DigiTeens

Digiteens was a great video that explores how teens learn, share, and use technology. This video is teens helping teens by using their knowledge of the digital world to create help videos about harms and concerns when using technology. Things suchs as: online shopping, texting while driving, and how to properly use social networking sites are addressed. Throughout the video it shows teens creating wiki characters to help interact and share information with one another. This video really showed me how aware some teens are about these issues and tht they are able to use their knowledge and become teachers themselves for kids their age as well as younger children. This is an excellent way to reach out to teens because it is being addressed in a way that they understand.

Though I have been fortunate enough to grow up in a rather technologically savy generation it doesnt even compare to today's generation and their use of technology, it kind of makes me feel old when I see the technology access and advances kids today have and I'm only 21. I am glad though that I was never exposed to things such as cyberbullying. Being taunted at school as a teenager is hard enough to deal with, now teens today can't seem to esacape the bullying because it coninues at home when they are checking their facebooks. I do believe it is important for teens today to know to how properly use technology and things such as social networking sites, they need to learn rules and boundaries primarily to keep themselves safe. The Digiteens do a great job at trying to reach this goal.

I really did enjoy this video and would like to incorporate it into my classroom one day, however teaching kids at the average age of 7 may make that task a bit difficult, they may not be ready to realte yet. However, it could suffice as a good precaution to children about the dangers of technology and the harm cyberbullying can create, it would make for a great preventative.

Project: Loving to Learn

This video did an excellent job at informing me of the various was children learn and engage in education by relating what they are learning to what they love. I realized even more so after watching this video that kids are more likely to be involved in the learning process when the learning process is something they can actually personally relate to.



Things such as learning to building robots, creating blueprints, and science experiments are great ways of taking education and classroom work and turning it into something that children can actually use in their daily lives, as well as skills they will need to know in the future. By doing experiments such as these children are much more likely to pay attention to you as a teacher and will be more willing to participate in class. The kids that were interviewed during this video are proof that experiments like this have them extremely excited about learning, which is something all of our children need. Kids need to be able to have the want and desire to learn, or they won't in fact learn anything.


Though building robots was never something I got to experience as a child I do recall that anytime and experiement or project was involved into a lesson I was about ten times more willing to work hard on that project, inadvertenly I eneded up learning more about the subject matter then if I'd just read something from a book. As a kid in elementary school having day where we were able to just create different things was exciting and it made me want to continue learning and actually stay at school. Something as small as creating your own story book to making a volcano makes a learning experience that much more interesting and memorable, it also makes that information stick. Children of all ages need hands on projects, even high school kids. As teachers, if we focused more on projects rather than drilling memorization skills we may become better educators, our children may begint to learn more. Children need to enjoy school adn learning, if your classroom could learn to ove learning you would probably be amazed and how much they do in fact learn.

Sweet Treats!

Yum yum! =)

Addiction:

A 21st Century Love Affair with Destruction:



I found this video to be a bit overwhelming at first but I grew to like it once the information was being presented. I believe Michaela did a great job at talking about the stats of and reality of drug use and it's addiction. I think having a young voice speak about such things is an incredible thing. I am not sure however if I would have included the legalization of marijana a topic in this video. I found the information to be a bit hypocritical and somewhat 'out of the blue.' After going along through the video listening to the affects of drugs and alochol and how they are gateway drugs I wasn't sure how that could lead into her discussing if we should follow the Dutch government. She did however do her research on the Dutch government and the pros and cons to the legalization of marijana. It's a bit hard for me to agree because I don't believe it should be legalized, I believe with our country and socitey the way that it is with drugs and addiction it would only lead to more addictions of harder drugs. Overall, I thought this was a great video!

Luis

I really enjoyed watching this video of Luis and his love and involvment with technology. Unlike most teens his age, he is not only using technology as a means for social networking but to help out his family and further his education. Most teen and even young adults simply use forms of technology as a social aspect rather than an edcuational learning tool. I admire Luis and the things that he does to help his family, like online banking and bill pay with his mother. His mother and father grew up less fortunate and in a different time and are attempting to make a better life for their children, it's amazing that this 18 year old kid is helping out the way that he does, without being asked. He is also planning for his furture by using all these forms of technology, especially by traveling to different locations around the world to discuss and present information on technology. I believe there need to be alot more teens like Luis in our schools today.

Who I'm following....

I am now blogging buddies with Sarah and Cara from Mrs. Kreb's class. They are keeping this blog to create poetry and other writings.
I also chose to follow Meet me at the Garden Gate blog. It is a blog designed for parents to allow them to see what their child did in school that day. I think this is an excellent and easily assesible site for both parents and teachers.

I comment on both Kirsti's blog as well as AMACK.

Edutopia - Nafiza!

I really enjoyed this video. I find that Nafiza is doing a great job at what she is doing. At first I was a bit taken back for it seemed as though all she did was play video games that were not educational, however, technology does have to be just for fun and not always for educational purposes. I can most certainly relate about her addiction to technology. My cell phone is used as myalarm clock, I do not in fact own an actual alarm clock. I also always have my iPod in, music is something I cannot go a day without, therefor having something such as my iPod is an essential and easily assesible item.




I found that the different games the Nafiza had that allows for teens to get a better understanding of what is happening in the world around us was an excellent thing. The news can be somewhat difficult to understand, especially for people of that age, by making something available to them that they are able to understand invites teens to be more involved and active in the world and the issues that may be occuring in other countries. I found like game about Darfur a bit disturbing at first because it was made into a game when in real like the situations occuring there are horrific, however, it made me see that it helps teens and young adults to grasp a better understanding of how life really is for those who live in places such as Darfur. I know that when watching the news or reading different ariticles I too do not always understand everything that is being said, so having a different means of media to help explain that helps me to have a deeper understanding of what is going on around the world.

Digital Youth Portfolio for Nafiza.

I believe Nafiza is doing a great job and using technology in an educational manner, as well as for entertainment value. She seems to be a great student with ideas to help other teens, like herself. She is not just using technology as a means to pass the timewhen she is out of school but she is using it to reach out to others and help.