Blog Post 3

For my C4C assignment, I left my classmate a comment on her blog. I enjoyed reading her post, and agreed with her views about where technology is headed and how it will affect the classroom. I did give her a few suggestions in the area of sentence transitions and grammar. I chose to comment on her blog rather than send her an email because I think it is okay to mess up. Everyone messes up, and I think it is a good thing to be corrected.



“It’s Not About the Technology” by Kelly Hines

In her post, Kelly Hines talks about technology in the class room today. The world today is busy discussing and deciding what new technology is needed in future classrooms to help change teaching for the better. Kelly Hines states in her post,” I do not believe these things are the first things we need to initiate in our classrooms.” I agree, everyone should recognize the need for an overall change in the approach of teaching and learning.
She gives a list of four things that she thinks teachers must recognize that will help students in the new generation of learning. Hines first states that teachers must be learners. Teachers must be invested in their profession and must be up to date on the trends and tools. As Kelly Hines states, teachers must know what their students are doing and where they are coming from when they enter the classroom. Secondly, learning and teaching is not the same thing. Hines says, “If a student has not learned, no matter how much effort has been put out, no teaching has been done.” Different people learn in different ways and not everyone learns at the same pace. Thirdly, Technology is useless without a good teacher. A lot of money is put out every year in order for schools to be up to date on technology. Teachers must be willing to learn how to use these tools in order for them to be beneficial. If teachers are not open to learning how to use them and use them the right way, then they go to waste. New technology can help better teaching if it is used in the right way. Lastly, be a 21st century teacher without the technology. Teachers do not need technology to help better their teaching. Using exercises such as critical thinking and problem solving are things that will benefit students. By allowing students to think and use their creativity, teachers will help better prepare students for what they will face in the future.




Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?

After reading this post, I have to say I agree with Mr. Fisch and his ideas. There are many teachers these days that are technologically illiterate, and I believe that is a hindrance in the classroom. I think a lot of the teachers who are not up to date on technology are the teachers who have been teaching for thirty years or more. I can kind of understand where they are coming from. If I had been teaching for thirty years and I had to change my way of teaching after all those years, I am not so sure that I would be open to that change. On the other hand there are the teachers who are just stubborn and do not like change.
I agree with Karl Fisch, I think that teachers who choose to be technologically illiterate are just hurting themselves in the long run. Principals are most likely going to hire a student who knows how a lot about technology and who knows how to use it over a teacher who is technologically illiterate. I am with Fisch, I think that teachers need to explore right along with their students. Teachers need to be up to date on technology and know what their students are experiencing.



Gary Hayes Social Media Count


Viewing the Social Media Counter made me realize how much social media affects our world. The counter is a useful tool to show prospective teachers what lies ahead in the teaching profession. I believe that social media will continue to thrive and dominate our society and further influence the teaching profession. I believe it is our job as future teachers to be ready for all aspects of the job, including social media and how it affects the classroom.
Mr. Hayes’ Counter shows how social media is growing. I believe that social media will continue to grow and further impact classrooms. I believe that future teachers will need to continue to keep an open mind and research upcoming social media ideas. A key part of teaching is connecting with students and understanding where they are coming from, understanding social media is just another way to do that.



Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today


After watching this video, the thing that stood out to me the most was how busy the video said the students were. According to the video, students were twenty six and a half hours each day. This is an impossible statistic, but I get what point they were trying to make. What I got from the video is that students are very busy, so it is crucial for teachers to make very good use of their time in the classroom.
An easy way to make better use of class time could be the use of technology. Although the video stated that some students sit on Facebook in class or use their computers for non class related things, if teachers knew how to properly use technology, students would participate.