Saturday, January 29, 2011

Blog Assignment 2

Did you know

First, I would like to say that I found the video to be VERY interesting. My mouth was on the floor the entire time. I could not believe the statistics that were shown. To know that in approximately two years there will be a computer that exceeds the computational capabilities of a human brain, or that we are possibly preparing our current students for jobs that haven't even been invented yet! That is quite a scary thought considering how advanced we are now, to imagine there are things out there that people are currently working on for us to use in the future. Who knows what is next?
The more I think about the advancement of technology, the more concerned for Americans I become. Why, you may ask? The reason is because the saying, "Technology is going to take over the world" already gives me chills down my back. But to think that there are already robots working to do our jobs. Yes, I know they can do things much faster than we can, but what comes to mind with me is obesity and health. If technology is soon going to take over, doesn't that mean our jobs too? So now we can just sit around and press a few buttons while drinking coffee and eating, just what we need. Eventually, jobs are going to turn into making sure machines are doing the job and that everything is working correctly. I agree, technology is a wonderful thing for some things, but we shouldn't let it completely take over. I may be old fashioned, but whatever happened to doing some things by hand?

Mr. Winkle Waits

As I was watching Mr. Winkle Waits, I couldn't help but think of my grandparents. To them, it seems as if one day they woke up and technology was everywhere. Like Mr. Winkle, my grandparents are shocked at what a computer can do. Not only can a computer let you chat to someone on the other side of the world, but also you can see them. With a click of a mouse, you can shop, buy, sell,watch movies and many other things.
Many people may look at technology as a bad thing, but with technology we have been able to save lives by keeping people breathing. Also it has allowed us to research many cures for a wide range of diseases. Lastly, it has allowed Americans to reach higher potentials that were never thought of. Technology has changed the world and will continue changing it rather we like it or not.


Sir Ken Robinson

I really enjoyed watching the Sir Ken Robinson video. He was very interesting and seemed like he has a good personality with the humor he added during his speech. His quote, "If your not prepared to be wrong you'll never come up with anything original" is so true. If people are afraid to branch out and explore the creativity then nothing they come up with will ever be their own. He also says many kids who grow up are afraid to be wrong. I believe this very much because the students I work with are always afraid of being wrong. Sometimes when they are wrong and I correct them, they get this look of embarrassment. I then take the time to explain to them that being wrong is alright. No one is perfect and I try my hardest to help them understand that.
In his lecture, he also points out there is no dance taught in educational systems. I find that dance is a form of creativity and expression. We want our students to express themselves and be creative, so why not have dance offered. Not all students can show their creativity through art. Educational systems should offer different ways of creativity. It doesn't have to be necessarily dance, but some other way for our students to show us who they really are.

Cecilia Gault
As I listened to Cecelia's interview with Sir Ken Robinson, I was blown away at her professionalism at such a young age. I thought her choices of questions were well chosen for a professional speaker. Her first question was how can education change to meet the needs 21st century and make better use of technology. I agree with Mr. Robinson that we need to make better use of technology. It’s obviously not going anywhere so we might as well make as much use out of it as possible. Also, with the young generation growing up with computers and being comfortable using them, we should incorporate computers more into education system.
In response to the question, "How I would make sure the Cecelia Gaults have a good education in my classroom", I would sit down with each child individually, find out there likes and interests, and put together a program to where each child went to a different station in my classroom to learn the lesson for the day. Now, things are easier said than done. So I know typing it in response to this question and making it a reality one day are different. As a teacher, I would like to try to meet their individual needs so they can learn effectively.

Vickie Davis
I really enjoyed watching the video about Vickie Davis and they way she teaches students. I feel like she is meeting all of her students needs by using technology as a learning tool. Since students are so comfortable with technology, using it to help them learn is a great idea. I think if Sir Ken Robinson watched this video then he would be very pleased to know Ms. Davis is using many forms of technology in her classroom.
I would recommend this video to all teachers and future teachers as a way of encouragement. I know many teachers who stress about reaching all of their students needs. With technology advancing the way it is, this seems like the way to go.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Blog Assignment 1

My name is Courtney Bengtson. I am 22 years old and have lived in Daphne, Alabama my entire life. I enjoy doing many things from hunting and fishing to cooking and reading books. I also enjoy the family gatherings my family has every Sunday afternoon. It has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember.
As a child, I always wanted to be a second grade teacher. I remember loving second grade and my teacher and hoping one day I could take her place. While attending Troy, I changed my major to Psychology in hopes of becoming a counselor one day. That quickly changed as I began taking Psychology courses and realized it was not for me. I decided to fulfill my childhood dream and pursue an Elementary Education major. I had heard many great things about the University of South Alabama and since it was close to home, it made my decision even easier.

I currently work at Christ the King Catholic School in Daphne, Alabama. I run the After School Care program with my grandmother. I gladly accepted the job for the experience of working with children. I love going to work every day. There is such a great pleasure in working with children. They really know how to put a smile on your face. I think the best part about it is seeing how curious they are about everything. They have such a will to learn even after an eight hour day of constant learning and schoolwork. Answering their questions makes me get more excited everyday about one day having my own classroom full of second graders.