Reaction to Zoe Weil Video

This is an excellent video that outlines what school should be like and what it true function should be in the context of the culture and society that surrounds it. I like the view that we need to go beyond the basics of educational learning of content and view the school from the stand point that it should serve not as defender of the staus-quo, but rather serve as an organization that embraces change and provides students with a responsibility to go beyond the learning of facts but instead utilize the institution as a palce where questions can be asked and different perspectives can lead to a process that allows students to react to the world outside the walls of the school and have impact on the world. The term "Solutionaries" had a very positive impact on me and the connections to the integration of technology into the educational process rises to an even higher level of importance.
It will be our students' world - tomorrow - and they need to take an active part in shaping it now to make a better tomorrow.

Week 4 / assignment 1             

Review of the film: "The Incredible Shinking World"  - playing in your local theather now.

             This is film that one needs to see to understand the what can happen when the voice that have been so long silenced through distance and the ability to reach out to the masses, are suddenly calling out from allconcers of the world. Distance and even time is destroyed through sciencetific advances that make the vocies from distant areas of our earth reach out and shake the foundations that have so long kept societies separated from each other.

            View the video and see the world as we know it chnage from the large sphere that allows distance to make a difference in who wil  and will not be heard by the masses, to an incredible world that has been transformed into a flat environment in which all the voices can be heard by any of those who care to cry out. This is video that is frightening in its presentation that the changes that can be brought about in a new environment in which the boundries and barriers that have seperated us for so long are destroyed through the attack of modern technology.

             The major role played by Brad Pitt, presents  new face to the revolutionaries who want to destoy the old order of the exchange of information and goes so far as to change the entire basis of what was once viewed as the literate intelligencia. PItt does an excellent job in portraying a man with a vision that is misundestood by many as a threat to the entire social ordeer that has held the world together. His nemisis, the Elder, played by Jack Nicholson - does all he can to maintain the old order and stop the flattening of the world and save the way of life we have accepted as the way things must be. Nicolson, does an amazing job of showing that progress and change can do as much harm as the weapons we have created to destory the earth. His speech about information and an its power linked the ability to reach the masses through new tachnology is eye-opening. His fear of this new "Flat World" that allows for expressions from the masses throughout the eintire world sends shuttders down the spine of the estblished powers.

               This is a must see film that pints a picture of what is confronting the world now as either an opportunity to allow technollgy to make things better or tearing down the foundations of the world as we know it. And the picture that is presented as to what the world could become.  In won't be till the end of the picture when it is revealed who is the hero and who is the villian. Pick your seats now, becuase this will be one of the ten best films of the year. 

Reactions to videos assignment week two

I found both of the videos of great interest since the information, strategies, and suggestions provided seem to answer many of the problems presented in the videos reviewed in week one. The efforts through approaches like Web 2.0 place major emphasis not on the the traditional teaching strategies with the teacher acting as the provider of information - but rather places responsbility on the students to assume active roles in the learning process through collaboration - with the teacher assuming the role of facilitator. This cooperative approach appears to allow for more aspects of creativity and calls for students to assume levels of responsbility for their own learning.
The power of social networking in courses like soical studies, with students from around the world opening major opportunities for students to formulate individual perspectives or question preconcieved notions through collaborations with distant students. The only way we can truly come to understand each other is through meaningful communications whic technology can provide. Classrooms no longer need nor should they have walls that keeps the worldoutside the school.

Reactions to TED

The information presented hit dead center on the basic problems of public education. Thye observations related to creativity hit the mark, it is appparent that through our reliance on testing to judge the accountability of schools and students - that risk taking - which is major aspect of creativity are taking a tool in what students learn and what teachers teach. The view of standardization also hits home, since it is based on the concept of the factory system of interchangable parts and an assembly line concept. That which does not meet the standard is to be discarded - which is what is happenig to many of our students. ( just look at the drop rate in urbanschool in particular.
The call for a revoultion rather than efforts at reform is also well taken. The definition that is ofetn been provided for insanity is / when an individual continuing to deal with issues and problems in a manner that has no chance of success. Reform is an effort to try and keep the same basic system in place - while attempting to make some changes in the the system whithout really chnaging the basic concepts of the system - this is insanity. Evolution - the belief that over time changes will impact the basic concepts of an approach or system is a great idea / except for all of the student we are losing but not making a REAL effort at systemic change.
I agree that it time to take to the barricades and force real systemic changes in the educational system - My belief is that technology will force this change to take place. We can no longer attempt to teach today's skills for tomorrow's world and expect our students to be successful. COME JOIN ME AT THE EDUCATIONAL BARRICADES TO BRING ABOUT A REAL REVOLUTION IN EDUCATION. WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT A SYSTEM THAT IS ALREADY BEYOND REPAIR.