A Vision of Students Today

Technology is constantly changing today's students and how they learn and view the world. I have witnessed the changes first hand having been in college now for ten years(and no i'm not a doctor). When i first started college there was no such thing as wifi or ipods. Text messaging was just becoming popular. I think that technology can help us as students if we use it the right way. Having laptops in class can help students access information immediately, but when half the class is twittering and facebooking it defeats the purpose. These technological advances are also hurting students reading and writing skills. Have you ever seen a text message that had proper grammar?

There is less personal contact between teachers and their students today. It's becoming a more independent endeavor for a student to graduate. And when a student graduates today, not only are they in massive debt, but how many students get a job in their major field today. It's not many. So if what we learn in our first year of college is outdated by our third year then maybe that is the reason it's so hard to get a job in that field. I think we should start thinking about on the job training and understand that maybe college isn't for everyone.


It's Not About the Technology

I like Ms. Hines post and agree that it starts with the teacher. We as teachers MUST evolve and learn with the changes in technology. I can remember a number of my old teachers who only used their computers to play solitaire and minesweepers. I agree that unless teachers become learners and figure out ways to best utilize technology for their students then it just becomes a waste of money.

I want to become the best teacher that I can be. I accept Ms. Hines challenge to become better through learning. They say that once you stop getting better, you stop being good. We as teachers must help each other to become more effective educators because one day our students will become the teacher.


Technologically Illiterate

I am technologically illiterate and no i'm not proud of it. Becoming technologically literate is one of my main goals this semester. Mr. Fisch takes a hard stance on the subject, but he does make some good points. Having a tech illiterate teacher today is almost like a teacher thirty years ago not being able to read or write. I agree that it is a problem that we have now addressed, and can only be solved by teacher's working together to better understand and teach. Teachers today must want to become tech literate. There is no sense in fighting against it, it's time to accept it.


Social Media Count

This media counter is just verifying all the stats we've seen during these assignments. There is a massive amount of people on the web and becoming socially interactive through things like facebook and twitter. IPOD downloads and movies are off the chart. Soon, it will be impossible to communicate or obtain information without getting on the web. Newspapers and even mail will soon not be needed. Time will tell, but until then it is important for us to better understand technology: the way it works and the way it is shaping our daily lives.