These videos are a bit dated, in technology years that is, but they are still relevant to the state of education today. And that, is a bit concerning. Schools should not be rejecting technology, but embracing it. Students on the other hand should be taught to use technology as a tool to enhance their connection to the material and overall learning experience. With that being said, students shouldn’t have to ask to be engaged in learning. The pedagogy shift in teaching has occurred, and it is our duty as teachers to integrate our classrooms for 21st century thinking and learning. For the following two videos I will be reacting in the voice of a parent, analyzing their content as well as giving feedback. Video 2- The Essay My Interpretation – I loved this video. In my science fiction class students have to complete an activity with an outcome similar to this little girl’s essay. They have to research trends in social, political, and technological fields, and then become futurists predicting what the outcomes of these trends will look like in 100 years. The advancement of technology in the past twenty years has been unprecedented. Think about it, if you went back in time forty years and told your parents they would have all the information of the world at their figure tips in a little magic box, they would think that you were crazy. Yet, with the evolution of smart phones, that’s what we have today. In my lifetime alone, my cell phone is more powerful than my first family computer my father bought when I was thirteen years old. Video 2 – Role: Parent As a parent viewing this video I was a little concerned that the teachers and administrators seemed to be showing little respect for this girl’s ideas. Sure, they may have been a little different form those around her, but did she follow directions? Was she allowed to be creative? Did she really disrupt the learning of others? Imagination is the essence of discovery, which should not be stifled when it doesn't fit into a neat little box. I was also taken back by the fact that the parents took their child to a doctor and psychiatrist to have her evaluated. I am a father of a seven year old, and he may have some weird ideas, but I want to teach him that his imagination will help lead him down exciting paths in life, not ones of ridicule. I would be proud of my son if this was his essay, though I think we would be looking to enroll him in a new school, one that would help foster his creativity and innovation. Video 3 - We think My Interpretation – For a video promoting mass innovation, this was anything but innovative. Maybe that is because the video was dated 2008, though better techniques were being used at that time. It felt like a very low budget “white board” video. Remember those from the UPS commercials? Anyways, though I got the message, if I were to show this to my students, they would have lost interest quickly. There are many other videos out there that do a better job is showing the consumer shift into the 21st century of the mass consumption of free knowledge and open sharing platforms. Video 3 – Role: Parent If this is how the world is changing, especially with regards to thinking and the open sharing of information, what is my child’s school doing to get them ready for the jobs of the future? Are they doing anything? Are they helping create one of these new communities that will foster creativity, innovation, and invention? Or is my child receiving the same old education that has been used for the last century just because it fits the testing model established by the state? Form a parent’s perspective this video is eye opening, and would make me question teaching styles and classrooms that will not help my child compete in the future. If the answer to my questions is “no” I think I would be at every school board meeting attempting to get my voice heard in order that my child’s needs are met to better help him in the market place of tomorrow.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |