Blog Assignment 3

1. Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

I liked the project in general. I think it would be a great assignment for classes every year. It would be interesting in how those answers and statistics change. However, I would have added students voices or background music to hold the viewers attention. I am ADD so the silence, along with the camera bouncing from one scene to another, made it easy for myself to get distracted.

When it comes to the actual statistics and whether they reflect my personal experiences, it would probably be fifty fifty. The 26.5 hours a day fact really hit home. I almost always feel like there are never enough hours in a day. I work 25 hours a week and take 15 hours of school. So add those together and try to balance having a social life, not easy. Also for the internet statistic, 3.5 hours a day online, I thought it could have been divided. At first it seemed extremely high, but then I realized I was only thinking about social networking spent online. When I factor in the amount of time I spend online for school, it could very well be 3.5 hours.

2. Read the post "It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
I really enjoyed this article. The part about teachers not using technology that's available to them is just wasting money. I wish some of my previous teachers from high school had been assigned to read her article. I had so many teachers who wasted the smart boards that were in their classrooms.

I think that it is so important for teachers to use new technology. It is not just because of the technology, like Mrs. Hines said, but it is also a gateway to better understanding our future students. It's also so important for teachers to be willing to learn. If we as teachers are not educated on technology of the present, how can we ever be expected to prepare our students for their futures?


3. Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
I loved this post. I thought it was outspoken and entertaining. I really like his comparison between parents admitting to never being good at math and parents admitting to never being good at reading. We've all heard it; Parents laughing to math teachers about how they never succeeded in that subject, but it's so true that we never hear adults laugh about not being a strong reader. It was something I had never thought about before. I also liked his comparison that teachers refusing to become technologically literate is just like teachers fifty years ago refusing to read and write.

I also really enjoyed his overall tone and sense of humor throughout the post. I felt like he was picking on his co-workers and friends, but in a light-hearted playful way. It's a good way to approach any negative situation actually, with a positive attitude and thick skin. I will definitely be reading more of his posts in the future.


4. Gary Hayes Social Media Count
The social media count is insane! When it comes to my career, it's a firm reminder that I better keep up to date with technology because trying to catch up would seem impossible. It also shows me just how fast everything is evolving. There is no doubt that we will be teaching kids to perform jobs which don't even begin to exist today.
I put a copy of his social media counter on my blog just to remind myself how important it is to stay up-to-date.