Blog Post #3

It's Not About the Technology
By: Kelly Hines

In the article "It’s Not About the Technology", Kelly Hines discusses why learning in the 21st century isn’t about technology. While she believes that technology is important and something we need to have in the future, she thinks that there needs to be a new approach to teaching and learning. Hines list four things that teachers must recognize, so they can have more of an impact on their students learning. First on her list, is that teachers must be learners. She believes that teachers must be up to date with current trends, research, and tools. She also thinks that for teachers who want to be truly successful must be voracious and self-motivated in their pursuit of evolving understanding. Second on her list, she states how learning and teaching are not the same thing. Hines believes that it doesn’t matter how hard you teach, if a student doesn’t get it, then there was no effort put in. She states how teaching in the 21st century is going to be about working smarter and not harder. Third on her list, she states how technology is useless without good teaching. Basically, she means that technology is expensive and if you put it into the hands of teachers who don’t know how to use and or don’t then money is being wasted. Last on her list, Hines states be a 21st century teacher without technology. She believes that there are ways for teachers to have achievement in the classroom with little use of technology. Hines then goes on to state how if a teachers can find ways to prepare students with the capacity to be creative and innovative, those children will be well prepared to face the future.


I really enjoyed the whole concept of Kelly Hines article. Cause in reality, it’s not technology that teaches kids, its teachers. Yes technology can be helpful in the classroom, but like Hines stated, if a teacher doesn’t use it properly it is useless. I think some teachers should still use technology, but they don’t need to rely on it. I like the four things that Hines list for teachers to recognize to have a better impact on their students. Teachers do need to be learners. They need to be open to new ideas and pay attention to their students and fellow colleagues, cause they could learn something new. I think that Kelly Hines wrote an a great article and made excellent points.

Is It Okay To Be Technological Illiterate?
By: Karl Fisch

“Is It Okay To Be A Technological Illiterate?” is a blog written by Karl Fisch, that talks about how teachers should have an understanding for technology. Fisch goes on to talk about how technology is something has been building and it isn’t going away. He explains that teachers need to be familiar with technology and if they aren’t, then they need to embrace it. He states how twenty years ago it was okay to be technological illiterate, but it is getting harder today to be technological illiterate today. He believes it will get harder for people to find jobs if they aren’t technological literate.

I agree that today people will have a hard time finding jobs if they don’t embrace technology and know how to use it. Technology has grown through the years and today is some form of technology is used in just about every job today. I like the quote that Fisch said, “If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write.” I agree that times have changed and teachers need to be technological literate. That doesn’t mean that technology will teach their students, but it will assist them and help prepare their students for the future.

Social Media Counts
By:Gary Hayes

Gary Hayes “Social Media Count” is a fascinating blog that shows how much social media is used daily. The figures that are posted are insane. For example, it blows my mind that in just five seconds hundreds of people are joining facebook. Just watching his gadget for a couple seconds and watching the numbers speed by is crazy. Its hard to imagine that just a couple years ago some of these social media sites didn’t exist. It makes you wonder what will be the next big site.

Social media has come a long way. I like to think that social media at first was just used for fun and wouldn’t be used in the classroom. I think that now many teacher encourage their students to sign up for the different social medias. The different social medias out there are a great way for students to communicate with each other and help each other out. As a teacher, I would want my students and myself to keep up with the different social medias and the different technologies out there.

Michael Wesch:A Vision of Students Today
By:Michael Wesch

The video “A Vision of Students Today” with messages written all over a classroom. It then cuts to a classroom full of students that don’t look very motivated. They start holding up signs that say what they are really doing and what they are really learning. The signs state important facts, like the students’ goals, their dreams, and where they hope to be.

I think that this video is very much reality. Time and time again you see students pay more attention to their phone or their computer then their teacher. I think it can be hard for students who are in large classes and teacher is trying to teach as much as she or he can. I’m not saying it’s the teachers fault, I just think class sizes can get out of hand and it is hard for teachers to keep up with a large class. I think school boards need to make classes need to get smaller and students can get more attention individually and hopefully that could help motivate them.