Wow! Those are pretty amazing statistics! In my area I've been hearing for years how we need to teach students how to be independent learners and not worry so much about the curricular details. This clip pretty much proves that theory. If what we are teaching students now is going to be out of date by the time they get a job, then we need to be emphasizing less the critical details in the curriculum and more on how to search and analyze data. We need to help them to be critical thinkers and where to go to get the information they need to solve a problem.
Unfortunately,I see students becoming lazy in their thinking and studies and just wanting information given to them (thanks to t.v., video games, etc.)rather than them seeking out the information and questioning it. If we're going to stay at all competitive in this world, we need to not only teach content but thinking skills.
As I watched the video, Shift Happens, the first question that came to mind was how can we prepare kids for this new age of technology when there are still some who cannot read or perform basic math skills by the time they reach high school? You must have these basic skills in order to progress to the levels that come after that. However, once these skills are in place we can work on preparing our students for the global world. To their advantage, kids today already know more about how to use current technology than most adults do. Once teachers bridge this generational divide, we can use this knowledge for the educational benefit of the students. Even though they use technology now, it is most often used in a social context—which is limiting. We need to stress the importance of this knowledge in respect to their futures. Videos such as Shift Happens should be included in a mandatory media literacy class for high school freshmen. Hopefully if awareness is raised about the shift that is occurring in the world today, it will impress upon the kids the importance of becoming a part of the globalized world. Once we acknowledge their interest in and use of technology, we can harness their excitement and guide their usage towards practical applications in an educational environment. When they see the multiple uses for everyday technology outside of their daily social context, they can begin to prepare for entering and participating in the world that they will step into after high school.
Wow! Those are pretty amazing statistics! In my area I've been hearing for years how we need to teach students how to be independent learners and not worry so much about the curricular details. This clip pretty much proves that theory. If what we are teaching students now is going to be out of date by the time they get a job, then we need to be emphasizing less the critical details in the curriculum and more on how to search and analyze data. We need to help them to be critical thinkers and where to go to get the information they need to solve a problem.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately,I see students becoming lazy in their thinking and studies and just wanting information given to them (thanks to t.v., video games, etc.)rather than them seeking out the information and questioning it. If we're going to stay at all competitive in this world, we need to not only teach content but thinking skills.
SHIFT HAPPENS
ReplyDeleteAs I watched the video, Shift Happens, the first question that came to mind was how can we prepare kids for this new age of technology when there are still some who cannot read or perform basic math skills by the time they reach high school? You must have these basic skills in order to progress to the levels that come after that. However, once these skills are in place we can work on preparing our students for the global world.
To their advantage, kids today already know more about how to use current technology than most adults do. Once teachers bridge this generational divide, we can use this knowledge for the educational benefit of the students. Even though they use technology now, it is most often used in a social context—which is limiting. We need to stress the importance of this knowledge in respect to their futures.
Videos such as Shift Happens should be included in a mandatory media literacy class for high school freshmen. Hopefully if awareness is raised about the shift that is occurring in the world today, it will impress upon the kids the importance of becoming a part of the globalized world. Once we acknowledge their interest in and use of technology, we can harness their excitement and guide their usage towards practical applications in an educational environment. When they see the multiple uses for everyday technology outside of their daily social context, they can begin to prepare for entering and participating in the world that they will step into after high school.