Horrifying video of the day (educationally speaking)

[dangermom]

I'm appalled by this video touting "21st century skills" --

. Oh, the pain and horror. Read a book, people!

 

(I say this as someone who is totally attached to my computer--but that isn't really all that good a thing.)

[emmsmama]

Yikes.

[Katrina]

hmmm...and I wonder why I chose to homeschool...

[Snickerdoodle]

Oh dear. Wow.

 

:001_huh:

[Jean in Newcastle]

Dd7 says "That wouldn't help me at all!"

[Aggie]

I think Mr. Nesbitt must be selling something to school districts.:glare:

 

When my sister, who is a ps teacher, asked if I let my 5yo play computer games, and the answer was negative, she inquired how I expected them to become computer literate!:lol:

[Kay in Cal]

That was just.... so so so sad. I am totally blown away by the number of teachers who think it is great.

 

Yuck yuck yuck.

[Desert Rat]

Oh wow. Really disappointing ideas represented here. Number 1001 why we homeschool.

[Renai]

I think Mr. Nesbitt must be selling something to school districts.:glare:

 

When my sister, who is a ps teacher, asked if I let my 5yo play computer games, and the answer was negative, she inquired how I expected them to become computer literate!:lol:

 

I'm in teacher certification classes, and that name does seem familiar. I had to rewind the video to see the producer again. I'll figure it out sometime around 1am as I'm having a nightmare :tongue_smilie:.

[LUV2EDU]

I am so glad I homeschool.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

I can't remember who I was reading 10 years ago, at the beginning of my homeschooling adventure.

 

Whoever he was, he wrote that computer literacy is nothing in education. He said that devoting hours of schooltime to computers is the laziest way to pretend to educate children! Mastery mathematics, grammar, languages, history, science, music, art...these all take dedication and true devotion on the part of both student and teacher. Computer=click, click, click and that's all.

 

Any person of reasonable intelligence between the ages of 13 and point-of-death can learn to use a personal home computer in a matter of months. This includes the use of blogs, podcasts, message boards, newsgathering, programming, de-bugging, de-fragmenting, updating, shopping, youtubing and anything else.

 

I didn't own a computer OR have internet access until I was almost 30 years old. I'm 34 now and quite capable on the stupid machine, and I am constantly wondering whether I'm better off or not for having ever plugged the thing in.

 

I allowed my 12 year old son access to ONE homeschooling kids' forum. By the second week he knew as much about our computer as I did, and had bypassed all the controls I put on it. I sent him back to his Plutarch where he belongs.

[elegantlion]

How am I supposed to "engage" a child when they are staring a screen? :glare:We are pretty liberal with electronics in this household, but its all after school. Ds doesn't even want to type up his writing yet.

[ChristusG]

Uh....wow. Technology is great. It is useful. And kids DO need to learn it. However, that's not ALL they need to learn by. That's crazy.

[mom31257]

My dh and I just watched this. He said technology isn't the problem, but it's how it's used. He teaches public high school and would love to have more technology in his classroom such as smart boards, laptops, etc. He has almost none in the room, especially to use classroom wide.

 

He says we shouldn't be afraid of change, or let's go back to horn books and ink quill pens. It is the educator's responsibility to engage the students. He feels this is more about meeting students where they are. Methods can change, but that doesn't mean the content has to change as well.

 

In my dh's opinion, the bottom line problem in education in America is that students are not curious about the world around them. They are only interested in what directly impacts them, which is the product of a "me-first" philosophy (you know, the adamic nature run amok).

[Cindyg]

I didn't even get it. Are they saying kids don't spend enough time on computers?

 

I liked the slide that said, "What kind of education would you want me to get if I were your son?" Um, the education that my son is getting. Thank you very much.

[newlifemom]

 

 

I allowed my 12 year old son access to ONE homeschooling kids' forum. By the second week he knew as much about our computer as I did, and had bypassed all the controls I put on it. I sent him back to his Plutarch where he belongs.

 

 

Bully for you!:001_smile:

 

As for the video, just sad.

[Tree House Academy]

Did you notice that a couple of the letters on the whiteboards were written BACKWARDS? There was a "f" in "of" that I remember in particular.

 

That video was totally useless. "We need to create by using texts, blogs, ipods, and I love love love the one about how English teachers don't use Story Telling software. Oh my God...how could anyone ever tell a story without using STORY TELLING SOFTWARE? *gasp* :rolleyes:

[Sophia]

I sent him back to his Plutarch where he belongs.

