Blog Post #2

Did You Know 3.0?

This completely blew me away on how fast things become out of date. This was the most informative 4 minutes and 56 seconds on not only technological statistics, but also where we stand in our progress with other countries.This video explains to viewers that technology is growing at a rapid rate and it isn't waiting for anyone or anything. It outlines facts including the United States and a few other countries on there progress keeping up with technological advances.

In the first thirty seconds the video points out that 25% of the population has India's highest IQ's which outweighs the entire number of people in the United States. As mentioned before, the rate of how fast technology is growing is illustrated by how jobs that were not in demand 6 years prior are in the top ten of jobs sought after today. I truly believe this was an eye opener for me and hopefully everyone else that has watched this clip. The world is advancing and if people are not willing to step up and ride the wave then they are going to find themselves in a quality of life that is lower than they would desire.

Mr. Winkle Wakes

Throughout "Mr. Winkle Wakes" the narration describes various industries and how much they have developed dramatically over time. Then the main character comes to a school and recognizes everything as it once was before he fell asleep for 100 years. The primary point that is being made is that technology is advancing at professional levels and needs to be maintained at the same standard in the novice learning levels.

Like anything else with structure a solid base is the key to success. The same applies in school systems today which is what the main point that is being delivered. School systems remain handcuffed and deprived from the same flow of technological advances like video teleconferences and international communication systems. If these improvements don't become paramount then those fields will only remain mediocre.

Ken Robinson Says School Kills Creativity

The introduction of the presentation that Sir Ken Robinson gave he illustrates the ability that children have to be fearless in both action and answer in their daily tasks. It's amazing how we were all that way at one time and yet we have no recollection of this. He uses humor to deliver his message throughout the lecture which helps bring the atmosphere down from adulthood to time of adolescence. The example he used of the little girl  drawing the picture of God made me think of how I use to explain things. I wonder when I gained this sense of embarrassment that drives me to sensor my work.

So what is the right way? Obviously there are facts that tell us what right and what is wrong. These things don't exactly apply to us in the choices of our lives though.What I personally gained from this is that there are opportunities that come to all of us throughout the course of our lives and it is how we take advantage of them when they come that matters. We need to recognize them without hesitation (like the childhood versions of ourselves would have) and take full advantage of them.

Cecilia Gualt on Education


There is quite a difference between the United States school drop out rate (25%) compared to Finland (1%) who leads the world academically in the subjects reading, science, and math. This is all while having shorter school days. Robinson stresses that technology is not being used to its fullest capacity in subjects and its potential is being wasted. It is unacceptable that we are that behind in academics. We all claim that we are the best nation on this planet but if we do not change our standards in the classroom we may not be able to say that in the future.

Gault also spoke with David Livermore who is a senior researcher and the Cultural Intelligence Center who feels that the one element of education that is missing is the scholastic relationship between the child and the parent. Livermore also expresses a sociological necessity in learning about other cultures so we can understand and appreciate our own. As I stated in the previous paragraph we need to change some habits in our school system. Taking a page out of another country's book might be the beginning step that we need to take.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts


I completely agreed with the tailoring how a class is taught so that each student has a chance to get something out of it. I can relate to this because I have been that student that was left behind in certain classes. Students need direction at times to get started. There is more than one way to skin a cat. However, if only one way is shown to someone but it doesn't make sense then there isn't going to be much progress out of that person.

This video made me think of the learning format of EDM310. Everyone learns in different ways and speeds but we are forced to learn in order to survive! We have help at our disposal but it is us that needs to gain the knowledge in our own unique way. It's thinking outside the box sometimes that helps us get through problem solving.