Blog Post #10

Papermate vs. Ticonderoga

I didn't get this at first until I read through the comments of what John T. Spencer and other people had said and then I finally got it! Papermate pencils are affordable and cheap while the Ticonderoga (which I have never heard of till now) is a better pencil but more expensive. He was comparing these pencils to PC's and Mac computers. He was basically saying you might as well go for the more expensive kind because the more affordable PC's will break down and you'll have to pay to repair them so you might as well go for a Mac.

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?

Another post from John T. Spencer talks about a conversation he had with his supervisor about "playing games" when they should have been learning memorization skills. He even states that "They were reading as well. They had to read various scenarios and describe their solutions in a text. It was real interactive and the kids were engaged" In the end, he talked his supervisor into allowing them to play an algorithm factory game to prove what he is doing helps the students. I didn't like the principals attitude about games. I know that I learned much better with hands-on activities and games.You have to make sure your interacting the students or they either won't learn or won't pay attention to you while you were teaching. There is many kinds of games for each kind of learning for example: memorization games, simulation games and so on. You can learn and still have fun and that's what helped me learn the most!


Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

In his most recent post, Scott McLeod acts very opposing to having any kind of technology in the classroom. No computers, tablets, iPads, phones because he states in his "argument"  that children can't be trusted with technology. He says that the students would be too busy sexting, cyber-bullying or looking up porn before doing their homework or assignments. To some degree he is right, but I believe if the students are taught from an early age about the dangers and the pros and cons of technology, they will learn to use it properly. 

Coming into Dr. Strange's classroom, I knew technology was a big deal but growing up, my teachers hardly used technology so I had no plans of using technology in my classroom. I've realized now that technology is an important part in a classroom and should be used but not relying on technology 100%. I know what I have learned will be beneficial for me and for my classroom in the future.

Scott McLeod is currently serving as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He is also the founding director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education. Also, he is the co-founder of the video series, Did You Know? (Shit Happens) with Karl Fisch.