Blog Post 5

The iSchool initiative

Travis Allen, a 17 year old high school student in Georgia, talks about a solution to America's Education problem. Allen tells us about his idea of having an iSchool which will eliminate books, pencils, paper, printers, and calculators. Students will only need an iTouch with certain apps like e-mail, U.S.A. Presidents, Formulae, Recorders, and the Graphic Calculator app. According to Allen, this will save 600+ dollars per student. Although I'm not an apple fan, I think this would be a good idea to bring into the classroom. Students and teachers will be able to attend field trips and therefore will be less money out of the schools budget. My main concern is that no two students learn the same way, and  it might be best if there were both books and the iTouch.


Virtual Choir.

I really enjoyed watching Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir video. It's amazing to see 185 people across the world sing together in unity via the internet. The group never met each other, they only practiced in the comfort of their own homes. I would have never guessed that something like this would be possible to do, with so many people.


Teaching 21st Century students.

What does it mean to teach? Kevin Roberts asked in his video Teaching in the 21st Century. I hadn't really thought about what it means to teach besides to have a passion to help others want to learn. He also stated that "students can find information on anything, anytime,and anywhere"; which means teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge, they are the filter. I think the technology that's being made each day will allow students to become more creative by using Blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. I'm glad students have other resources and can look up all types of information. I'm excited about becoming a teacher and this video encourages me to find new and creative ways to teach my students.



Flipped Classroom
Why I Flipped My Classroom was a very informational video. Katie pointed out excellent points about how she and most teachers have their classrooms set up. I like how she arranged her classroom and put herself in the middle. This gave her an opportunity to focus on everyone's needs not just one particular student or group. Also, having students get content before class allows them to ask questions and become more involved and interested. I would use this in my classroom to keep my students involved and focused.