Today we watched some video media projects and were asked to write about the topic of "futuring"

RESPONSE TO FOX BECOMES A BETTER PERSON

The value of using technology projects in class is that we live in a technology age. The students have access to and implement multiple forms of technology every day. This means that technology is an educational tool that immediately achieves student interest. Interesting students in what you teach is about the hardest thing to do as a teacher. If you incorporate technology into your lessons then you are meeting the students where they are at. The other advantage of projects like this is that they teach students about the technological tools at their disposal. Many parents are not up to date on modern technology, so this knowledge needs to be taught in schools or the less advantaged students are automatically left behind. The old method of sitting in rows, listening to a lecture, and taking notes off a chalkboard just doesn't cut it anymore. Teachers need to make the learning that goes on in their classrooms reflect the times that we are living in. I feel that this project was easily assessable because it had a structure. The students had to write a story, make illustrations, and film/present. These are all areas that you could easily assign grades based on effort and creativity. I guess I would make a rubric based on best practice work samples.

RESPONSE TO SCHOOL TRAIN

This was an interesting video. I think it would be a fun project for kids to do, but I am not sure what the goal of the project was besides just using technology in the classroom. This project would be hard to grade. I guess you would have to grade on whether the kid did it or not, and as in the last assignment, high grades would reflect a high amount of effort and creativity. It seemed like a really elaborate and drawn out process to teach a simple concept like metaphor. However, the students would never forget their example of a metaphor!

RESPONSE TO EVOLUTION OF TECH

I really thought this video was cool. It made me realize how little I know about some of the tech innovations that are being used today. I was amazed at the rapidness of this technological evolvement. Even though they were making the future up, it was very realistic to what might happen. I do not fully understand the concept of podcasting, but it has been clear to me for a long time that we are moving into an age of networking. I think this is so cool. In education it is going to change things a lot. Instead of the old fashioned way of doing things, kids are going to have so many tools for accessing knowledge. The teacher will have to fill a diminished role of managing learning instead of imparting learning. All the tools for learning will be right there at their disposal. They will just need to teach kids how to access it and utilize it. The teacher will be a "guide at their side" instead of a "sage on the stage". I think these developments are already a long time in coming in education. There are too many teachers who are ignoring progress in technology. It merely serves to isolate them from their students. Teachers who use technology are facing the real world we live in.