Blog Assignment 2

Did You Know? 3.0
No I didn’t know! Well, at least I didn’t know a lot of the information that was presented in this video. My first reaction upon finishing this video was that this is very humbling. It’s easy to get caught up in our daily lives and not think about the bigger picture and evaluate where we are as a world today. It’s easy to get comfortable where we are and forget that we are a part of a world that is constantly changing and growing. It’s easy to get left behind!

The video ended with a question: So what does this all mean? I think it means that we have to be conscious of the world around us and have the desire to keep up with the times. Our world is obviously not slowing down, and we have to prepare ourselves for that. In this video, it was stated that “we are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist”. This made me really start thinking. How do we prepare students for the future then? I think we as educators have to guide our students to gain critical thinking skills so, in the future, they will be able to adjust to their lives accordingly and anticipate what their needs will be.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
What a creative take on the classic tale of Rip Van Winkle. School is comforting to Mr. Winkle in his new world because it is just the same as it was before he woke up. As a future educator, that is a very scary thought! I can’t even imagine going to school in the same type of environment that my parents went to school in. Thankfully, education has changed greatly over the years, but we must continue to improve our teaching methods and philosophies to prepare the next generation of learners.

Even though Mr. Winkle saw the same “scary machine” in the classroom that he saw in the hospital and office building, “it wasn’t being used”. This is unacceptable. If the technology is out there and being utilized by the medical and corporate worlds, we have to familiarize our students with the same technology. It’s not enough to simply have the most up-to-date technology in our schools. We must have teachers who saturate the classroom with technology whenever possible.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
I definitely agree with Sir Ken Robinson’s assertion that we must educate the whole child. Something that really stuck with me after viewing this video is the story of the choreographer/ballerina. Her teachers claimed she had a learning disorder, but in reality she simply learned better when she was moving. Thankfully, her dancing talents were recognized instead of being stifled and she eventually became very successful. As teachers, we have to be aware of our students enough so we can avoid putting simple labels on them. Another humorous statement of Sir Ken Robinson is that even William Shakespeare had an English teacher when he was a child. Both of these little anecdotes serve to show that education is very important to the creative process and must be respected.

Creativity is important and must be cultivated in our students, but I don’t necessarily agree that we must restructure our whole educational system. The arts do need to be given more attention, but the reality is that most schools have cut back funding for programs like dance and drama. Without restructuring the whole system, creativity can be fostered in the regular classrooms as well. It requires flexibility and creativity of the teachers themselves. We must work hard to find creative ways to allow each student to learn in the most beneficial way for themselves. Teachers should incorporate all learning styles into every lesson and help students realize that failure is okay as long as success follows.

Cecilia Gault (Young Student in Finland) Interviews Sir Ken Robinson
First of all, I am extremely impressed with Cecilia Gault. She is a young girl, yet she seems very sophisticated. The article she wrote for Scholastic Kids Press Corps Blog is written very well and her interview skills are great. I actually had to watch this video twice in order to catch watch Sir Ken Robinson was saying because I was so impressed with Cecilia Gault and her professionalism.

Gault attends a performing arts school which suggests she values creativity greatly. Her intrinsic motivation is inspiring and she has obviously had some great teachers who foster and encourage her creativity. I hope I will be able to help students develop like this in my classroom. I think one of the keys to making sure students receive a good education is to get them involved and invested in their own learning. I truly believe that all students want to learn. The question Gault raises in her blog is can U.S. students compete? I definitely believe the answer to this is yes.

Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts
Because I am studying Elementary Education, I sometimes only consider younger students when thinking about education. I have always thought that is more natural to be creative and innovative with technology in a classroom full of younger students. Younger students seem more eager to learn and need more innovative technological methods to grab and keep their attention longer. I’m starting to think that this may not be the case though; it’s easy to bring technology to students of all ages.

Like Vicki Davis says in her video, it’s about learning to learn. To me, lifelong learning is important so we should teach our students valuable learning skills. Through technology, our students can learn to think critically and learn to learn. We as teachers are even continuing to learn so it’s important to not shy away from intimidating technology. Davis says that we don’t have to know everything when we teach. It can be a mutual learning process!