Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
In The post Dr. McLeod speaks of how parents should keep their kids away from computers. This would actually wind up hurting your children in the longrun because of how connected the world and it's people are to computers. I think he takes it to the extreme because he is only being a father. Computers are notoriously dangerous because of sexual predators and various types of perverts. Dr. McLeod describes himself as a solution builder, idea generator, and a catalyst, all of which are shown through his post.
The Ischool Initiative
I enjoyed almost every aspect of Travis Allen's videos. I think his ischool idea is absolutely brilliant. He does a great job of revealing how he plans to use the ipod Touch to change the world of education. He speaks in the video about the ongoing problem within the U.S. education system. I think his idea of an electronic school is not only amazing, but could also work. Parents are required to spend hundreds of dollars each year for school supplies and books. The beauty of the ischool is the only thing you must purchase is a version of an ipod touch, which usually costs around $150. Everything else you need is available through itunes which is an easy-axcess system that runs most of Apple's products.
After obtaining your ipod and familiarizing yourself with it's software, class is about to begin. Another great thing about Travis' idea is that all the textbooks needed are available on your ipod. Being able to download your books will not only save tons of money, but also our environment. The use of the applications shown in the video,allows students to focus on certain areas in which they've had problems in the past. The Calender application that is shown allows teachers and students to keep track of their assignments and important dates. The video helped me out by showing the U.S. Constitution application, which will be a major help in Government. I support Travis' idea one hundred percent and hope he gets the help he needs in order to make his vision a reality.
Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir
In the video, Whitacre takes 185 people from around the globe and creates a majestic choir performance unlike no other. This use of the internet is absolutely amazing. As pointed out in Jennifer's post, one of the most unique things about the performance is that none of the performers had ever met. This video is just another great example to show how much technology has evolved. The entire video was composed over the internet by 185 strangers that had never praticed or performed together. This use of the internet could be utilized in the future in order to bring the people of the world closer together.
Teaching In The 21st Century
In the video Teaching in the 21st Century, Roberts gives his views of what teaching will be like in the future. Because of quickly evolving technology, teachers are no longer a main source for information. Now all a student has to do is jump on the internet and type in a question. In order to not become obsolete, the teachers of the future must be ready for a new style of teaching. The technology of tomorrow is astounding, but who's going to show them how to use it? That's why teachers, in order to better prepare students, must learn how to use these tools themselves.
Reading Rockets
After reviewing the website Reading Rockets, I found various tools to help children on their way to becoming readers. The website points out the major problem of children in America lacking reading skills. In today's society, not only must you know how to read, but also you need to be able to do so with ease. Another problem with not being a sufficient reader is the lack of comprehending. In order for a student to be able to fully understand what they're reading, they must have the ability to comprehend what they read. The webpage offers various videos and other tools, such as podcasts, to help children with reading comprehension. The site also takes a different approach by having tabs at the top in order to categorize it for the student's parents, teachers, and principal for additional help.
The page also breaks down the aspects of reading into seperate categories. This feature allows the reader to focus on the areas where he/she is having problems. For example, if a child is having problems with the phonics aspect of reading, the website has an entire section on ways to help strengthen that area. In order to learn how to become a better reader, it helps to have something you enjoy reading. Thats why the site offers a list of suggested books and authors for children. Finally, they also have their own show on T.V. in order to help them learn from home. This website is a tool that can be extremely useful in helping develop a new generation of readers.
Hey Terrell! I also thought that the iSchool initiative would be extremely helpful in the school systems. Like you said it could save parents and school districts so much money each year and in the long run. Not only will the calendar application allow teachers and students to keep track of assignments and test dates, it will also allow the parents to keep up to date with their children. Parents can become more involved because like we have seen in this class, we are able to access all of our work through the internet. Students' parents can do the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was very thought out just make sure to proof read. There were a few typos and grammatical errors that I found. Otherwise, great job!
Terrell,
ReplyDeleteYou need to be sure to add clickable links and one picture to every blog post. Also, I do not think you understood that Mr. McLeod's post was sarcastic. He actually does want kids to use the internet to their full abilities. Otherwise, you have written a good, detailed post.