The message that I got from this cartoon was that these are two different brands of pencils. This cartoon is boring in color, which represents learning without technology. When we incorporate technology into the classroom, learning can be a lot more “colorful”. Though technology is more expensive, it pays off more in the long run and can result in a better education. This might not be the message that John T. Spencer was trying to convey, but that is what I got out of it.
This post was very clever and I really enjoyed the writing style. The principal was against games in the classroom. He only wanted teachers to focus on “the rote memorization skills”. He was suggesting that this was the only way students would pass “the rote memorization test”.
In reality, students are learning more from these hands on interactions, than by strictly memorizing facts. When facts are memorized they are often forgotten after the test. These “games” relate more to the students, are more fun, and encourage learning. Also, what is learned is more likely to stay with the student.
Teachers and principals today are so worried about what their students will make on their standardized tests, that they are too afraid to try anything outside of the box. This post does a good job of portraying this. As educators, we need to be more focused on benefiting the student and making sure that they are learning and retaining the material. By making the material more relatable to the students, this can be accomplished.
Scott McLeod has a blog called Dangerously Irrelevant. On it he talks a lot about technology and it importance, leadership, and the future of schools. He has received several awards for his technology leadership work. He has even come out with his first book, What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media.
In his post titled “Don’t Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?” he uses sarcasm and irony to get his point across. He is telling everyone not to teach their kids about technology, the internet, social networks, etc. because he is going to teach his kids this and they are going to be ahead and have “a leg up” later in life. I think that it is important to incorporate technology and the internet into the classroom and students who have access to it really will be on a different learning level. I really enjoyed the sarcastic manner in which he wrote this post.
Thank you for your posts Emily. I really appreciated the first one on the cartoon because I did not have any idea what was going on in that message. I also agree with the games that were played in the teachers class.The last point I enjoyed in the post was the sarcasm as well. It really helped in getting across the point. Thank Ya Miss.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. I really like what you've posted here and wish you the best of luck with this blog and thanks for sharing. Coloring Books for Toddlers
ReplyDelete