Blog Assignment #13

     The first video for this blog post that I watched was Back To the Future. Mr. Brian Cosby talks about all the different activities that he does in his 4th grade classroom. His students blog, create videos, use wikis, and a lot of other cool technology tools. My favorite part about this video was that video clip he shares of a student doing a science experiment about air pressure where a soda can crushes itself. This wasn't my favorite part because of the really awesome reaction in the experiment, but because Mr. Cosby had each student film themselves doing the experiment and then embedded the clip into their blogs. The idea of having each kid excited to participate in the activity and then even more excited about sharing what they have learned is amazing.
     My second favorite part of this video is the balloon experiment. Mr. Cosby lets his kids help design and engineer the actual balloon so they are all involved and having fun while learning. After the balloon was lifted off he assigned each student to write a story from the point of view of the balloon. This interested me because he is combing two core subjects, which is something I don't think we do enough. The students expand their creativity immensely with projects like these. It also turns school into an exciting day of learning rather than a boring day of daydreaming.

     A Vision of Students Today was the second video I watched for this blog post assignment. This video was very thought provoking from the point of view of a student. It made me ask myself what I am trying to get out of the college experience. It also made me evaluate what I want for my future as well. As a student, I can relate to feeling like you are wasting your money, that there are not enough hours in the day, and even not being recognized by your professors by name if at all. College isn't meant to be easy, I get that. It's preparing you for the real world. It almost feels like a weeding out process, like every teacher is testing you, not on the course material, but if you are determined enough to finish.

     From the point of view of a president or dean of a college or university this video is probably haunting. To live for money has got to be a miserable life, and sometimes I feel like people in administration are forced into the black hole of dollar signs purely because their jobs call for it. If I were an administrator and I saw this video I would feel sad, simple as that. It would feel awful to see the signs being held up one after the other saying things about how expensive college is, how much debt students will graduate with, or that the material being taught isn't lining up with the students needs. Although the administration is said to hold all the power they don't, the world and society does. We as a society have made money the center of our universe and we're all paying for it. But then again, hopefully a member of an administration team somewhere will see the video, spark some change, and help make the college experience affordable and worth it educationally.

I would want my students to know...the feeling of accomplishment.
I would want my students to be able to...use self discipline for their schoolwork and home life. I would want my students to have experienced...a classroom environment that pushes them to better themselves.

     After watching the video, How will you teach me in the 21st century, I was impressed by the media and content. Melinda Kraft had a very creative take on the future of our students. She poses many questions concerning the values, skills, and material we will be teaching our classes in the future. Technology has become such a huge part of the every day life of the every day person that it wouldn't make sense not to bring it into the classroom. A classroom with technology brings up questions like Melinda's though. I think our teaching will look different but the motives behind the activities will stay very similar. Our jobs as teachers are to teach and mold our students into being the best they can be, and if the classroom is changing then let us take this opportunity to embrace it. We should show our students that change can be good and that it doesn't need to change who we are, just maybe how we do homework.

     The Exemplar of Students' Work With Video post and video was very refreshing. The two students are not being fancy or using special technology to film this video. They are simply just sharing about their responsibility of managing their school's compost pile. One of the students is legally blind and he still fully participates with the project which is probably the most amazing part of the video. I love the fact that he was able to have just as much fun and be 100% involved as any other student would. Technology can potentially cause an issue with participation from students within special education, and I worry that there will be a student out there somewhere who wasn't as lucky as the little boy in this video.