I think the mindset list that Beloit college publishes is pretty crafty and intuitive. It does hit on points that the incoming freshman class have always experienced. I feel it is basically saying that kids growing up these days in this day age I mean, are almost "spoiled"! They have always had it an easier way and have always been protected. Which I think has created a bunch of kids that are weenies and whiners, and also produced a lot of kids who want to rebel and go against the grain. Either way it that is not good. Now as for the future, these kids will probably be the same if not worse for their children, I think it will just get easier and easier for kids to access the internet and have mobile devices that tell them everything they want. Hopefully I am wrong in believing this but I like the idea of the Mindset list of each incoming class because it offers older students a small window into understanding the class that is new! I also disagree with # 55 that New Kids has been known as NKOTB, because this students most likely have no idea who New Kids on the Block really is!
The youtube video, offers incite to what students have been learning and what they have access too. Obviously school systems are not the same as they were 5 or even 10 years ago. Students don't like to read anymore if they can watch the movie or have someone read to them via book on tape. So the video is asking"How do we change this mindset" or what can we do with technology to actually make it useful in the classroom. If the students can understand a certain subject on the computer, then why not implement that into your classroom. It doesnt make sense not to use the technology provided, or even find better technologies that will help you become a better teacher!
Great job on your first posting, Zach! I always get a kick out the Mindset List - it's become a tradition of my 'getting ready for school' process. It's really intended for professors teaching college, but I think what's important is that all teachers carefully and thoughtfully consider their incoming class of students regardless of their age/grade. If we have any hope of reaching our students, then we need to have some sort of understanding of what 'life' means to them so that we can make our lessons meaningful and engage them in discussions.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that I was saddened (although not shocked) about many of the statistics from the YouTube video. I think teacher education programs need to place more emphasis on training teachers how to effectively integrate technology. And I think administrators need to support teachers who put forth the extra effort. We're fortunate at UIS to have a wealth of technologies at our fingertips, but other colleges/universities aren't so fortunate. Their Technology for Teachers course might focus more on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which are certainly important applications - but there's so much more to technology in the classroom than Microsoft Office!