With so much technology available to our students and schools today it is upsetting to not see more of it used in our classrooms worldwide.