Blog Post # 13

Back to the Future - Brian Crosby

Brian Crosby is a fourth grade teacher that will roll over to teach his current students throughout the fifth and sixth grade. That is something I haven't heard of before, but seems very interesting because the student and teacher relationships are probably far better than having a different teacher each year. More than 90% of Mr. Crosby's students are second language learners. These students are at risk because they qualify for free lunch, which means that they are exposed to poverty. What fascinated me most in this video is when Mr. Crosby mentioned most students answered basic questions incorrectly. For example, which country do you live in , what is your telephone number, and your address? These students have been at this school since Kindergarten and have yet to learn basic knowledge that is at their level in their education. This saddens me as a future educator to know that I will one day possibly have a student that has lacked a proper education. Is this due to the neglect of technology in the classroom or a teacher that failed to give his or her all? One of my favorite parts of the video was watching the students involved in the interactive hot air balloon experiment. You could see the amazement in the eyes of the children, and to watch them have fun while learning was great! Mr. Crosby has introduced the students to blogging which improved their self confidence and writing skills. Seeing how he incorporated technology into the everyday subjects being taught in the classroom was very informative. I agree that educators should give their students the very best education available, and give students the skills they need to succeed in society. I can't wait to have my own classroom and successfully have a class blog along with students that are blogging.

A Vision of Students Today




The video above was created by Michael Wesch along with 200 students at Kansas State University. A vision of students today was such an eye opener even though I am a full time college student. The question is asked if these walls could talk ? What would they say? Well the students give many facts that really opened my eyes to my life and how I am affected as a student. Of course the walls cannot talk, but the students can even though there are many students paying for the course that are not attending on a regular basis. The average accumulated debt is 20,000 before graduation. The truth is students pay hundreds of dollars for textbooks they may or may not ever open. The facts are that students are learning in a way that has been the same for a very long time. The fact one student presented said only 26% of my readings are relevant to my life.

Why is it that assignments are rarely carried over into our lives? I have yet to figure this out because isn't college there for us to have a future career in society. Our class work and assignments should all be given with the hopes that it will help us in the real world. Why do we pay such high tuition to be assigned busy work that will end up with a grade and mean nothing more? 21st century educators must change the way teachers have been teaching in the past. Society is moving a full speed ahead and technology needs to be brought into every classroom. The textbooks students spend so much money on could be a thing of the past and the money could be used for technology like iPads. As a future educator this video was very scary for me, because I am currently in the same situation as most of the students at Kansas State. My goal is to be the best educator I can be given the skills I have gained from EDM 310. Many assignments I thought were busy work actually taught me so much in the end.