Chapter One of the web 2.0 text already has me wanting more, and I don't even like to read. (It's kind of ironic that this course and what it is trying to convey has an old school text book) There were a few specific statements that kept me reading on.
The first was found in the introduction of the book. It states: As you will see, the world has changed; our students have changed, and traditional schools are no longer up to the task of educating young people for the future(1). Then on page 3 it states: It (new schools) has to have at its core and interest in helping its students be successful in the 21st century - in work and in play, and in all other aspects of living in a world that promises only change as the norm. These statement were important to me, because the underlying theme is so important. Our world is changing, all of the time. Shouldn't our education system evolve with the change. We are dis-servicing our students if it is not. Change and progression is the norm. We need to embrace that and run with it.
The second statement that intrigued me was: In the future, how we educate our children may prove to be more important than how much we educate them(10). That is an innovative statement. It use to be that you just needed that diploma and the more education you had the better. Today you need the skill set to go along with our digital world. Technology is changing every part of our world; work, business, personal, education, etc.
While I understand that we all have a digital footprint, I can only imagine the next generations footprints. They are being born into a digital society. My generation grew into it. I would love to see the difference in our digital footprints when they are my age. The video was interesting, I shared it on facebook, along with the did you know web 2.0. I got a few responses with those. I actually forwarded to my administration and am asking to show it at the next staff meeting.
I already know that technology is the future. That is why my first Masters degree was in Multimedia. I would like to know how to use this in my classes; P.E. and Health. I know there are things I could be exposing my students to in an attempt to help them in their future endeavors, whether in education, business or personal areas of life.
Dee,
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, but a few of my colleagues asked me the same..how can we incorporate it into our PE and health curriculum...It can be difficult to do...recently,one of our staff members (PE and Phys ED.) began using a plat form called http://www.edmodo.com/ . We held a staff workshop on the tool not to long ago, and just like everything else...many thought..how can I incorporate this, when will I find the time, is it necessary...blah blah blah.
He has started using it bits at a time. An example was a question he posted in the disucssion forum about "What would you do if one of your friends at a party consumed too much alcohol, and blacked out..." effects of alcohol or something of that nature..and he stared class discussion outside the classroom...the students took to it very well...
"In the future, how we educate our children may prove to be more important than how much we educate them(10)." This quote really struck me too. I think it is a very important idea which almost feels like tectonic plates moving beneath our feel.. What we know as education.. all the things that we hold as true are no longer ideas we can depend on. This is both exciting and terrifying!
ReplyDelete"It use to be that you just needed that diploma and the more education you had the better. Today you need the skill set to go along with our digital world. Technology is changing every part of our world; work, business, personal, education, etc." I could not agree with you more. Are we teaching our students the "soft skills" that are not measurable on tests, but the ones they will need to move on from high school to college in the ever changing world in which we live. The world is becoming smaller and smaller due to the technological advances we have today, the kids will need to learn new sets of skills and it is no longer the old 40's & 50's industrialized nation our parents and grandparents grew up in. It is a shame that education as a whole is so slow to catch up. It is becoming clearer to me as I progress in my teaching career, it is really the higher ups in your own district that control how much technology is administered to the students. If they are tech savvy, they will push for more and more technology, but if they are nervous of the ramifications of the internet and privacy issues with students, the use of technology will be kept to a minimum within the building and never find its way into the global realm we are asked to find according to the NETS standards. As far as health and PE, there are numerous ways to incorporate technology into your day or week as long as you have reliable access to the technology. A lab, notebook carts, etc. We will continue on this and I will help you with some great resources!
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