Listen to the music playing in this video. Watch the video.
Look beyond the fact that it eerily sounds and looks like a lengthy commercial for cell phones and iPods. The underlying message is powerful. I had mixed reactions to it.
The video was shown today at an after school workshop I was required to attend. Two things struck me about the video:
1) the dramatic music... who wrote it? who is playing that piano? I loved the music!
2) the theme that weaves itself throughout... increasing technology in the classroom because it is what interests the kids. This is the age of technology... it is changing faster than we can keep up with it.
After finding the video on the internet, I started searching to find out who the musician is.... her name is Carly Comando. I don't know much more than that about her except she does have a website on MySpace.
I didn't have much time to keep searching on that topic, but I moved on to find out how other teachers are getting their technology. After all, it isn't cheap like paper and pencils.
Besides, I want more technology in my classroom. I want a laptop, but I don't want to buy one. I will only be using it for school, so I think the school should buy one for me. But if that isn't possible (which it isn't) then I am going to find a grant that can provide one for me.
I foundInterwrite Learning. I wanted to write more, but it is late and I am on my way to bed. I wish I had found about Interwrite sooner. You see, they are having a technology in the classroom makeover. The finalists are listed and linked at the Interwrite website... I watched the five elementary level videos (made by the kids and their teachers, parodies... musicals... very entertaining), and they are all very good.
Unfortunately, the voting deadline is Saturday, so if you are interested in helping some schools out, click on the link here and watch those adorable videos. Then cast your vote. You will be helping three teachers get the technology they need in their classroom.
Warning: it will be difficult to choose a winner... I found them all smartly done, and charmingingly presented.
Here are the elementary school finalists.
Here are the middle school finalists.
Here are the high school finalists.
Remember, you've got until Saturday to cast your vote.
Ah, go on... help them out with a vote! Then come back and find out who won. I'm voting!
11 comments:
I bookmarked the sites and will vote tomorrow (Friday)
Russ
Thanks for the links Bea, will be off to check them out now and vote if I can! You always have something interesting and thought provoking in your posts!
Thanks so much for sharing!
love,
marie
http://journals.aol.co.uk/mariealicejoan/MariesMuses/
That was a sure powerful video. As a bit of a luddite myslef I have to admit that I hadn't thought of the use of most of the "coputer age materia" But when I read that it suddenly struck me as so very true, Mind you I am not exactly sure if all the info.(or even most) the children look at on the screen or listen to actually sray in their brains !! of course I am probably wrong. I certainly think/know that I would rather be a pupil at school nowadays than I was some 50 !! years ago. Although then I was being taught things that did remain with me lifelong and was relevant to the workstyle in these days....Somewhere along the line teaching has deteriorated...perhaps ...I know over here Teachers say that there are so many new forms of teaching that THEY can't keep up..It is a big subject. I don't have time at the moment to look at the other videos and vote but will later. Have a lovely weekend. Love Sybil
http://journals.aol.co.uk/sybilsybil45/villagelife
(((((((((((((((((HUGSTOYOU))))))))))))))))))))))Have a nice weekend.
I stopped by and read this entry on Thursday night but didn't take the time to comment. Instead, I visited the finalists and voted. You were so right, it was difficult choosing a winner. Thanks for finding out about the music in the video; I really like it and appreciate having some onfo on the artist. Technology has really changes our world and I think that for the most part the changes have been beneficial. I do think that schools have to move forward with intergrating technology as a tool for teaching and inspiring creativity in the classroom. It's challenging but exciting at the same time and I think that it is definitely appealing to students who have never experienced a world without computers. --Sheria
I wish I knew how to create an online textbook set up like MySpace.
children are not engaged at schols because the technoogy has left schools behind.It's not the same world now,but schools are pretty much like they were when I was in school.
(back when dinosaurs roamed the earth)
Love
Marti
dear Bea,
great job!
love,nat
Hope you get your laptop. Take care, you're a good teacher.
Jude
http://journals.aol.com/jmorancoyle/MyWay
What a wonderful find! This is perfect inspiration for the class I am taking technology in education. The link to interwrite is very helpful as well. For the first time in my life, our professor has introduced us to a podcast, videocast, webquests, and many other cool types of technology to use in our classrooms during this semester. I hope to access them for my own class some day or for my niece who is three and would love these kinds of hands on activities.
I am completely on board with engaging our students with hands on interactive materials... although the phone/texting usage would be crossing some pretty heavy lines with appropriate use and fees associated with the calls or text messages, but I am open to the idea, if somehow these concerns could be addressed.
My questions where do you access the thousands of podcasts mentioned in the presentation? This was truly worth the seven plus minutes of time to view it. How do you currently use technologies in your classrooms today?
Awesome, thanks :)
(dobbsED205)
At first when I clicked on this blog and saw that I had to watch a video I really wasn't intrigued to do so. But after reading a couple comments and seeing what people had to say I have to admit I was a little curious.
I watched the 7 minutes+ video and I had to agree with what some of the people were saying.
It seems so right when it's talking about how students in high school, middle school and maybe even elementary don't even care about learning or sitting in a classroom unless some sort of technology is used. I can remember when I was sitting in class I would watch the minutes go by until "passing time". But when I was in a classroom with a computer, I was listening and all ears to the teacher.
I can't wait to become a teacher and be able to use all sorts of technology such as computers, blogs, podcasts, texting. I thought that was really neat how the example for texting was used...I never thought that it could be used in such a way.
Teachers really do need to find a way to make things more interesting for students and I do think that by incorporating the things that they use everyday outside of school in the curriculum will make them so much more interested.
Good find with the video.
Good luck with the laptop. :)
Totally agree with you. Watched the movie with friend of mine and we agreed on most of the statistics and could relate to how boring and meaningless classes seem. I hope to implement some/most of this technology when i become a teacher.
Matt205
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