Module 4: Part 1: 21st Century Skills-Changes

For the first part of this assignment, I will reflect on the videos that were provided in Module 4. The video that "stood out" the most to me was the second video about making learning fun. The video illustrated "The Fun Theory" by replacing the stairs in a traditional staircase with "keys" to a piano keyboard. The video said that 66% more people took the stairs instead of the escalator simply because the keyboard stairs were more fun and entertaining. I certainly believe that this is true by watching this video. Traditionally, I take the escalator because it requires less effort, but I would certainly be tempted to try the piao stairs! I think that this video illustrates that fun does have a place in the classroom. Many times educators think of fun activities as a "waste of time" or as being "academically devoid of content and meaning". However, this video is a refreshing reminder that students learn more when they are having fun doing it! One goal that I would like to set for myself is to include a little more "FUN" into my classroom. I teach social studies and my students think the material is dry and boring. I want to teach my students that social studies and learning n general can be fun! I want students to want to learn social studies! :) I also need to change my mindset to reflect the fact that "fun" activities are sometimes more effective in teaching the material than a lecture or a textbook. The first video was pretty funny as well. It clearly illustrates the fears that people often have about using computers and/or the internet. The video makes light of digital immigrants who are often afraid of "losing" their work, not knowing how to get started, and not knowing how to navigate a computer program. I had already seen the last video before, so it wasn't as appealing to me as the other videos. However, the last video does make excellent points about the fact that our digital native students and children spend a large percentage of their time accessing and learning from digital media. Our students truly are "digital learners". We as educators need to recognize this "learning style" and use it to our advantage in the classroom as much as possible.


For the second part of this assignment, I chose a video entitled "Educating the Digital Generation". I chose this video becaused it presented a refreshing viewpoint of how technology should be used in the classroom. This video talks about how educators need to be teaching our students how to use "modern tools for learning and working". One of the examples given in the movie was that students should be taught how to use a laptop. One of the main points of the movie was that technology should be "standard-issue" just like pen and paper was "standard issue" in the 1970s. This video also points out that our society is changing with changes in technology (ex. book resources --> online resources and databases). One speaker in the video talks about how educators have been fighting to keep technological gadgets out of the classroom for many years because they view them as distractions. Many of the educators in this video stress the importance of capitalizing on these technological resources that our students have with them. The focus of this video is to point out that we shouldn't be teaching our students that technology is bad; rather, we should be teaching them self-control, self-discipline, mutli-tasking, and the ability to focus amidst distractions. I think that one of the most-compelling points made in the movie was the suggestion that educators humble themselves and view their students as resources. Many times we are too proud to ask others for help, especially our students. After viewing this video,I have made it my personal goal to be a more humble educator. I have also made it my goal to view my students as resources and experts in their lives and their "gadgets".