Blog Post #5

The iSchool Initiative
After watching this video, made by Travis Allen, I am thoroughly impressed by this young man's "go-getter" attitude. He saw a classroom that needed to be re-vamped and created a way to make it happen. He points out that America has an education problem and even says his high school is experiencing the effects of it with:  massive budget cuts, teachers are being let go, and class sizes are getting larger. Mr. Allen has a solution; he wants to introduce technology into the classroom by using the iPod Touch. He shows the many benefits of using the iPod Touch such as: no need for papers, notebooks, copiers, or even pencils. He explains that there are many apps you can use to help the students not only learn, but interact with education. He also shows that the use of the iPod Touch would help with the budget crisis. This video was made in 2009 and the first thing I thought of when watching this was "Why would he rather use an iPod Touch instead of the iPad?" I honestly don't have the answer to that, unless it's because of the price. I still believe, however, that he this is a great idea and whether it is an iPod Touch or an iPad he is going in the right direction.

Also, another video of Travis Allen's I watched was this one. This video was made in 2011, about two years after his first video, and shows where he is now. He has now formed the iSchool Initiative and even has a team of about 25 students who travel the country "inspiring schools to embrace mobile learning." I must say, I am shocked that a 17 year-old, now 20 year-old (at the time of this video), has taken a simple idea and created a whole initiative. He has been recognized by CNN, The Huffington Post, and San Francisco Chronicle; keep in mind that Mr. Allen went to high school in Georgia and now has popular newspapers and outlets talking about his initiative!

All of these things are great ideas, but I do feel that there are some oversights with this initiative. I feel he does not take into account that writing is a very important part of growing as a student and person. Yes, there are more computers and iPads than ever in the classroom right now, but one thing I do not see changing in the near future is the use of standardized testing. When a student applies for college, they have to take a standardized test. Whether it's the ACT or SAT, colleges are starting to require their students to take the writing portion of those tests. How will a student be able to write effectively if they learned how to type before they could even write? Would a student feel comfortable picking up a pencil and be able to put their thoughts together on paper within a time limit? In my opinion, papers that you have to write in class are much more difficult than papers you type with the use of a laptop or iPad.

Another problem I have with the aforementioned video is that he says you can easily take notes on the iPod Touch using the notes feature. One problem that I have experienced with that, is that trying to type quickly enough to take notes on a touch screen can be very difficult. If all the students had to take their notes that way, then wouldn't it slow down how fast a teacher could cover information? And if that's the case, the teacher would more than likely just share their notes vie email. If they did that, then wouldn't a student never learn actually how to take notes? I think that this initiative is a great idea and I am glad to see that it is growing across the nation. However, I think we need to blend it into the education system and not make it the only part of the education system. When a pencil meets paper, or when fingers meet the keyboard, magic happens. And if we don't teach both, then the students we teach will not be very well-rounded.

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

Just wow. Please make sure to watch this video because it is pretty darn awesome. The fact that 185 people can come together, virtually, and sing any song is just amazing to me. It really shows how, with the use of the internet, this world of our's is now becoming even closer and tight knit. Not only is technology in the classroom changing how teachers teach and students learn, but technology in the world is changing how people communicate and share their experiences in their daily life with each other.

Teaching in the 21st Century
In Kevin Roberts video, Teaching in the 21st Century, he shows many ideas about what teaching will be like in the future and the role that technology will play in it. I admit, I was a bit overloaded with information after watching this video, but the one major point that I took out of watching was that: teachers are no longer the main source of information anymore and we, as educators, must adapt to that. Teaching in this environment, students have many different ways to obtain information, and it is our job to be their "filter." A student can learn many different things these days inside and outside of the classroom using tools such as Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, iPods, Twitter, and much more. I believe that Roberts hits the nail on the head with this stance and I also believe that teachers need to evolve with this technology. We need change from just giving information, to now helping students learn how to use that information to the fullest.

Another note, this video has awesome music. Major props. :)

Flipping the Classroom

The concept of "flipping the classroom" was started by Dr. Lodge McCammon as seen in this video. Flipping the classroom concentrates on the art of applying lessons rather than lecturing. The problem with classrooms today is that teachers spend about 90% of their time lecturing and teaching students and only about 10% of their time is actually used for applying that information. If you were to ask any adult who their favorite teacher was in high school you will probably get an answer telling you how the teacher inspired them to learn. For instance, I want to be a teacher because of my high school history teacher. He made things about a lot more than just information in the book. He took that information and put it to life and made it more of a story than just the regular stinky dates and events. By making things into a story, the students were more interactive and he managed to take his lecturing time and turn it into and application time. The point of flipping the classroom is to inspire kids to learn and to be able to use 90% of the time in the classroom helping the students to apply the information rather than just giving it.

I must admit, it is a really cool concept and I'm sure as the years go on more and more kinks will be worked out. The problem a school, or teacher, would face using this way of teaching is that maybe the technology needed to use it is that maybe the students do not have the means to access the information needed. I do think, however, that this technology will be available to all students eventually. I most definitely plan on using this style of teaching when I get a classroom of my own. I am very excited about this type of teaching because it is a completely different experience for the students and I believe will really help the students learn in a completely new way. This style of teaching, in my opinion, would stop "burp-back" education once and for all. I'm positive Dr. Strange would be overjoyed if that does happen.