Mr. Winkle's Awakening and Thoughts on Did You Know? 3.0
The film "Did You Know? 3.0," by Karl Fisch, is a wonderfully entertaining and well designed presentation of the unique nature of the information age in the new millennium. The video does an amazing job of highlighting the ways in which the present is unlike any other time in the history of known civilization. Ultimately, the video effectively portrays the sense that we are truly living in an age and time when the limitations of human connectivity are being redefined. Information is more readily available, and direct communication anywhere on the planet is now an everyday part of life.
"Did You Know? 3.0" provides a thought provoking look at modern day statistics and facts. Perhaps most interesting of these facts is the idea that teachers are training students who will have jobs that do not even exist yet. The limits of technology have become more and more boundless; the idea that computers will have more computational abilities than the entire human species is simply mind numbing. The population growth statistics were also very interesting, because this generation of children will have more access to each other and information than anyone before them in the history of the world.
"Mr. Winkle Wakes" by Matthew Needleman offers a unique view of the modern age and its impact, or lack there of, on education. Needleman convincingly highlights the lack of modernization in education by setting it against all of the other technological advancements in other fields. This provides a new line of logic and thinking which makes non-tech-savvy education seem fairly archaic. In the film, Mr. Winkle awakes to a world which has been revolutionized by advancements in technology. He finds this new world to be quite frightening because he does not understand any of these new developments. Of course, he wanders into a school and feels right at home because development and change have not affected education.
"Mr. Winkle Wakes" sheds new light on education and its near phobia of technological evolution. It forces educators the consider if they are truly providing the best standards of pedagogical thinking. If virtually every other profession has accepted technology with open arms, would education not benefit as well? These are somewhat complicated ideas, and we are the first people to ever really be faced with this dilemma. This means that finding the ultimate correct answer could take time. Films like "Mr. Winkle Wakes" are definitely going to play a major role in redefining how educators achieve their goals.
"Did You Know? 3.0" provides a thought provoking look at modern day statistics and facts. Perhaps most interesting of these facts is the idea that teachers are training students who will have jobs that do not even exist yet. The limits of technology have become more and more boundless; the idea that computers will have more computational abilities than the entire human species is simply mind numbing. The population growth statistics were also very interesting, because this generation of children will have more access to each other and information than anyone before them in the history of the world.
"Mr. Winkle Wakes" by Matthew Needleman offers a unique view of the modern age and its impact, or lack there of, on education. Needleman convincingly highlights the lack of modernization in education by setting it against all of the other technological advancements in other fields. This provides a new line of logic and thinking which makes non-tech-savvy education seem fairly archaic. In the film, Mr. Winkle awakes to a world which has been revolutionized by advancements in technology. He finds this new world to be quite frightening because he does not understand any of these new developments. Of course, he wanders into a school and feels right at home because development and change have not affected education.
"Mr. Winkle Wakes" sheds new light on education and its near phobia of technological evolution. It forces educators the consider if they are truly providing the best standards of pedagogical thinking. If virtually every other profession has accepted technology with open arms, would education not benefit as well? These are somewhat complicated ideas, and we are the first people to ever really be faced with this dilemma. This means that finding the ultimate correct answer could take time. Films like "Mr. Winkle Wakes" are definitely going to play a major role in redefining how educators achieve their goals.
Sir Ken Robinson and Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson's speech for TED on creativity and modern students definitely provides some interesting food for thought. Robinson asserts that children are often discouraged from engaging in creative activities as youths in school. Many people tell them that they will never be able to make any money as an artist, dancer, or musician. The creative and artistic areas do not receive the privileges that subjects like math do in schools. Robinson is also a believer that creative subject areas need to receive the same emphasis as any other subjects. He maintains that incredibly talented and smart people are having the creativity educated out of them.
Ultimately, the line that educators must walk can be quite tricky. All of the areas of focus in an educational program can be difficult to determine. Robinson's point must be considered though, it would be a shame if we were in fact losing countless great creative minds because we discouraged them away from their talents. Any responsible educator should attempt to determine what each of their students are best at, and foster their abilities as well as possible. If a student has an affinity for a certain thing, even if it is artistic and creative, they should at the very least get some sort of opportunity to explore that subject.
Ultimately, the line that educators must walk can be quite tricky. All of the areas of focus in an educational program can be difficult to determine. Robinson's point must be considered though, it would be a shame if we were in fact losing countless great creative minds because we discouraged them away from their talents. Any responsible educator should attempt to determine what each of their students are best at, and foster their abilities as well as possible. If a student has an affinity for a certain thing, even if it is artistic and creative, they should at the very least get some sort of opportunity to explore that subject.
Vicki Davis and her Impressive 21st Century Classroom
The film "Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts" is a really groundbreaking view of opportunities educators have in the twenty-first century to teach their students. Mrs. Davis teaches in a highly rural area in Georgia, but manages to have her classroom connected with students world-wide. She teaches students to "learn how to learn," a skill that will help these students throughout their lives. Mrs. Davis teaches her students digital citizen ship through an international program called "Digi Teen." They learn collaborative skills, and are able to access information from their counterpart students spanning the globe.
Vicki Davis is really part of a revolutionary group of educators. I was blown away at her students ease of accessibility to a wealth of information and knowledge through digital means. Students being able to connect with other students throughout out the world is really quite exciting. People being able to share information so readily, can easily lead to major increases in the speed in which we are able to make advancements. The children that are being educated now need to be able to use technological digital medias and forums to share their information. Educators like this are really on the cutting edge of how education is performed.
Vicki Davis is really part of a revolutionary group of educators. I was blown away at her students ease of accessibility to a wealth of information and knowledge through digital means. Students being able to connect with other students throughout out the world is really quite exciting. People being able to share information so readily, can easily lead to major increases in the speed in which we are able to make advancements. The children that are being educated now need to be able to use technological digital medias and forums to share their information. Educators like this are really on the cutting edge of how education is performed.
Excellent work Arthur. Just what I was looking for two good paragraphs per topic. Keep up the good work.
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