Blog Post #13

Ask Yourself This Question
Have you ever wondered what your students actually think about your class? Does the students actually feel like the class they are sitting in will prepare them for their future? Does it bother you that most students in college spend over twenty-six hours a day on homework and preparing for test? All of these questions and more were brought up in the touching video A Vision of Students Today. As a future educator it should push us to reach out and use the new resources and tools out there in our classrooms. Chalk, pencils, and paper are not keeping the attention of students and it is time educators wake up. Educators need to branch out and make a connection with other teachers using technology and try out their ideas in their classroom. This would make learning more enjoyable for the students. I know not every student will enjoy American Literature or Mathematics, but it would be more enjoyable and allow students to contain more information if the lessons were coming to life.
As a student, it is very frustrating to know that when I graduate I immediately will be given a bill to pay that will take me several years to pay off. All of my school loans will have to be paid and it will sadly take me a long time due to how much it cost to attend college. Personally, it is irritating that I work very hard to receive an A in all of my classes, but athletes and others on scholarships that fail classes have no punishment. I feel like they should work just as hard as others to pass if they are receiving free schooling. Also, I think that tuition has gotten out of hand. I understand it is very costly to run a university; however there are at times where I wish certain actions would be voted upon before going forth with plans. For example, I believe the students that pay for all of the buildings and sculptures shoule be allowI would love to know my opinion was considered before building something on campus. This would also encourage more student involvement through the school.

How Will You Teach Me in the 21st Century?
In this video, kids are asking the question "How will you teach me in the 21st century?” We need to make a change in our classroom to make it more enjoyable for our students. By doing this our students will retain more information. Teachers also should be able to interact globally with other teachers to make connections and add technology to their classrooms. A great idea to add to the video would be pictures that told the stories of actual students, statistics, and resources for teachers to make connections and suggest websites from them to check out.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the blog post by Dorothy Burt. She explained several skills that teachers should know to teach in a 21st century classroom. All topics are a must for teachers teaching students today and to prepare them for their futures. Check out this blog post. It is a must see!

Another touching post was by Miles Webb who taught his students to create videos. Not only did he teach his own students, but he also allowed a blind student to learn how to make a video. This student was struggling in school and after learning how to make videos it inspired this student to continue learning and enjoy school. The student now has a new outlook on school. Though it may be difficult for him at times he is now enjoying school and creating videos.