Blog Post #2

In the video, Mr. Dancealot, the central message of this video is that hands on and visual learning is needed in the classroom. The author proved his theory by showing that none of the students learned the dances for their final due to the lack of visuals. The students only got notes from the power points and lectures, and did not get to physically participate in any of the dances they were "learning". How can you learn a dance from reading a book and notes? It is not impossible, but not very easy at all. I agree with his conclusion because I too believe that hands on learning is the best and easiest way to learn. If you can see, and actually do what you are learning, then knowledge will be faster and easier to retain.

In the video, Teaching in the 21st Century, Kevin Roberts is trying to get the point across that teaching is not the same as it used to be. We have so much technology now and new things come out every year. He asks in the beginning if this technology will make teachers obsolete. Most people think that this is true. Teachers are now becoming "filters". Students can now get so much information from the internet, but who will filter this and separate right from wrong? Teachers. He also believes that instead of "entertaining" students, we need to engage them, which leads to more learning and less hassle. I agree with Roberts to a certain extent. It is true that teachers will become and are becoming filters. But I believe teachers are certainly needed for more than just that. Teachers teach life lessons and make learning a lot more simple. We do, although, need to engage more with students, and technology does help with that aspect of learning. If Roberts' theory is true, schools could just revert to just online teaching. I do not agree that that would be the best case scenario, but it is possible. Students still need the visual aspect of learning and we cannot do everything online like some people think.

In the video, Networked Student, it basically shows how a student networks with other students and finds resources using technology for their classwork. It also shows that most students now rely mainly on themselves and technology to get their work done. It then asks why we need the teacher if we can find/do everything online and through networking. My reaction is that, sadly, not everyone has access to this technology. A lot of students do not have the money for these new technologies, and even school systems do not have the money for it. I somewhat resent the idea that technology has taken away from a lot of things in life. For example, we eventually may not have books or newspapers. As stated above, some people think it may even replace teachers. Students do not need to solely rely on technology and it should not be the focus of all attention. We need to learn other, more important things in life, rather than how to hear lectures from other college professors, when we pay our own professor to do this task. Students will always need teachers and not just for filtering what students find on the internet. The same goes for technology though, we will always need to advance and learn about the new technology. Although, in my opinion, we should not put as much emphasis on technology as we do today.

In the video, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, the teacher is showing how effective technology is in the classroom. I agree that technology can be affective and normally is, but we do not need everything to revolve around it. Technology can make learning fun and interesting just as the teacher stated. As I said before though, not everyone has access to these forms of learning and it may not be the best option for all students. Technology in the classroom would be a lot more simple if we had no poverty in the world.

In the video, Flipping the Classroom, it explains what this method is. Flipping a classroom requires the students to watch a video of their teacher at home and learn about their lessons before they come to school. They believe this will give them time to learn the material and figure out questions that need to be asked. This method is completely new to me. I have never heard of this before. I think this could become an effective approach to teaching. Normally I would say what I have said before, that not every student has access to a computer. As soon as I had that thought, the teacher explained that if a student does not have a computer, that they can watch the video once they get to school and have time to think about everything. I think it is a great way to speed up the learning process and help students retain more knowledge!