Blog Post #5

In the "Don't teach your students this stuff. Please?", I see that Scott McLeod has many problems with students using the internet as a source of learning. It seems like his primary argument is about how there is so much "trash" anyone can access over the internet. I understand that there are "sick" people in the world, but I did have a thing to say to his look at children's internet use for learning. I said that students should be able to use the internet if they have a teacher watching whatever school work it is they are doing. The teachers or their parents could work of course. The link to where I commented is http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/08/dont-teach-your-kids-this-stuff-please.html.

There are many things that are in "The iSchool Initiative" that seem to be better than the old fashion teaching. Travis Allen is who created this ipod type of device, and for me going to school to become a teacher, it does indeed frighten me. By the time I graduate school, I feel like every student will be taught by an ipod basically. Does this mean I will not be able to find a job? Or does this way of teaching really mean that there will be the same amount of teaching spots available.
Travis explains how teachers are still involved, but I know that those guys making this program are thinking even farther down the line. What is farther down the line from this? I think the next step would be that the next generation of students being so good at using technology that they could use the ipod as school with no need of a teacher! This does not make me smile, because all this really means is that I would have spent thousands of dollars on college and having no job with no income at all. Honestly, students should learn the old fashion way of learning which is with a piece of paper and pen. I feel like this will make each teacher more lazy too!

For the video on Eric Whitacre"S Virtual Choir, I will admit that it is pretty neat how he has 185 different people that do not know each other singing the same piece. I am into music myself, so I wonder about some specifics about how they know the music. Do all of these kids have the piece memorized? If so, how did they know to memorize this piece? I mean, I understand if Eric sent those 185 people the sheet music and he told each one to memorize it by a certain date. That or maybe they have their sheet music in front of them making it look like they are staring at the computer screen. I could argue with that because I watched closely and for some of those people it seemed like they had it memorized, which is better than "sight reading" music! It is neat how ever he did set this program. I have never seen a good sounding choir that does their music work over the internet.

For the video on "Teaching in the 21st Century", it seems to have tons and tons of questions that are asking questions for individuals for in hard situations. A better way to word it is, the questions that are in this movie are the questions the internet cannot answer "straight up". I mean, sure the internet is very cool, but no site that I have heard of can answer in general life questions with a strict valid answer. If the internet did do that, then I would ask every question I could until I got to a point I was satisfied with, in my life. This basically means, if the internet could give us advice for specific questions, I would not have to attend college at all. Why do I think it is right to mention this? Well, again, if the internet could lead me in the right direction with any question I need to learn, I really would not have to attend college because I could eventually find other ways to make serious money, I'm sure.

For the Reading Rockets site, it first shows a dozen apps for a computer device that can help with sequencing, inference, word awareness, and mind mapping. I am supposed to reply to how I feel about the advice this site gives. For this first way, I do think it is a good idea to have apps in the palm of your hand that gives ways of studying for different materials. For the next thing on the site on Reading for Meaning, it states under it that it explains ways to teach students why reading is important. I will check into this part of the site myself, because this topic if for sure something I need to work on as an individual. The site ends about the topic on the Dr. Seuss way of learning. Dr. Seuss helps with reading, rhyming, and playing with words to make actual fun out of it. This can for sure help a student with reading because Dr. Seuss is like a comedian who is good at teaching younger students to learn how to make fun out of reading.