Blog Assignment 4

"Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?"
I just read Mr. Scott McLeod's, who is the Associate Professor of Educational Administration at Iowa State University, blog post, "Don't teach your kids this stuff. Please?". Mr. McLeod is also the Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) and the creator of the Did You Know videos.

I really enjoyed this post. It was very funny and well written. I enjoyed that he poked fun at the way a lot of parents think. We need to let kids have some internet freedom, but we definitely need to keep an eye on what they do. Technology is a good thing, in moderation, much like everything else.



"The iSchool Initiative"
I just watched this video on Youtube. While I admire this high school senior for coming up with this idea, I don't agree with it. In theory, it sounds like a wonderful idea. It would be useful and it would save a lot of time. I just don't think it's benefits out-weigh its cost.
Many students would not be able to afford this. I know he estimated the cost to be around $150, but let's face it, that's a lot for a parent to spend on one child, let alone more than one child. Secondly, technology has been know to let us down. They break, they get lost, they get destroyed. What happens if your iSchool crashes? Where does all your work go? That just adds to the cost if you're forced to buy another. Finally, I would hate to know that my kids one day wouldn't even pick up a book at all at school. When they have to read a classic piece of literature, I want to see them with that book in their hands. No distractions, just them and that book. I would also hate to know that they wouldn't know how to write an essay on a piece of paper. That's how they learn to write properly. There is no spell check, look-up, or thesaurus to get them through it, just them and their own creativity.

"The Lost Generation"
 I found this video terribly sad and terribly true! We are very much so a "quick fix society". We look for the fastest answers and we worry about the consequences later. I agree with this video. I loved the technique and I also agree with when it was read back. I loved the way the creator approached this. I do believe there is hope for our generation if we take control now.

Eric Whitaker's Virtual Choir
This video is awesome! Like Jennifer Chambers said, it's nothing special until you realize that these people have never met! I find it incredible that they were able to put something like this together. This is definitely one of the better uses of the internet. It's bringing people together for a common cause. They have their differences, but for six minutes, 185 people are working together.