Blog Assignment 3

"It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
In her blog post, "It's Not About the Technology", Kelly Hines makes the argument that technology, although a good thing, is not the most important thing in being an effective teacher.  Ms.  Hines says that we often get so enamored of the abilities that technology gives us that we forget that the quality of the teacher is most necessary.  She says that teachers must be learners.  A teacher must not get their degree and then become complacent in  what they already know.  Because information and technology is always changing, we as teachers must always be learning.  She argues how can we teach our students something we have not yet learned.


Ms.  Hines also makes the argument that teaching does not always equal learning.  She says that until  a student has learned something, a teacher has not really taught it.  Another thing Ms.  Hines discusses is that there can be an unlimited amount of technology available, but unless a teacher is willing to use it, it is wasted.  She says that thousands of dollars can be spent on technology, but if a teacher is unwilling to learn and use those resources, then students will not learn them.  She also listed resources that can help a motivated teacher with less access to technology become a 21st century learner.


I agree with Ms.  Hines that while technology is important, the quality of a teacher is much more so.  I think it's wonderful for schools to invest money in technology for their classrooms, but I would like them to realize the value of quality teachers too.  


 Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher
In Karl Fisch's post he asked the question, "Is is ok to be a technologically illiterate teacher?"  Mr.  Fisch begins his blog by making a list of the minimum standards that he believes teachers should know in technology and the consequences if they fail to meet those standards.  He argues that people who are not technologically literate should not be proud of that, and that it is past time that everyone should accept technology as a part of life and act accordingly.


Mr.  Fisch goes on in his blog to make the assertion that in our world, being technologically illiterate is the same as a teacher not being able to read or write.  He argues that in the same way that people at the turn of the 20th century were able to live without reading or writing, people in the early 21st century have been able to be technologically illiterate.   He believes that like reading and writing became necessary for everyone, technology is going to soon be the same.  He reminds us that children who are in elementary school are facing a future where technology is mandatory.


While I believe that technology is important, I do not believe that a technologically illiterate teacher should be compared to someone who can't read or write.  I believe that when you make that claim you dismiss all the value that the teacher brings in every other area.  I think school systems and administrators should be more proactive in getting those teachers the necessary training to become technologically literate.  


 Gary Hayes Social Media Count
The social media count on Gary Hayes' blog is astounding.  The thought that, in just the few minutes you are watching, all those things are happening is almost beyond comprehension.  If you think about it on a much more personal scale, though it makes sense.


 If you think about how much you, as an individual, use technology throughout the day, it probably adds up to be more than you realize.  Anything from looking at Facebook or twitter, to checking your bank account, is using technology.  However, when you see the social media count, those numbers make you realize what a powerful presence both social media and technology have in our lives.


 Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
"If these walls could talk, what would they say?"  That is the opening question of  Michael Wesch's video.  He  surveyed 200 students and used their responses to show how the education that students get today is not effective.  In the video he shows the overcrowding of classes and the impersonal relationships between teachers and students.  He shows that students utilize technology and social media much more than they do traditional learning methods.  In the video, the students read 8 books per year, but read 2300 web pages.  The video says that when the students graduate they will probably get jobs that don't exist yet.  At the end of the video is a quote about a system that had totally changed learning and science.  We then learn that the quote was made in 1841, and the invention was the chalkboard.


I actually agree with most of this video.  I think that the classroom today is not effective in a lot of ways.  I am not sure that technology is the answer to all of the problems in education, but I do believe that letting students actually do something rather than listen to a lecture all day has to be a good start.