Some of you may have enjoyed the previous Did You Know videos . . . well enjoyed is probably not the correct word – let’s see – jolted by them might be more appropriate. They are a helpful visual compilation of the kinds of rapid change happening in our world that has relevance to educators and others.
Here is the latest in the Did You Know series, highlighting media convergence.
In case you missed the first video and remixed versions of that video, the most recent version of the original video is the 3.0 version below.
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Yes, indeed, what does it all mean? I am going to have my SPED 216 (Intro to Special Education) students reflect on that one after watching the 2 videos. What does this mean for educators in training – especially Christian educators? I look forward to reading their ELECTRONIC responses.
Prof Pete Post (Trinity Christian College)
Looking forward to their reflections! Hope your class goes well, Pete. Thanks for your ongoing interaction with the blog.
Thank you Dan,
These videos are certainly thought provoking and I would like for my education students at Trinity to view them and then take a moment to reflect and then comment on their implications as they embark on their respective teaching careers.
Prof Pete Post
These videos are very interesting and put into perspective what is really happening not only in the United States, but in other countries as well.
From the first video, it shows how quickly we are starting to rely on technology rather than physical books or newspapers. More people are reading their news online instead of reading actual newspapers. Students are now researching more online rather than going to a library and looking through books for the information. Wikipedia has become a popular site to look up information for almost any topic, but sites like that are not always a reliable source. We have become so dependent on technology that we rely on it to give us a lot of our information.
This is an area that current teachers and future teachers, like myself, really need to be aware of. Even though I will be teaching younger kids and they will not be doing big research projects or papers, this is still a concern we should have. Kids are so into video games, television, and the computer that they spend all of their free time doing just that. We need to instill in them the importance of reading and physical activity. I have a younger sister who is in third grade. As soon as she comes home from school she goes straight to the computer. If we let her, she could sit there all night playing games, but we don’t. We encourage her to go outside and play or read a couple of books. Even her teacher has a set amount of time that the students are supposed to spend reading each night. Although the computer and television can be very useful in gaining information, kids should not be spending most of their time on them.
These videos certainly give us a lot of information that we, as future teachers and even parents, need to take into consideration and really think about. Our world of technology is rapidly growing and we need to be aware of these changes.
Wow, these videos were certainly thought provoking! I knew of all the immense progress that technology was making but it makes it even more of a reality after watching these videos. The facts made me realize just how much change is happening even every second. I had mixed feelings about both videos. In one sense, I feel it is a good thing that we are progressing and moving forward to more efficient lives, but on the other hand the facts portrayed in the video made me wonder what will happen with more and more power in human hands. Hypothetically, if we ever did make a computer that exceeded a human in certain ways, what consequences would it have? On top of that, I also become concerned for not only my generation, but for my future students who may not have an effective work ethic due to all the immediate information at their fingertips.
As a teacher, I think that I will have an advantage having grown up in the generation that I did. I will have a greater understanding of what it is to be a student in a world that has the ultimate conveniences. I will need to look out more for plagiarism and cheating, and work harder to make books something worthwhile for students. While a lot of our advances do make life more convenient and easier to connect with others, I believe it also will make it more challenging to teach in some ways in the future.
I have seen many of these statistics before but never all in one place. It really makes me think about how far we have come in just the past year alone. Comparing the two videos there has been a lot that has changed in just one year.
Technology is a big part of students lives. Like it or not it is true and you have to accept that. I believe that my role then as a future teacher is to keep up with current technologies. If technology is something that my students are interested in, then why not use it to help them learn? Like the video said, in my third year of college many things I learned in my first year of college will already be outdated. it is my responsibility then to try and stay up to date with technology. If I am able to do so I will be able to use it as a tool in my classroom to make learning fun and interesting to my students.
Unfortunately however, technology is also a big responsibility. As a future teacher it is also my responsibility to help students learn the pros and cons of technology. Take the internet for example. There are obviously issues on the internet that Christian education frowns upon. However, the internet is not going to go away just for that reason. We need to teach our students how to be discerning Christians that can use the internet in a respectable manner. By taking the internet completely out of the classroom the student learns nothing and is perhaps even more vulnerable to it than before.
Technology is not going anywhere, and as the videos made very clear it is nowhere near done growing. We need to embrace this fact as Christian educators and teach our students how to be discerning. Instead of fearing technology we need to accept it and become familiar enough with it to use it as a teaching tool, a tool that students will respond to with excitement in the classroom.
