Blog Post #6

This Is How We Dream: Part 1 and 2 by Richard Miller

This Is How we Dream is an informative lecture about how the future of publication is changing. Mr Miller expresses that writing used to be a solitary activity that went on the shelves of libraries or were mailed to people homes to be read or not and tossed aside never to be seen again. He says that we now can work form our lap tops and can research the world to produce documents that can live on forever and be available to anyone and never make their way to the trashcan.
We are now able to collaborate with others to produce documents that contain not only printed material but also material that is stimulating to the visual and auditory senses. We are able to research information that is historical or we can draw from information that is changing on the screen right before our eyes. We can publish our ideas immediately instead of waiting possibly years to get something out in print.
Mr Miller for sees a time when all students will compose with new video technology not just word processors. To make this possible we need to have inspiring and trained teachers to do so. From what I have seen there are some students who are already using this technology. I don't know if this is through skills they have learned from professional teachers or if they have simply taken the initiative to learn it on their own. I personally am not prepared to write with multimedia. I am prepared to learn. I think it is a much better way to share your ideas and is much more effective for capturing the attention of an audience. I look forward to the day that I can do this and would thoroughly enjoy being able to teach my future students how to write this way.



The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler
I did not really understand what it meant to be a networked student until I viewed this video. I now have a better understanding of why Dr strange has had us create our own PLn's. They are not only to help us be better students but also for us to be better teachers. They will help us teach our students to be more successful learners.
a networked student understands how to use the web and is motivated to explore and seek out information. He must be inquisitive and willing to ask questions. He must also be organized. He must also be organized. A networked student knows how to develop a PLN to organize his research sources so that they can be easily accessed when he is creating documents of his own.
A networked student reaps the benefits of all other networked students who have come before him by being able to access the research that they have already spent time doing just by accessing their bookmarks and vice versa other students can learn form the research legacy that he leaves behind. Sharing information will allow us to further our knowledge by building on each others work.
Even though all of the information that a student needs may be able to be found on the internet without need for text books or teacher lectures, students still need teachers. Teacher are motivators. So few students will motivate themselves without a lesson plan and someone to hold them accountable. Teachers are also needed for guidance. Information can be misinterpreted and there needs to be a teacher with knowledge and experience to help determine between good and bad information. Also, how is a student to learn to use the internet effectively and to develop a PLN without a teacher to help him do so. I think teachers should not be treated by the age of technology. They must be prepared to use it effectively in their classrooms. The role of a teacher is changing so we must be prepared to change too. I like the way Dr. Strange said that he is not a teacher but that he is a coach. I do not want to stand in front of a classroom and pour information down the throats of my students. I would like to guide or coach them in their own quest so that the learning does not stop with my classroom but can continue on as long as the student has a thirst for knowledge.


Michael Wesch Toward A New Future of Whatever

I think the word "whatever" has now become the epitome of laziness. It is also self centered and shows that you don't care enough to be bothered with the opinions or concerns of others which leads us to a greater realization of narcisism. Just as many of the contestants on American Idol are narcistic so are much of today's younger generation. It is all about me is the consensus of many. I guess this propels many into pursuing their dreams and maybe realizing more of them than the generations that have come before. So, in a way being narcistic is a good thing.
I myself have not been able to be narcistic in many years. For the majority of the last 15 years I have had to set myself aside and put the needs of others first and for most. As I sit here writing this today that has not changed too much. My decision to go back to school and become a teacher was primarily for the benefit of my children. I want to be available to them. I want to be there when they are out of school and I want to be able to offer them more by making more money.
There are also some self centered reasons for being a teacher. I will get to enjoy being with my kids more. I will have more time off and hopefully not worry as much about money and I will enjoy being able to give to them. I don't know that I could call this narcistic but it is for me.
I believe that as a teacher my primary duty is to the student. The student comes first but in order to do the best by my students I must put myself out there and strive for greater achievements. I must focus on myself and get comfortable with myself being seen by others. I can totally relate to the people making the awkward YouTube videos because I have been there and done that. I'm not comfortable watching myself on video and I must overcome this. I'm sure all of this will come in time and I hope to be able to guide others in expressing themselves to the world.