Blog Post 3

Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today

I really enjoyed this video. It was the true life of a college student, from over priced books to costly tuition. There has been plenty of times that I have bought a textbook and never taken the plastic off of it. One thing, that I don't understand, is why do students pay for school and don't even show up. College is tough and we have to pay for it, so we might as well do the work and come to class. One reason why I chose to attend South is because of the small class sizes. I really enjoy the smaller classes and many of my teachers know me by name.

I liked how the video picked out the hours that students spend on their cell phones, internet, watching television, and listening to music. I know I am guilty of those things, especially the use of cellphones. I probably spend a combined two hours texting and talking on the phone through out the day. Sometimes, I spend more time on facebook and wathcing television, than I do on my school work. Now, I get my work done, but still procrastinate. One thing that I did not notice in the video was procrastination. I think it plays a big role in college students today. I am sure there are alot of students who stay up late the night before to write a paper that is due the next day. I know I am guilty of it.

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
I really enjoyed reading the post from Mrs. Kelly Hines. It was filled with some great information. I liked how she pointed out, that its not all about the technology that helps the students learn. I agree that teachers must be learners. As future educators, I believe, when doors open for us to learn new things, we should jump on it. We should always be ready and willing to learn. I also agree that we should be up to date on research and tools that can be incorporated into our classroom. As this will help us to see how students learn individually.

Technology is useless without good teaching, that is so true. I have seen first hand how technology is wasted by a teacher that is not trained or does not feel comfortable enough to use it. I think all teachers should be properly trained in specific technology such as, the Smart Boards. That way, we know the teacher understands how to use it for their lessons. I also, have seen first hand how students interact with the Smart Board. The students loved working with it and were more involved during class. I think it would be great if all teachers could have a Smart Board, but I know they are pricey. There are some teachers who don't like to use technology and that is when technology is being wasted. Many teachers don't want to change their way of teaching, but I think all educators should be willing to try something new.

Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
I thought this post was blunt and straight to the point. This made me think, is it ok to be techologically illerate? I know teachers take on a tremendous responsibility all ready. Many teachers may feel as though they don't have time to learn. Others teachers are set in their ways and don't want to change their style of teaching.

Staying up to date with the newest technology can be very hard. I know that technology is changing constanlty. I think as future educators, we should make the best of it. We should incorporate it in our lessons because students like using technology. I think if teachers use technology in their classroom they will find that there students are more involoved and keep their attention longer. For me personally, I will strive to learn the latest technology and apply it to my classroom.

Gary Hayes Social Media Count
The Social Media Count is really cool. It is crazy how much social networking and the internet is constantly rising. This shows us that technology will play a tremendous role in teaching. That's why I am glad to have this class because it is taking us out of our norm and opening us up to all kinds of new skills we will need to be successful with the use of technology. Technology is constantly changing, so we will obviously have to be up to date on the new trends of technology.