Blog Assignment #3

1. Michael Wesch: A Vision of Students Today
This video offers an incite into how many students respond to their college environment. But not all colleges are the same. Not all classes are the same. Not all students are the same. The variable make the difference. Having a  student in a class of 150 taking a course given in a lecture hall is not the same as having a student in a class of 150 taking a course given online. Some students would prefer the online course. An online course offers the ability to hear the lecture more clearly without the distractions commonly found in a lecture hall. A student can view online videos from anywhere around their schedule. They can also revisit the video if they need clarification. Others might prefer attending class in a lecture hall. They might need the instructor right there in front of them to focus. They might know that having a specific time and place for their lectures is exactly what they need to insure that they attend the lectures. These statistics may seem solid to some, but they have their faults. The data was collected by questionnaire. Who was the questionnaire available to? Was it available online to anyone who wished to respond? In which case, we must consider the people who tend to answer questionnaires. Was it only available to students of a certain school or class? Then, what is the dynamics of that certain school or class? Although the information offered in the video is questionable, I will admit the video does make people take into consideration what is said. I know that I don't facebook during class. I don't even have a facebook. I don't spend 2 hours a day watching the television. And I don't ignore assignments when they are given. These things introduced in the video may be true for many, but it is not true for all. But it is true for enough to make a difference.

2. Read the post "It's Not About the Technology" by Kelly Hines
I like the mindset in which Ms. Hines was in when she put up this post. Today's society does too often look at education as just another place to push technology as a means of improvement. If the students are not learning, let's not blame the educational tools being used. In too many cases, it is the educator that is failing to reach the students. I agree that o be an effective educator one must be able to learn as well. One must be able to adapt to new students, environments, and methods. Students learn in many different fashions. If a teacher only teaches to meet a specific learning style, only the students who learn in such a fashion will gain from the experience. Others will go home empty handed. That is not what we as educators want for our students. A lesson has not been taught if the students failed to learn from it. In which case, it was the teacher that failed the students. We must strive to be good educators if we wish to teach. We must not rely on technology to teach for us. We must not blame technology if a student is unable to take from a lesson all in which is offered. We must be able to and want to teach effectively. Then, and only then, can we use technology to improve upon our teaching capabilities.

3. Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
Mr. Fisch introduces the idea that it should almost be socially unacceptable to be technologically illiterate if you are in the field of education. This is an acceptable idea on today's standards. If educators of today are to teach the people of tomorrow, they should be at very least be up to date if not ahead of the times when it comes to technological capabilities. Today's students are going to be running the world of tomorrow with the technology of tomorrow not the hand-me-down skills of their grandparents' generation. While teachers should be able to use the technology available to them today, they should not be reliant on it. They still should be able to be effective educators. The technology should be used as an instrument of improvement not as a crutch.

4. Gary Hayes Social Media Count
This widget point out how actively today's society uses technology for a wide range of uses. As an educator, we must keep in mind what influences are students. We can reach them through facebook or twitter. They can use ebooks and listen to lessons via podcasts. Educators must think out of the box to continue to reach their students. Today's generation of students is one with technological demands in which we as educators must meet. If the only way to reach or relate to a student is through technology, then we must adapt to do what needs to be done to be effective educators. Educators must learn to do as the students do. Educators must be on the same networks as their students if they wish to ever reach their students. It is an overwhelming thought, but educators must learn to teach their students.