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Reading these different articles has just made me realize how much technology influences our everyday lives. The thought of integrating computers and technology in to everyday classrooms just amazes me. When I think back to my elementary school days we did not work with computers at all. In fact even into my middle school and high school years computers weren’t and integral part of the class. However in reading these articles it appears that in the very near future computers will be just as regular as a pair of scissors.
The video we had to watch about students in school today was not really a shock to me. All the things that they talked about or showed were so true. It is almost depressing to watch it because it just reminds you how much college is now taken almost as joke to some people. The facts that were presented were just unbelievable. For instance it talked about how “One billion people make less than $1.00 a day, yet we are paying high prices for technology(computers) yet we aren’t using them to their full potential in the classrooms.”( Wesch, 2007, A Vision of Students Today) Staying with this video, I have to say that I disagree slightly with one of the issues that they touched upon. They were somewhat implying that what we learn in school is very irrelevant to what we actually need to know for the “real world”. They basically were saying that we are taking classes and writing papers that have absolutely no connection with what we are going to need to know. I have to say that I don’t think that what we learn won’t in someway help us in the long run. Yes, I agree there are going to be some things that we don’t need, however I don’t think they are just teaching us stuff just because.
I think the sites that talked about the idea of “digital text” and the idea of faster more efficient writing was also interesting. The fact that in today’s society we live such a fast pace lifestyle that the idea of sitting down and writing with pen and paper makes no sense when you can go to a computer and type much faster and more efficiently.
The one article that really sparked my interest was the article on Youtube titled
Pay Attention. The things that they plan to use to help keep children engaged and into school are mind-boggling. I just can’t imagine teaching a lesson using text messaging on children’s cell phones. Even as recent as five years ago, cell phones in school were not only, not allowed, but there would be no talk of using your cell phone to learn about something. I understand that using cell phones may spark the interest of kids however if you are promoting cell phones in the classroom, how are you going to monitor whether or not they are using their cell phone for school purposes or just for their own pleasure? I also totally agree that since these upcoming generations are so technologically advanced, that we should use technology to help us teach. It only makes sense to use a resource that everyone is familiar with to teach by.
I think the idea of using pod casts and blogs are really interesting and beneficial. It seems as though you can do so much with those resources. Not only does it allow the students to talk and communicate with peers and teachers outside the classroom, but it allows for parents to get involved as well.
I found these videos really interesting and unique. Some of them really opened my eyes up to what we should be looking forward to. I am actually kind of excited to see where this whole technology boom will take us.

References
Wesch, Michael, (2007). A Vision of Students Today. Retrieved January 25, 2007, from YouTube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o