:lol::lol:

[Laurel]

So, apparently, since kids get 25+ hours of screen time a week outside of school, and only spend 2 hours reading a book, they should get MORE screen time during school? Not understanding the logic.

 

And yes, reason #1001 why we homeschool.

[KarenNC]

Did you notice that a couple of the letters on the whiteboards were written BACKWARDS? There was a "f" in "of" that I remember in particular.

 

That video was totally useless. "We need to create by using texts, blogs, ipods, and I love love love the one about how English teachers don't use Story Telling software. Oh my God...how could anyone ever tell a story without using STORY TELLING SOFTWARE? *gasp* :rolleyes:

 

Exactly. What kind of education do I want for my child? The kind that teaches them how to correctly write the letter "f" (it was reversed numerous times).

 

Also, what I got from that was that there was an error----"engage me" should evidently read "entertain me with electronics". The "I watch 16 1/2 hours of tv a week, 3 1/2 hours gaming, etc" vs. "I spend 2 hours reading a book" might give a clue as to some of the reason for that.

 

I continue to be appalled at the touting of "social connectivity" via electronics that does nothing but distance people further from actually being "engaged" in what is happening right in front of them. There's a local church that actually *encouraged* their congregants to tweet during Easter service as a way to "build community" because they were losing the "communal aspects" of attending a church service. I can imagine fewer ways to better guarantee that the person in the pew is isolated from both the experience and the person next to them than by encouraging them to focus on texting about the experience during the experience.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/431/story/660881.html

[joannqn]

I watched it and thought that the beginning of the video showed that they get plenty of screen time already...especially considering that it ends up being a huge portion of their non-school hours.

 

My thought was that they need to learn how to read, write, do math, understand history and science, and reason first. Then once they've mastered these at a higher level, then they can have some computer instruction if they haven't learned it already. There are ways to engage kids without putting their lessons on their ipod.

[flyingmommy]

For about the first 2/3 of the video, I thought they were trying to convince me that "21st Century" skills were bad. All the things they put up on the screen seemed, to me, to be reasons why they shouldn't be "digitally engaged." Then I realized all the appalling things they were showing were supposed to SUPPORT 21st Century skills.

 

Engage me? That was a joke!

 

J

[dangermom]

My dh and I just watched this. He said technology isn't the problem, but it's how it's used. He teaches public high school and would love to have more technology in his classroom such as smart boards, laptops, etc. He has almost none in the room, especially to use classroom wide.

 

He says we shouldn't be afraid of change, or let's go back to horn books and ink quill pens. It is the educator's responsibility to engage the students. He feels this is more about meeting students where they are. Methods can change, but that doesn't mean the content has to change as well.

 

In my dh's opinion, the bottom line problem in education in America is that students are not curious about the world around them. They are only interested in what directly impacts them, which is the product of a "me-first" philosophy (you know, the adamic nature run amok).

 

I agree that technology isn't something to be afraid of, but it is something that should be examined carefully. Is it going to really improve whatever is being taught, or will be it a distraction from the actual subject matter? IME students (like the rest of us) are very easily distracted by anything with a screen.

 

I find that my own computer time --of which there is too much-- tends to shorten my attention span. I jump around a lot and don't really concentrate on one thing or think about it deeply. And it's my biggest time-waster.

 

Technology can be a wonderful tool, but that's what it is--a tool. It's not the goal. And learning to use it is quite easy, whereas learning to read and write fluently, think deeply about ideas, and express opinions well takes years to learn.

[Jean in Newcastle]

For about the first 2/3 of the video, I thought they were trying to convince me that "21st Century" skills were bad. All the things they put up on the screen seemed, to me, to be reasons why they shouldn't be "digitally engaged." Then I realized all the appalling things they were showing were supposed to SUPPORT 21st Century skills.

 

Engage me? That was a joke!

 

J

 

I thought the same at first too! The thing about creativity is that you have to have some skills first to be truly creative.

[dangermom]

Yeah, I thought it was a parody or a video against digital education for a while. Here's what my mom said about it:

 

I actually found that very odd to watch. I couldn't figure out whether it was promoting digital education, or showing its lack of content and connection. Why white boards? Why silent sullen kids? To show the ultimate poverty of technology-based education? I don't think that was the intention.

