Blog Post #2

I did not know most of the information provided in the video. It is amazing how many students have so much access to technology. Yet I would bet that most of them are not "technologically literate." It would be a shame for all these students to have access to so much and not teach them amazing ways to use it. New ways to learn, look up, post, create web sites, blogs and interact with people across the world that does not involve facebook. Technology can be used in so many ways. It is a new gateway to learning.

Mr. Winkle
I hope things don't stay the way it went in the video. Poor Mr. Winkle. Imagine all he could learn if he just knew how to use "one of those machines". Children should most assuredly know how to utilize technology in the learning process. Technology can be so useful if only you know how. Students should never fear technology. Technology can only improve the learning experience.

Creativity
As defined by dictionary.reference.com creativity is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.I think Mr. Robinson said it all when he said kids are not afraid of getting it wrong . Kids will make it up as they go along with out fear of persecution. But somewhere along they way they do learn fear of being wrong. Why? Why do we ingrain our kids with a fear of new ideas thoughts and different ways of doing things? If no one tried out a new idea we wouldn't have had a typewriter, a computer or an IPad. Ideas and creativity are to be encouraged ,nourished and cherished.
Creativity brings us new ways to learn. It shows us new ways to bring technology and even old fashioned books to new life. It helps to preserve what makes us want to teach. INTEREST in everything. Think about the most interesting thing you learned in the last year. Was the person who taught youcreative in his method to show something new? Probably so. So be creative in your classroom. Don't be afraid to try new things and encourage your kids to do the same.

Pintrest
I am not new to pintrest. I was introduced to it by a classmate in a previous class. I love this site. It is useful in many, many ways. Looking for ideas on just about anything, crafts for kids, a new diet or recipe, history lesson? It's there somewhere.
I really liked the idea about getting students to use it for a group project and brainstorming. It is a way for a group to work together without having to be together, which is sometimes difficult especially if the project requires work outside of school. I fully plan to use Pintrest and other sites like it for ideas and lesson plans. It can be a wonderful tool to learn about what worked for others as well as to tell other what has worked for you.

Education & Pintrest
The first pinboard I chose to check out was Rachel Freidrich's because who doesn't remember the Reading Rainbow song. I love music and love that a lot of the ideas on her board try to incorporate music into the lesson. What easier way to learn than with a song? I mean, HELLO! the ABC song. Need I say more? There were so many to choose from but, another that I noticed was called List of free Apps for Education. There were oodles of Apps to choose from and they all looked really useful.
Next was Kristin Brynteson her board was chock full of pins on in particular was full of statistics like 70% of children age 2-5 can use a computer mouse, Only 11% know how to tie their shoes. Another pin was a link to 375 free downloadable E books. Many of these are classics. Reading is such an important facet to learning. Read, remember, comprehend. Without knowing how to read, who is going to write the next classic?