Blog Assignment 4

Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please? by Scott McLeod:

     I liked Dr. McLeod's take on this. I like how he made you wonder the entire time if he was really against technology. He makes a bunch of valid points though. Technology can be dangerous; sexting, cyber-bullying, cheating, predators, porn.. it all exists. It's all out there. However, it's out there in the real world too, not just online. So, I think it is extremely important to not only teach about the positives of technology, but the negatives too. I think we in EDM should also be taught the negatives of technology. I think we should be taught about parent control settings in addition to blogging, skyping, twitter, etc. After all, if computers are going to take over schools and the world in the near future, don't we need to learn how to protect our children to some extent? Having a child of my own, I think so.

     Scott McLeod, J.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Education Administration Program at Iowa State University. He has received numerous national awards for his technology leadership work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, and the National School Boards Association. Dr. McLeod blogs regularly about technology leadership issues. Also, Dr. McLeod is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading academic experts on K-12 school technology leadership issues. 

The iSchool Initiative:

     My first question after watching the video is who is going to pay for these? Is the school going to provide them like they provide books or is it going to be the responsibility of the parents? If so, what about the families that have 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 kids? Are they going to get assistance? I know I  went to school with two different families that each had 12 children. So at $150 a piece, that's almost $2,000. And what happens when one break or messes up or freezes? I know my internet at home goes out at least once a month. Over the summer when I was enrolled full-time in summer courses, my internet was down for a week. What will happen then? Do the students get counted as absent, do they get penalized and have to make up the work that they missed? Will they just fall behind? In my opinion, technology is not quite there yet; it has not been perfected enough for a school to go completely technology-based.
     In addition, I truly believe that children need a classroom environment. They need that experience, that outlet. When a school turns technology-based and you attend "class" by logging in online, what does that do for social interaction? This is the same reason I would never homeschool my son. I think they need to be surrounded by children their age and experience learning hands-on. That's how they learn and how they grow... not staring at a computer, iphone or ipad all day.

The Lost Generation by Jonathan Reed:

     Very clever I must say. It is sad to say that in today's work, a lot of people do put work before family, rely on material things for happiness, divorce rates are rapidly increasing, and the rising generations are becoming ever more apathetic and lethargic. And the video is right, it will remain true unless we reverse it, but how? I think now more than ever we need to reevaluate the importance of family, work, money, technology etc. We need to return to our roots and realign our priorities; that's where change begins.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir:

     Although I am still for social interaction, this video was a great demonstration of one of the many uses of technology. It is crazy to think that 185 people from all around the country could collaborate and make such an amazing video; it was very creative and interesting to see!

Teaching in the 21st Century:

    What does it mean to teach in the 21st century? It means you not only have to teach facts and content, but you also have to teach skills as well. You have to integrate technology (in moderation, in my opinion) into the classroom to enhance these skills. Since technology is expanding and everchanging, the upcoming generations need to be familiar with how to utilize every source that is at their disposal, but at the same time, need not be reliant on it. Teaching in the 21st century also means that you must challenge, push and engage your students.