I just read Matthew Kearney’s Blog on the Use of Video Medium.

On my last prac the school used ClickView in alot of their lessons which I thought was great as it kept the students engaged and they really enjoyed it. What amazes me is the capabilities of videos today, no longer do students watch videos but they create their own. 

I find that to be very beneficial in my KLA, PDHPE. Imagine the videos that students could produce on road safety, smoking, alcohol, drugs and even anatomy. Or understanding and breaking down the biomechanics of movement or contrasting good and poor technique in sport.

Using videos in the classroom would not only give your class variety but keep the students involved having the chocie to create their own.

Image: ‘Un-Blinded (Black And White Edit)‘
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I was just reading an article on William Glasser and came across this quote that I really liked.

To me it highlights a change in time – from talk and chalk (traditional teaching) to discuss, experience and teach (learning in a digital generation)

“We Learn . . .
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we discuss
80% of what we experience
95% of what we teach others.”

Did you ever watch The Flintstones and The Jetsons when you were a kid?

To me, one represented what I thought was the past and the other what would be the future…. just not in my lifetime!

I remember thinking how cool it would be if cars could fly…although I didn’t like the idea of eating a pill instead of a plate of food….

Did anyone really believe that would be our future?

Is it going to be our future?

This YouTube video The Future of Schools looks at what schools will be like in the future and how much of The Jetsons is reality.

Can you imagine futuristic field trips…..virtual excursions to The Great Wall of China, watching the signing of The Constitution, sitting on the sidelines of World War II……..

Image: http://jenknoedl.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/250px-jetsons.jpg 

In 1997 David Thornburg wrote ‘2020 Visions for the Future of Education’ where he stated that:

If our challenge could be limited to preparing people for the kinds of jobs available today, we would still have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, the challenge is even greater. Many of the jobs that will be available at the turn of the century have yet to be invented.

If you doubt this, consider the following. One of the job categories in great demand today is that of Webmaster — a person who designs, creates, and maintains sites on the World Wide Web. This job did not exist ten years ago. In fact, it did not even exist five years ago! This means that the people who are working in this new field have acquired their skills largely on their own.

And concludes,

Schools that ignore the trends shaping tomorrow will cease to be relevant in the lives of their students, and will quickly disappear. We must transform all formal institutions of learning, from pre-K through college, to insure that we are preparing students for their future, not for our past.

Thinking about that makes my brain hurt. Technology is never ending and it has gotten to the point where we HAVE to be technologically literate even if we don’t want to be. I have to say I thought I was doing rather well, learning how to blog, etc, etc, but after reading various literature and my friends’ blogs, do I know enough?

Image: ‘who knows what our future holds ?‘
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I’ve just found a fantastic video on YouTube that is a must see!

Titled: Evolution of Technology and Teaching

The video (4.35 mins) shows us what technology was like in the 1900s, compares it to the present – from chalkboards to SmartBoards –  and what it will become in the future…..

• virtual
• augmented reality
• holographic
• escalating levels of computing complexity and artificial intelligence
• microsoft surface

It’s a bit scary when you think what lies ahead in the future but it makes you realise how important it is for us to be incorporating technology into the classroom.

Image: ‘world on a table (#153)‘
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I’ve just read Kristie’s Blog on YouTube….Hilarious and I couldn’t agree more, it’s a great resource and an effective tool for teaching but, in recent times it has been the centre of great debate.

The underlying question still remains….How do you balance the positives and negatives of YouTube?

In my opinion, we don’t ban students from using pen and paper if they use it to write a nasty note or derogatory comment. So why do we ban YouTube? A simple keyword search on Google can yield inappropriate content just as easily as YouTube. Personally, I love YouTube. While there is a lot of “silly stuff” on it because it gave the idiots a voice (which I find rather entertaining!), it has also provided us with a wealth of possibilities!

Both of these have their place, but such use does not begin to tap the power of these new tools.

The following article, Teaching in Environmental Education by Clancy J. Wolf explains how technology not only enhances learning but also helps students to explore and understand the world around them.

Image: ‘Technology Then & Now‘
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I just read Karl Fisch’s blog about whether it’s okay to be a technologically illiterate teacher. What he says is that in the classroom we have expectations for student conduct.  In the same way, he writes, we should have expectations for teachers.

I don’t believe it is okay to be a technologiacally illiterate teacher!

Our society has become dependent on technology, teachers who are incompetent with technology are jeopardising their students’ success. I am not saying we all need to be at an expert level, I can tell you right now that I am no expert, not even close, but what message are teachers who can’t even create and edit a simple Word document sending their students?

What I find even more frustrating is educators dismissing technology “Oh, I just don’t know how to do any of that, ha ha!” To plagiarise the same argument Karl made — would you brag like that about not being able to read? I won’t go so far as to say that technologically illiterate teachers should feel shame and self-loathing, but they needn’t brag about their lack of knowledge either. There has to be a middle ground. A point at which, say a teacher realises his or her incompetence and decides something needs to be done about it — and not just running down the hall to the teacher who does know something about technology. As Karl said, teachers have to make the effort to learn. We accept nothing less from our students.

Image: ‘the world’s smartest fortune cookie‘
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I’ve just read Scott’s first reflection about teenagers, blogs and the new ‘90210’, and completely understand the questions he raises with regards to ‘Words and thoughts that are difficult to be spoken, now have an audience on the web’.

These social networking sites are sort of a cyber combination of a yearbook, personal diary and social club. It’s free, easy to join, and easy to message its members. Kids chat about everything from school, to sports, to gossip. It all seems like innocent fun, and it can be. But many parents and teens are unaware there are hidden dangers.

It’s a cyber secret teenager’s keep from tech-challenged parents who are not as savvy. It’s a world where the kids next door can play any role they want. They may not realise everyone with Internet access, including sexual predators, may see the pictures and personal information they post.

Do your own search and you can find scenes of binge drinking, apparent drug use, teens posing in underwear, and other members simulating sex, and in some cases even having it. There are less provocative pages but they are potentially even more dangerous. Teens listnot their names, and addresses, and even mobile phone numbers and after school schedules.

Image: ‘“?”‘

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After reading Julie’s Blog ‘Are Kids Too Wired?’, I find myself thinking along a somewhat different line…..

Milions of teens who grew up with a mouse in one hand and a remote control in the other now pour out their hearts, minds and angst in personal online diaries. Unprecedented numbers of teens are using blogs to do what they once did through personal diaries, phone conversations and hangout sessions: cementing friendships with classmates, seeking new friends, venting, testing social limits, getting support and getting all emo! They share daily dramas, post songs from the latest bands, display pictures of themselves, sometimes wearing next to nothing or taking bong hits. They write angst-ridden poetry, detail supposed sexual exploits and complain about each other or offer support. But mostly they simply relay the details of their daily lives.

The Internet is different from any other technology before it and creates a whole set of unknowns. As great a tool as the Internet is, there are a lot of risks that go along with it – your freedom and anonymity….isn’t what people really believe it is when they use it. People may say it’s not happening all the time. Just be the victim of it once. Then it happened too many times! 

Image: ‘Blogging Outloud (redux)‘
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