Blog Assignment 4

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

I liked this post. Dr. McLeod took a contemptuous approach to addressing the people that have concerns about students using the internet to learn.

First off, I did a little research on Dr. Scott McLeod. I found that he was Associate Professor at Iowa State University for the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He also directs C.A.S.T.L.E., the U.C.E.A. Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. No wonder he is so passionate in his post that mocks the ignorance of those who don't understand the array of uses technology provides for learning students.

In my comment to him, I stated that people fear what they do not understand. There are so many people that still don't "get" the internet. Not only is that sad for those people, (hello 21st century), it is also sad for those individuals' children. I agree with some of the other peoples' comments on Dr. McLeod's post, yes there needs to be some discretion. We can't just put students in front of a computer and tell them to go to town, we need to give them guidelines. I am positive that Dr. McLeod already understands this concept. I think his point was to address that ignorant people can try to justify their disapproval of the internet, but in the end, he is going to make sure his students take advantage of the tools they are given.

The iSchool Initiative

Wow! Travis Allen is a really ambitious seventeen year old. He makes great points, and from the looks of it, he did his research. Although there is something so nostalgic about pencils and paper, I think there is definitely a change that needs to be made in our schools. He is right. Our school system is broken and he went about making a change in a very modernized (and drastic) approach. While this approach might shock some people, I happen to like it.

The only thing I would change about this program is replace the iPhone with the iPad. To keep up with all that information on such a small screen would be an absolute nightmare for my eyes. But that is just my personal preference. My only concern for such a program would be all the technology snafus that could occur when using such devices. These kids would have to be extra careful and take extremely good care of their iPads (or phones) because repair costs could really add up. Other than that I think the iSchool initiative is just the kind of push schools need to get organized and save money. I especially like that it helps the environment. I give Travis an A+ and I hope that his ideas catch on with more and more schools.

The Lost Generation

I thought this video was very clever. Towards the middle I was feeling pretty dismal. Then the narrator flipped things around and I felt hopeful. I really liked this technique. It took some negative things about society and our future and turned them into a plan of positivity and prevention. I was not expecting the video to turn out that way, but I am really glad that it did.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

I think this video is multifaceted. There are so many elements to it that made me think. First off there is a composer. He is composing people from all over via the internet. They are all singing the same piece in unison... I am bewildered! This video is incredible! I didn't even know that a virtual choir was possible.

From the comments on the video, it would seem that other people are really moved by this concept as well. I believe that this use of the internet is very innovative. It's actually brilliant. It is allowing people from all over the world to connect and form a choir that can be enjoyed by other people from all over the world. That is a fantastic idea.