Unit 2 Assignment

I am a digital native when it comes to using technology in every day life. I love using technology and learning new ways to use it. However, after watching the videos and reading the information I have found that I am a immigrant when it comes to using technology in the classroom to prepare my students for the world after graduation.

The first article "The New Literacy" really points out how much literacy is changing. We see kids on the computer all of the time and forget how beneficial technology can be. Exposing students to the internet is important because of how important it is in today's society.

I think the video "A Vision of Students Today" provides some very interesting facts. I think that it is a video that all educators should watch. It does a great job showing how things have changed. I think the most powerful fact for me was that 18% of teachers know the students names. This is of course for big college classes but still shows that there is a problem. The statement that the job they will get after college probably does exist today is very true and poses the question of how do we prepare them for something that doesn't exist. It is true that the problems they will have to deal with they did not create but they are still their problems because we created the problems for them.

Number 3 on the handout is something I completely agree with, the so called "soft skills" are skills they have to have in order to succeed in life. We need to stop over looking them.

The last video made me realize how much we need to take a look at education.
As teachers we have been limited from using our creativity and teach to the test. This has hurt our students creativity. Creativity is something our students will need later in life and the state test score from 5th grade will not matter when they are looking for jobs after college. We are forgetting to teach them how to be successful after school and instead are teaching them how to pass a test. I think this is also a great video to watch for all educators. As teachers it is hard to go against the grain, it takes more than one teacher, it takes a whole school to come together. We need to remember we are preparing them for life not a test.