While watching these videos, I was completely blown-away and speechless. When I did find my voice, the only word that came to my head was, “WOW!” One of my first reactions to these videos was a little bit of fear/anxiety (I’m not entirely sure of the right word here). We are responsible for educating this ever-changing world! When the video said that people are being educated for jobs that don’t even exist yet, I thought of how this might affect our teaching strategies and what we teach. We also have the responsibility to keep up with technology. As a future art teacher, this reliance on technology will have a huge impact on my classroom. I’m going to need to come up with ways to incorporate technology into my classes. This is going to be difficult, as art (especially when taught with elementary or middle schools) is generally hands-on and less technology involved. I also share Kristen’s concerns about motivating kids outside the classroom (in my case, to produce art/ keep sketchbooks or anything of the sort). However, the amount of information at a person’s fingertips is enormus. It’s amazing what we can learn and teach now that we have access to so much information. There will be a lot of responsibility on teachers, but a lot more information, tools, and technologies available to assist in teaching future generations.
I think that it is crazy how technology has impacted society, and how jobs that didn’t exist in 2004 are now the top ten jobs in the world. As a future educator this might make my job difficult because i will need to prepare students for things that i don’t even know is going to happen later in their lives. one thing i like about this is the possibilities of technology that we can use in the classroom. There are already things today that blow my mind that we use in a classroom like a smartboard where you can use it as a white board and also as a projector.
When i thought of the country’s that are technologically advanced i think of the US and Japan i never thought of places like India and other countries.
Technology is amazing, and I can’t even begin to fathom all the opportunities it has given us over the past few years that we otherwise never would have had. But on the other hand, it is scary and intimidating to think how drastically times have changed, and how vulnerable we, as well as our future students, are to these changes. My generation, as well as the generations of my future students face many difficulties that result from technology. Raising a child, or teaching a child is much more difficult now than before, because all too often the personal skills are underdeveloped and technology takes over. Recently I was aiding in a special education classroom where a child was never intrigued in the slightest unless they were being entertained by a computer screen or television. Yes, there are ways to work with this, but it seems so sad that from birth the child grows so accustom to something so anti-social and physically limiting. Also, 10 years ago, none of this technology had nearly as large of an impact as it does now. Today, it seems as though people all around the world feel life cannot be survived even a single day without technology. Yes, it opens so many wonderful opportunities, but it also robs us from things that can only be obtained from the world around us and the people around us as well. Learning from your elders and friends is less important because all the knowledge that could ever be needed is right at our fingertips. Again, I am somewhat torn about the role technology plays in our society. I wish it was an added tool that we could keep seperate from our daily lives, but rather it has turned into a necessity. All in all, it makes me wonder about the future, and how this will effect the way I can best reach my students someday.
The statistic that stuck out to me the most was the amount of internet devices that are now in our world compared to the 1980s. Also the amount of text messages that are being sent out a day was at a ridiculous number. Technology has definitely changed over the years, and I think it’s important for us to do the best we can to stay on top of it. Trinity has done a pretty good job of making sure we are capable of using a lot of technology. It’s only going to become a bigger and bigger part of our lives and we’re going to have to deal with that. As future teacher’s we need to stay up to date on everything so that we can teach our student’s how to use it as well. I think once we accept the fact that technology is only going to increase, that we need to start thinking of positive ways to use it in the classroom. We as teachers will need to do our best to make it beneficial to our students. In some ways though, this is all a bit scary. Technology consumes so much of our lives, that it makes me wonder if we are forgetting about our priorities. I can honestly say that it has taken over my life a little bit, so we need to be careful about that. The big thing though is to accept the change that is happening and try to make the best out of it.
After watching these videos and thinking about the statistics that I just saw, I thought about how the world may be (inn the realm of technology) when I’m older. Will I understand it? Will I be able to use it? How is it going to change the lives of children – of MY future children, or MY future students? It scares me that there will be computers that can do more than the human brain. It is an unsettling concept that a machine can do more, understand more, and remember more than the person who created it. And what about social networking? Will future generations grow socially like my generation did? Will they want to talk face-to-face or just text their friends? This world has become so technological, I fear that the way humans used to function and interact is not the same – not as special.
On the other hand, it’s cool to think about how far we have come. It is exciting to think about the fact that we have been able to create these amazing computers and use technology. God has blessed us with wonderful minds and awesome talents. I think it is our jobs as Christians to use all of these blessings for his honor. It is easy to abuse it…but I feel God will provide the wisdom we need to use this technology correctly.
