Blog Post #2

Did You Know?
In this video by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod there are many facts that inform us of things we might not have known. My eyes have been opened after watching this video. I did not realize some of the facts it discussed. There are so many reasons why technology is important for us to keep up with. Technology is taking over our world and if we don't keep up with it we will be left behind. There has been a huge technological boom in the last twenty years and there is no stopping now. As future teachers, we have to take advantage of the technology in front of us so we can show the generations we will teach to do the same. The jobs we have today may not be here in ten or twenty years. Only time can tell what the future jobs might include.
Depending on technology too much can be just as much of a problem. Although I know technology can be very useful, I have a tendency to avoid some of it because of the effort I would have to make to figure it out, which is not always the best decision. Some countries pride themselves on being proficient in using and make technology. As one of the clips in the video suggested, some countries have a higher percentage of students that graduate with honors. I think this is correct because American people have a tendency to be very lazy. People in some countries don't have to freedom we have to slack off. Other countries are very hard on their students. Parents and teachers know the importance of grades and make sure the students do well to increase their chances of getting into college and ultimately have a better life, which I completely agree with. So many of Americans sit at home and want all the wealth and knowledge in the world to fall in their laps without any effort.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
In Mr.Winkle Wakes, an old man, wakes up and discovers the world around him is very different than when he last saw it. He sees all the technology in a work place and a hopital and began to feel very uneasy and uncomfortable. Then, as he walks through a school, he sees everything like he remembered it to be. In the school there was one dusty computer. I think this is very accurate in many of today's schools. Alot of schools have very few computers. Even if computers are in the schools they are not used very often or students are not being encouraged to use them. This is a very sad reality that needs to change. When the world around us changes we have to adjust with it.
How can we expect to teach students about the world around them if we leave out all the technology that they will come in contact with on a daily basis? Schools need to learn how to incorporate technology as much as possible. The more students use these tools the more comfortable they will become with them and the more prepared they will be when they get out of school and into the real world. Teaching students to use the technology around them can show other ways to communicate with others and found out information. Although technology can be good, there can be a problem with too much technology if we become too dependent on them. Teachers need to make these changes in our world a priority in the classroom. It is very important to find ways to incorporate these daily.

Sir Ken Robinson: Importance of Creativity
In this video by Ken Robinson, he talks about how creative arts classes in schools are being discouraged as being important. Schools today teach that Math, English, History, and Science are the most important above everything else. If you ask a small child what was their favorite part of the day, I assure you, it will not be the class where all they did was sit at their desk while the teacher lectured to them. The child will tell you how they made a craft, did a science project, sang a song in music, or show you a picture they drew in class. Then, as children get older they begin to let go of their childhood creativity because, as they are taught, it is not as important as other things learned in school. I agree with Sir. Robinson I think supporting creativity in children as they get older is very important. What if we talk a child into being a teacher when they long to be the most incredible drummer the world has ever seen? I believe being creative is not held to a high enough standard.
As I watched this video I began to think of all the people that I know that were considered ADD or ADHD and are talented in music or dance, including family, friends, famous writers, singers, and artist. There are so many people that could have walked away from what they love just because a someone said it was not a good career choice, unrealistic, or you could never make it. Doctors hand out ADD and ADHD medication like candy now days. Instead of finding other ways to help a child work with these types of personalities, doctors are so willing to label it and give a child medication to "fix the problem". Although some children need a little help to focus, these medication can also keep the children from having a normal happy life. These medicines can keep them from continuing to be creative and cripple them in the long run.

Pinterest
In Four Ways to Use Pinterest in Education it describes a few ways teachers can use Pinterest to their advantage. I believe I could use all of the different sites and suggestions this site provides. Pinterest is a very useful tool. It has many creative ideas for everything you can think of. Organization can be very helpful to me because I lack natural organization skills. I have to work at organization and get ideas from others so I can improve. Lesson plans are something every teacher has to do and sometimes it is hard to come up with new fun ideas. This site has many different fun ideas that you might not have thought of. Teachers have to stick together and share ideas. When a teacher finds something that worked very well with his or her students, it is only polite to share it so other teachers can enjoy it too. I think anyone can use Pinterest. It is a very useful tool, not only for now but for future use. I have already began to pin pictures and sites for future use in my classroom.
On the website "20 Best Pinterest Education Boards" I have found so much fun information on this website to help in a classroom setting or just for fun. One of my favorites is Ted Ed News this pinterest takes you to the Ted Education site, which has alot of videos. These videos are very entertaining, educational, and funny. I would suggest them to everyone that is a teacher or wants to be a teacher. Another one of my favorites, out of the twenty boards, is Vicki Davis'. This board has many pins for teaching ideas, lesson plans, decorations, helpful suggestions, games and organization. Kathy Schrock's Pinterest has anything you could ever need for teaching resources,ideas to bring technology in the classroom, working with special needs children, and helpful assessments. For anyone in their first year on teaching to someone in their twenty-fifth year of teaching, these sites have enough information for the rest of your teaching career. There should be not excuse for anyone not making their classrooms fun and inviting. This site has make being a teacher more fun and less stressful by not having to rack our brains trying to come with something to keep the children's interest.
Although I am still in school, I am very glad to have all the difference resources that Pinterest provides. This type of technology has so much information for me to use in the future. I can pin lesson plans, organization ideas, crafts, and room decorations now and use them when I finally finish my degree. It is better to be prepared now than struggling to figure it out all on my own. There are plenty of resources at the tip of my fingers so why let them go to waste? This website can, make the learning environment more inviting, help me improve my teaching skills and make school fun so students are more excited about learning.