 

Very weird.

 

The format with the kids and whiteboards is actually based on the other video

, which is also really aggravating in its whiny self-centeredness. One student says "Only 26% of my assigned readings are relevant to my life." You know why that is? Because you're 18 and you're not relevant to most of the world yet!

 

Every time I think about this I start channeling Handy, does anyone remember the Tick cartoon? I love the Tick.

Handy the hand puppet: Even now, he sulks in his tree house like Achilles in his tent!

Everyone else: (blank stares)

Handy the hand puppet: ...Achilles?... The Iliad?... It's Homer?... READ A BOOK!

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

I am wondering why it has to be an either/or thing. Why can't kids use technology AND read books? Mine does. As romantic as the 1850's or 1950's might sound, we live in 2009.

 

A 1st grader should be able to use a spreadsheet to record simple data from a science experiment. Many schools (not public of course) now require kids to have laptops as early as 3rd grade.

 

The educators I know who are using technology in the classroom are not giving up education for entertainment. They might have their class read a book, then design a powerpoint presentation (think "book report"). They might do a lesson, then introduce interactive content or use computer games to give the children an opportunity to use what they have learned- in a way that is meaningful to THEM.

 

I have never had parental controls in this house and never will. By the age of 4 my child knew that there were sexual predators pretending to be kids on the internet. We are considering getting her a cell phone in the very near future, and have already begun having conversations about "sexting". This is the world we live in today. I certainly can't change it, nor can I try to force her to live in Mommy's little dream world.

[kpupg]

Wha ??? I thought it was a parody. I mean, that vision statement is straight out of Dilbert, and oh the irony of the "digital learners" holding up crookedly-cut pieces of cardboard ... couldn't they at least have used Microsoft Word to print posters with cool fonts?

 

That's how it struck me, but then I am odd ... ???

Karen

[Kalypso]

This made my stomach hurt.:confused:

[Crissy]

I feel a smidgen of resentment that the creator of this video and others like him/her continue the attempt to pigeonhole our children, to lower our expectations of them and force upon them a singular vision of how they must learn. We shouldn't be telling these kids that being technologically savvy and having a solid understanding of traditional learning methods are mutually exclusive.

 

Why must this generation be labeled as 'digital learners', as if they are not capable of reading a real book or picking up a pencil and scratching out an essay on notebook paper just as well as they can listen to an audio book or plunk out a blog post from their laptop keyboard?

Why must their creativity be stunted by the insistence that their artwork be digital in nature to the exclusion of paint on canvas, a clay sculpture or a spray-painted mural on the side of an old brick building?

 

The teens I know are learners. Period.

They listen to mp3s on their ipods, and create their own music on violins, guitars, pianos and drums.

They can spend and afternoon playing XBox live with virtual strangers and an entire evening around the table with family and friends playing board games and card games.

They can write papers on their laptops from research and notes collected from face-to-face interviews, library books and encyclopedias as well as information found on the 'www'.

 

We should stop telling a country of children who we think they should be and start offering them a real education and real opportunities then let them decide for themselves.

Indeed, let us teach them to THINK.

[Highereducation]

I didn't watch the whole video, so did I miss the part that addresses the use of technology by children in order to bully other children, to circulate suggestive pictures and to post messages to each other that would make a sailor blush?

[KarenNC]

I am wondering why it has to be an either/or thing. Why can't kids use technology AND read books? Mine does. As romantic as the 1850's or 1950's might sound, we live in 2009.

 

What I got from the video was exactly that the producer *is* viewing it as an "either/or" thing. As romantic as it may sound, even in 2009 we are far from a paperless entirely electronic society, agreed? We are living neither in Ozzie and Harriet's dream world nor Isaac Asimov's (insert sf/futuristic writer of choice) dream world.

 

To refer to the other posters' remark about things not being "relevant" to the 18 yo---the purpose of education is not to simply reinforce what one already knows. Education ideally is about *expanding* the horizons and understanding of the person, exposing them to things they do not already know. Honestly, I think focusing on the digital/electronic presentation and the expectation that everything must be "engaging/entertaining" in an electronic manner *narrows* the child's world and options for learning. From the video, one gets the distinct message that anything *not* presented digitally is inherently not capable of being "engaging".

[Michelle in MO]

I can't think of any better response than to quote from SWB herself, from the 1st edition of The Well-Trained Mind:

 

"Reading is mentally active.