I have heard some of these statistics individually before, but never all in one presentation. Those two videos definitely caused me to think. It is amazing how far technology has come and how fast it is advancing. Print sources are rapidly becoming out dated and most of the world is going completely digital. It is also surprising to me just how popular sites like myspace, facebook, and twitter have become. I can’t even imagine what life would be like without all of the new technologies we have today. It wasn’t that long ago when cell phones and the internet didn’t even exist. Now, we live in a society that is completely dependent on these technologies. I mean I don’t know how i could write a paper for school with out the help of Google, or how I could find my way anywhere with out the help of MapQuest. When I think about it, it is scary how dependent I am on things like my computer and my cell phone. Technology is advancing extremely rapidly, and I am kind of excited to see just how far it advances throughout my lifetime. There are so many things that I can do with technological devices that my parents could never have even dreamed would be possible. I believe that it will be the same with my children. I am sure that my kids will say some of the same things to me. Things like, “How could you have possibly survived with out fill-in-the-blank.” Technology has caused the world to be a completely different place than it was only fifty years ago. People are connected in a way that they never where before. I’m excited to see the inevitable new advances in technology over the next few years.
I could not believe the statistics that I saw in this video. I have realized over the past few years how everyone has been relying on technology and how much it has been advancing, but I never thought it was this much. I can not decide if technology can be a good thing or a bad thing. It can be good for me as a teacher because it can help make my lessons more fun and interactive. But it scares when the video said that by the first year I start teaching all the technology will change. It also scares me knowing that I have to keep updated with the technology or else the students will out smart me over everything I try to do. Also as i watched these videos I realized that all this technology might not be good for the next generation. The statistcs for emails and text messages were so high. It is kind of scary to think about how childrens social skills are going to be since they are using all of this typing comunication divices.
Its wonderful to know that being created in God’s image and likeness gives us a sense that we are little creators ourselves and the amazing things that we can accomplish with the spiritual gifts and guidance God provides for us. The fact that we are growing and learning and adapting with technology and discoveries constantly is a wonderful thing and it gives us more resources and mediums to share our knowledge, message, and teaching with the world easier now than ever before. Creating lesson plans, sharing ideas and communicating Gods word to the world can now be done in seconds to places in the world we thought we might not be able to reach and it is all just a wonderful blessing for all to enjoy.
Unfortunately this technology can be used for sin just as easily and it is important that we be good stewards of what is given to us and to make sure that we live a life in Christ, to be a part of the world but not of it, and as a Christian we struggle with that everyday. But it is not the new technology nor is this struggle a new one it has just evolved as our society does and it is something that we should embrace and work within as long as we don’t allow ourselves to be corrupted by it because of our sinful nature.
Overall the videos were thought provoking giving me lots to think about and reflect on as to what things will be like towards the end of my own lifetime.
Mmmmm… These videos are not only interesting but a little scary. We can’t deny we live in interesting times but technology seems to be over taking everything. I liked the part about who did we ask all the questions to when we didn’t have Google. Many times I have tried to contemplate this , actually just a couple of days ago my father was thinking about how to replant some plants in his home. He commented that I should go to the library and get him a book, and I told him I can find it online. He doubted my certainty but said give it a try; he said we won’t find it because we don’t know what the plant was called. I went on Google and typed “big leafy house plant” and went to images on the first page we saw the plant and from there searched the name and got all the info, and then even some extra like that it’s actually poisonous. I think the reason technology is booming is because it is so instant and convenient, it does all the work for us. Before all this technology people actually had to get a book or magazine out and read it, now everything is so quick, people can’t even wait to come home or school to find something online they can do it right in the palm of their hand on a cell phone. This type of instant information can be good but I feel it is leading or already lead us to be an instant gratification society. We want something and we want it now. We can’t deny that internet is a good tool but it should not be the only tool students’ use, books and encyclopedias shouldn’t only be collecting dust. The internet has billions of websites and this gives parents and teachers another thing to be aware of with children because there are inappropriate things online. Besides being a convenience all this technology can be a little overwhelming but we will have to adjust just like how people adjusted to light bulbs, telephones and even airplanes. (Mental picture the telephone was invented)- I bet people thought to themselves ; how can this be, next thing you know we won’t need a wire, or better yet we will be able to see one another). I guess we can only keep an open mind, because nowadays anything is possible. The second video also opened my ideas to something’s like that amount of honors students in the U.S. compared to India, of course they have more people but with all the advances we have, Americans should have lots of smart kids. Shocking is the word that describes these videos because they truly are eye openers.
