Blog Assignment #12

Watch this video by coolcatteacher about the fear of technology. Write a two paragraph response on the context of the video as well as the visual tactics used.


Read this Blog post by Matthew Needleman. http://creatinglifelonglearners.com/?p=700
Write your response to this post and explain how reading it will help you as a future teacher.


Technology Fear Factor in Education
In this video the topic of fear of using technology in teaching is brought to light. They make the point that not using technology is holding back the students. Also that instead of fearing technology itself we should be fearing all the students who are technology illiterate going out into society. Also we should be teaching students about the positive and negative of the internet and blogging so that they are prepared and can use the technology in a positive way.
The way the visuals of this video are set up is very interesting. I really like the way that they make their statements at the beginning by pointing to letters and buttons on a key board. Its neat that they use what they are talking about (the computer) to ask their questions. It was also creative when they said the metaphor about "releasing the millions of students into shark infested waters of the internet,"  they showed a clip of a shark grabbing its prey. The visuals in this video were creative and interesting while still stressing their topic.

Six Ways Teachers Can Improve Education This Year
This blog post is a list of six things that teachers should do to improve the school year for them as well as their students. The first suggestion he makes seems simple but is actually very important when you think about it. He says to say hello to your students at the door. He says that this may be the only positive interaction the student has with an adult all day. It also lets the students know that someone cares about them and is on their side. The next suggestion he makes is to eat in the teacher cafeteria. Since I am not yet a teacher I cant exactly relate to this one but I like how he says that you can be the positive influence to your discouraged coworkers. The next two tips are teach authentic writing and incorporate multi-media into every lesson. These two tips are very important parts of improving education because writing will always play a part in our society and multi-media keeps learning interesting for the students. The last two suggestions are teach art as a discipline and teach test prep two minutes every day. I think that teaching art as a discipline is my favorite tip because I think it is extremely important to incorporate art into learning and keep creativity alive in the students. I think I will carry all of these tips into my career and I am very thankful to Mr. Needleman for posting his opinions.