Watching a video is mentally passive.

Writing is labor-intensive

Clicking icons is effortless.

 

Print that stays still and doesn't wiggle, talk, or change colors makes the brain work hard at interpretation. Print that jumps up and sings a song (a la Sesame Street) doesn't make the brain work at all . . . There's some scientific evidence to back us up on this. The brain activity created by reading and writing is significantly different from the brain activity created by image-based technologies." (from The Well-Trained Mind, pp. 207-210 and pp. 432-439)

 

I don't think anyone is suggesting that we avoid computers, TV's, ipods, and the internet altogether. I think everyone recognizes that children need to become technologically literate. It's the amount of time spent doing each activity that matters. The video was very telling: "I spend 2 hours reading books". The proportion of time spent on computers, ipods, etc., was much greater than just 2 hours. I think moderation with technology is the key. And, yes, I do think that kids who spend more time reading and writing will be better prepared than those who do not.

Edited April 17, 2009 by Michelle in MO

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

What I got from the video was exactly that the producer *is* viewing it as an "either/or" thing. As romantic as it may sound, even in 2009 we are far from a paperless entirely electronic society, agreed? We are living neither in Ozzie and Harriet's dream world nor Isaac Asimov's (insert sf/futuristic writer of choice) dream world.

 

To refer to the other posters' remark about things not being "relevant" to the 18 yo---the purpose of education is not to simply reinforce what one already knows. Education ideally is about *expanding* the horizons and understanding of the person, exposing them to things they do not already know. Honestly, I think focusing on the digital/electronic presentation and the expectation that everything must be "engaging/entertaining" in an electronic manner *narrows* the child's world and options for learning. From the video, one gets the distinct message that anything *not* presented digitally is inherently not capable of being "engaging".

 

See, I did not get that from the video at all. I think there are a lot of teachers who simply don't understand kids and the world they live in today. I think the video was aimed at the dinosaurs left in the public school system who flat out refuse to change their methods to keep up with the changing times. I didn't get any feeling at all that the video was trying to say teachers should abandon books for video games.

 

What is mindless IMO is having kids doing tons and tons of fill in the blank worksheets and multiple choice questions. It takes more thought to create a Powerpoint or organize info on a spreadsheet.

 

ITA that education doesn't equal entertainment. But perhaps if more children saw reading as something relavent to their world, they would do more of it. I think it is the school system that has created this idea of books are for learning and technology is for fun.

[Wildiris]

Both of the videos, K-12 Students Today and A Vision of Students Today, send a similar message, and that is, like it or not, we do live in a digital age. Technology and media are pervasive in our culture, and not only that they are addictive. Why can't media and technology be used as a means of communicating what is learned? If project based learning, self-directed learning relative to one's life, incorporated critical thinking and utilized media and technology to communicate ideas, then perhaps students might be more inspired, be more creative, be more engaged in their endeavors. What do you think?

 

An aside:

I stumbled across a teacher training course outline for prospective Singapore teachers. It was interesting to see that developing creativity and problem solving skills was a class offering. The nearest university that offers teacher training only emphasis multicultural learning. There are no class offerings on developing creativity or problem solving skills. What is America thinking?

[Katrina]

I think there are a lot of teachers who simply don't understand kids and the world they live in today. I think the video was aimed at the dinosaurs left in the public school system who flat out refuse to change their methods to keep up with the changing times. I didn't get any feeling at all that the video was trying to say teachers should abandon books for video games.

 

What is mindless IMO is having kids doing tons and tons of fill in the blank worksheets and multiple choice questions. It takes more thought to create a Powerpoint or organize info on a spreadsheet.

 

ITA that education doesn't equal entertainment. But perhaps if more children saw reading as something relavent to their world, they would do more of it. I think it is the school system that has created this idea of books are for learning and technology is for fun.

 

I understand everyone's opinion, and I see nothing wrong as using technology as a tool for education. I don't see the difference in hand writting a report, typing up a report, or using Microsoft word and printing up a report. Different technology for different times.

 

The world is moving towards technology, and kids need to learn to be comfortable with it. What bugged me was when the little girl held up what I assumed was her spelling list and asked how that would help her. Just because I can use Microsoft word does not excuse me from learning basic spelling. (Although to be fair, I was one of those kids who couldn't remember how to spell to save my life, so I guess that's nothing new!)