Blog Assignment #2

Mr. Dancealot
The central message of the video, Mr. Dancealot, is that teaching is an interactive process. Teachers should not lecture alone, they need to get their students involved in the lessons for them to understand. The author proved this throughout the video by having the teacher explain the steps well; however, since the students were not allowed to participate, they were bored. Then at the end of the video, the teacher expected them to know how to perform the dances for the final. Even though the final was open note and open book, the students still had no idea how to do it. I completely agree with the message of this video because when people, not just children, learn how to complete a task, they have to practice doing it themselves before fully understanding the concept.

Teaching in the 21st Century
Teaching in the 21st Century is about using technology to our advantage in the classroom.
I.Teachers becoming obsolete
A. Search Engines
B. Social Media
C. Teach Fact and Content or Skills

II. Use Technology to our advantage
A. Use resources technology offers
B. Teach about technology
C. Entertainment Vs. Engagement

I agree with Roberts idea of teaching in the twenty-first century to an extent. I agree that teachers need to use technology and its resources to their advantage. However, I think we need to teach skills along with facts and content, not just one or the other. Since technology has become so big in our society, many people rely on only technology to get them through the day. People need to get back to speaking and writing properly or else we are going to become a failed society. Although technology is advancing, our generation and society is falling because we rely on technology so much. I can not point fingers in no area because I use technology; however, I do not agree with using technology as the only source to get information and to communicate.

The Networked Student
At first I was a little taken a back by this video, The Networked Student, due to the fact that I thought they were claiming that students do not need teachers anymore. However, after watching more of the video, I realized that the idea of the video is about how teachers need to teach about technology and show their students the right resources to use. Children have a vast of information just a click away, and they need to be taught how to get that information and how to decipher if it is correct information or if it is from a faulty site. Regardless of how any one feels, technology is going to be in schools and a part of the way children learn, so teachers need to take hold of this fact and use it to their benefit.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
The idea of Ms. Davis used in her classroom is that she was not teaching the students herself, she was guiding them and then the students were teaching each other. Ms. Davis called herself a "teacher-prenuer" and I thought that this was a very good idea. I have taken classes were we had to teach certain topics and for the most part I enjoyed doing it. However, there are times when some people do not get into the project and then it gets boring. As long as the students are engaged and participating, I think this is a great way to teach in a future classroom.

Who's Ahead in the Learning Race
I agree with Dr. Strange on how elementary school children are ahead in the learning race due to the fact that children learn faster than adults. At that age, it is a fact that children's brains are like sponges and they absorb everything quickly and easily. However, in late teenagers and early adults, the learning capability drops. I am not saying adults can not learn, but they can not learn as quickly as a child, and this is a scientific fact, not my opinion. I think that it is a good thing that children know so much about technology and now we have to catch up.

Flipping The Classroom
I have never heard of flipping the classroom before; however, I find it to be an interesting idea. I would definitely use it in a future classroom of mine. This way you are not teaching a new topic every day, the students will have prior knowledge when coming into class. I would use this as a way to use that extra time to let students work on projects in class with my help, rather than at home, possibly not understanding the instructions. Flipping the classroom allows students to come prepared if they have any questions. The teacher could send a survey at the end for the students to submit, that way the teacher has knowledge of the students' questions before class.