Blog Post 2

   Did You Know?
    I watched a video called "Did You Know? 3.0" by Karl Pisch and Scott McLeod. This video really opened my eyes to interesting and random facts about the world around us. Some of these were exciting, while others were kind of downgrading to the united states, and to Americans as individuals. I thought the fact that if "Myspace were a country it would be the 5th largest" was just overwhelming. Or that our English language has become five times larger than the language used during Shakespear's time. Furthermore, the fact that in just a few years we will have a super computer that will out-think the human mind is just a little intimidating.
     After this video I realized that the world is moving way too quick. Why can we not have a simple world like the did in  Shakespear's time when there were only a few words and those words were fun to say. My only real other thought on this is that the world wants too much. We are a greedy nation/world who wants the best. I believe this will be our downfall in the end. I liked how they did leave one thing unknown at the end, asking "what does this mean." I think I'm probably gonna be behind in the world if all this stuff keeps up :).

Mr. Winkle Wakes
     I watched Mr. Winkle Wakes by Mathew Needleman. I really think this was a quality video that spoke a lot more words than were actually spoken. This old man has been in slumber for 100 years and now wakes up to a changed world. I can see how he would not be very comfortable, however, I think I would just be impressed if so much had changed  after one long nap.
     I believe though that schools have changed a great deal and are definately not the same as they were in the past. School has changed just in the past few years in more ways than I can think of. For example, all these classes that are taught half online, and half in school. I honestly believe this is not right. Some classes, like this one, I completely understand. However, with a class like Psychology, I would argue that it is just laziness. We have always been taught in the classroom and then went home to do homework. We shouldn't come to class to be told what to go do online, the teacher should just teach us, that is what they are paid for after all. I am completely against the halfnhalf classes, but this video I am all for.

Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
     Sir Ken Robinson is a really great talker, I was kind of down when I saw this video was 20 minutes long and I had to watch the whole thing, however, the time flew by when he started talking. He made some really quality points and brought a lot of stuff to perspective with a smile and chuckle. One of his main points was that the world is so creative, no one really knows what the world will look like in five years, however, we are trying to prepare students for stuff we don't know that is coming. The things we are learning in school may not even be needed in the future, we may be even getting less prepared that everyone thinks.
     He also tells a very comical story about his son's play which caused me to have a few giggles. "all children are artist, the key is to stay an artist while we grow up." This was said by Picaso, and I really agree with him. Children's imagine things that we as adults would never understand, and could never comprehend. As we grow up we loose this imagination and replace it with facts about the world, history, math. Things that we may not even need in a few years, however, with the imagination we are leaving behind I am sure we could reach further in life. I also like what he says at the end, "if all insects were gone over the next 50 years, all life would be dead... but if all humans were killed, all life would flourish." We need to do a better job.

Cecelia Gault: Young Studnet in Finland
     After viewing this video and reading the blog, I have come to the conclusion that I should move to Finland to raise a family in a few years. I really would argue that the facts are there stating that we as a nation are falling behind. How can we have a 25 percent fail rate, while another country has one with less than 1. There should not be that big of a difference, and it is not because Finland is some kind of extrodinary place, it is just that the U.S is really slacking.
   
Vicki Davis: Harness Your Student's Digital Smarts
     I viewed a video that spoke to me as a future educator. One of the first things this lady says in the interview is, "I don't think students can just learn with pencil and paper, they need more." In her class she really does not rely on a lecture method, but rather a discussion type of class. She gives her students a chance to shine and stand out. They become more independent using this manner.
     I also would argue that these students will fare better on future tests, and then also later in life. These students are being challenged in ways other classroom teachers do not think to even bring up in class. That is the main problem I would strongly argue in classroom now, it is not the students that are slacking, it is the teachers. They have lost their creative edge and leave it all up to computers and internet. They get too rapped up in the newest way to teach a lesson rather than just teaching.