Blog #5

Scott McLeod is a professor at the University of Kentucky and is the founding director of CASTLE, the nations only academic center that is dedicated  to the importance of technology in the classroom.  He has also received many rewards for his technology leadership work.  In his blog "Don't teach your kids this,stuff please?", I had a hard time understanding the sarcasm that he uses.  I agree with the message and feel that if students aren't given the opportunity to learn about technology at a young age, there is no reason to prepare them for the future.  Technology isn't going anywhere, it is only getting more advanced.  There will be a point that if you don't learn at a young are, I believe you will never catch up.  Let's start young so we have a better chance at success for the future.

The iSchool is a device using the iTouch platform.  It allows email access for parents, teachers and students.  There are several different apps for the iTouch that could replace school books, supplies, workbooks and other teaching tools.  Some of the apps are Chem. Touch, US Constitution, World Wiki, USA Presidents, Star Walk, Formulae, Recorder, Scientific Calculator, Notes, and Calender just to name a few.  School supplies cost about $600 per student.  The iSchool costs about $150 per student.
I think the iSchool is a great thing.  It gives us the opportunity to spend money in other areas.  I believe that the students will want to do more school work using this type of technology.  To learn more about the iSchool, you can go to their facebook page and voice your opinions.

In Eric Whitacre's video, there are many people singing together that have never been together.  That is what I love about technology.  Anything is possible.  I believe that in my lifetime, internet access will be a must.  There will not be other means of communication. I think that it is great that people have fun with it.  Technology can be a very fun thing and there are endless possibilities.

Teaching in the 21st Century is a great video that demonstrates that students can get anything, anytime, anywhere.  I really enjoyed reading the various questions that were asked.  There isn't a right or wrong answer.  The key to it is teaching the students where to go to get the information to form an opinion about a topic.  None of the questions that were asked could be answered by the average student.  They would have to be researched.  But where do you go and what do you look for?  This is up to us as teachers in the 21st Century to teach these research skills.