That was a lot of information in those ten minutes. I knew technology was more advanced, but those were huge numbers! The jobs that have been established in the last six years is fascinating! It certainly is amazing how far we have come technologically. It still blows my mind the kind of access we have to information. There is so much out there now! And it’s increasing! Technology is so amazing. The fact that I am writing a reflection via blog is also very amusing to me. It is easy and convenient. You view the videos on the exact same page you write your reflection. And its fast.
As I try to switch my mind gears to think about what the topics in these videos mean for teachers, I realize I am feeling a little sluggish and overloaded with information. This must be how students feel when we bombard them with too much information using methods incompatible with their learning styles. Personally, it was too much information for me, and I can’t begin to fathom how these things change learners and learning.
I feel like there is a big disconnect in a lot of our schools. Often, students are fully immersed in a visually stunning and entertaining world – until they come to school. Electronic technology is not going away, it’s going to progress and advance infinitely. Since we have it, and today’s students have co-existed with it for most of their lives, we should be taking full advantage of these resources in the classroom.
While we run the risk of losing some basic aspects of classrooms, such as spending class time to take attendance, passing out papers, and etc., I think there is a lot more to gain with the implementation of technology. Students could sign an electronic attendance sheet. Teachers could get worksheets, assignments, class work, and etc. to students instantly via laptops. We could reinforce a positive classroom environment by holding online discussions.
There’s a lot of kinks to work out, and there will be a lot of new problems along with the new technology. However, we need to learn to teach in the way that students need to be taught, and therefore there is just no escaping the need for technology in our classrooms.
The ability to keep up with technology for one’s personal use, and some would say enjoyment, is a daunting task. To see how much things have and will continue to change is simply bewildering. There are a number of problems with the advancement of technologies. The fact that students now are subjected to a huge amount of useless information and activities that serve no real purpose makes me wonder how difficult it will be to teach them. I fear that they will value history less as technology advances. Why should one learn what he can find on Wikipedia? After all it was the first source listed on the first video on this very blog. One thing I have noticed in many of my interactions with children is they do not speak or write properly. Reading books also seems to be an activity of the past for many students they would rather play video games or text their friends.
There are some bright points as well, in the advancements that have been made in technology . There is a wealth of information at the fingertips of nearly everyone that wants to learn. The modern teacher, if a teacher can truly be modern, has more resources at his disposal than ever before. Videos like this one will continue to baffle the people of my generation, but solutions for purging away the useless and embracing the useful are what educators and parents should focus on.
As I was watching these videos, I realized how much technology has changed over the years. These changes have greatly affected our society. There are so many jobs that are available today that were not available 4 years ago because of all the new technology. We are constantly trying to stay up to date with all the new advancements. As future educators, we need to be familiar with the new technology so we can teach it to our students. The technology will also help us teach our students more affectively.
I know that I am guilty of being on the internet and on my cell phone way too much each day. I probably spend more time texting and on Facebook than I do on my school work. I am aware of how dependent we are on technology, but the statistics in the videos were still very eye-opening. Although technology is very important in society today, we still cannot completely revolve our whole lives around it.
I could not believe some of statistics that were said in the videos. It is amazing how far technology has taken us in a few years. It is very exciting to think of all the new technology we will have as teachers in the future, but it is also a challenge to deal with. I remember getting my first cell phone in high school and a computer when I was ten. Kids now are getting cell phone at 8 or 9 years old and already have their own laptops. It is a huge challenge to incorporate technology in a positive way and help stop the use of technology in a negative way such as being on facebook in class or texting. Although there are negative, they of course don’t outweigh the amazing positive in jobs and way to communicate. It is amazing how fast we can order items online or talk to someone in another country. Technology has definitely transformed our country.
The videos gave me insight to how fast our technological and social world grows. Students basically have information at the tips of their fingers and from the looks of things it will constently become more efficient and faster. As a teacher I fear for the idea that I will someday have to compete with the internet. I will constantly have to learn new technologies, and in some ways have to keep up with students. One good side is that I as well will have information at the tips of my fingers. I also fear that I may have to compete for a job with a computer. How long will school, in a traditional setting actually be in place. Or does the future hold children starring at computer screens. One major issue for teachers at Christian schools, is the idea of belief. We live in a society that seeing is believing. For those whose teaching is based off of religion how can teacher convince their students to belief in something that maybe the internet tells them different. Proof is what we look for, hence the billions of google questions. Teachers will have to compete with technology as well as keep up with it and their students.