Mr. Winkles Wakes!

      I'll have to admit that this little story was a little unnerving, but at the same time it was frighteningly true. Our world has grown leaps and bounds in the past one hundred years. I mean of you think about it one hundred years ago we were still really just refining the use of electricity, and now as the video points out we have computers with such technology to speak to people face-to-face even when they are on the other side of the globe. So why do our classrooms still look the same as they did that long ago? Are we really preparing our students for the present day world? And if we are not teaching them what they need to know in order to function in society successfully then where are they learning these things. If students are not learning things they need to in school to survive outside school then why are we shocked by the drop out rate? Why are we shocked that our students don't want to come to school, and don't want to do their homework? If what they are learning is not something they can use then why do we insist on teaching it. Now I know that there will always be a neccessity for the foundational skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics, but that does not mean we must teach these skills the same way that they have been taught for one hundred years. Our classrooms should reflect the world around us it should move with the time and the changes in technology and communication techniques. If we are not educating our students in the manner that they are learning then we are doing them a disservice.

Here is the video if you would like to view it!  http://youtu.be/lm1sCsl2MQY

The 21st Century Teacher(Learner)

      "....Things are changing any fool can tell, and the way that you teach must change as well...." As goofy as that statement might sound it has a whole lot of truth behind it. I will admit that the situations that were brought up in this song  were upsetting. Specifically the situation with the girl who wanted her dad to Skype for show-and-tell but could not due to the firewalls at her school. I understand why schools have firewalls, but I don't think that the importance of firewalls should come at the expense of education. The quote at  the beginning of the "Vision of 21st Century Teachers" uses some very in-depth words when referring to a 21st century teacher. It says they adapt and change. Which in my experiences before college I saw a lot of the "this is the way we do it because it's the way its always been done" mentality in the education world. It says they digitally empower their diverse learners. I don't know about you but the last time I checked the only digital device that is allowed in schools is a digital watch. And I don't think I ever felt very empowered by my teachers.
      So here is the challenge from the teachers in this video. Teachers need to learn not only from the world around them, but more importantly from their students. In order to be effective teachers we must know how our students learn the best and plan our curriculum around them. Technology has become such a vital part of our lives and even more so in our children's lives, so it only makes sense that we use technology as part of education. The presentation of this video was done in a very interesting way, and I very much enjoyed it. I am not someone who likes to just sit down and read that often. I am a very visual learner and for that reason this video was very effective for me. I personally struggled in school and still struggle in school because I do not do well with the traditional learning environment. If I have issues with it then I know I will have students who do the same, or who struggle with something else. It is our job as educators to learn, relearn, define, and redefine just as the video suggests!

Here are the videos if you would like to view them too!
My Teacher Needs to Learn! http://www.schooltube.com/embed/62feb6abbedba4925968

A Vision of 21st Century Teachers! http://www.schooltube.com/embed/ee8e87412020569afe86

The Importance of Creativity

      After listening to what Sir Ken Robinson had to say about creativity I'll have to be honest and say that my mind was sufficiently blown. Although i have seen much evidence in recent years to the contrary I agree with Sir Robinson on his view of the importance of creativity in education. I agree with his statement that creativity is just as important as any of the staple subjects we spend so much time focusing on in our classrooms. If students are not allowed to develop their creative nature then how are we to expect them to face and solve problems that will arise in their worlds long after they leave our classrooms. He also brought up that he believes that we are educating the creativity out of our students, and the more I think of my own school experience I agree. We are all encouraged to be creative and draw pictures and such when we are young. It is good to be creative when we are young much like the girl drawing a picture of God that Robinson mentioned, but as we get older slowly the creativity is drained away leaving behind the typical boring  school scene.

      So in short the message that I get from Sir Robinson is that we as educators are responsible for the growing of creativity in our students. In all reality that means that rather than standing at the front of our classrooms dictating a stifling curriculum to our students and demanding that they conform to one particular mold. We should instead be facilitators to learning. We should provide an environment that allows students to explore and make discoveries on their own. We must teach our students how to fail and pick themselves back up to try again!

Here is the link to Sir Robinson's video if you would like to watch it!
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html