Blog Assignment 8

1. These videos were really great. Dr. Miller has a wonderful idea for using technology in the classrooms. Writing with multimedia would be very useful for teaching because it is more creative and appealing than regular text. Students can be more involved in their work and would be motivated to participate. This kind of technology in the classrooms would be so much better for the students because it would grab their attention and it would be easier to follow and focus.
I really liked what Dr. Miller had to say about writing with multimedia and I agree with him. Technology is a wonderful thing and allows people to do so much more. We can find out information on any topic instantly and it is all up-to-date. Also, the web lets you add all kinds of effects such as pictures, videos, and sound, which enhances the information and makes it better than text. Using technology, you can share ideas with everyone from anywhere in the world. I think the world would be better off if people shared their ideas and dreams with others instead of keeping it to themselves.
I don’t think that I’m prepared to write with multimedia completely just yet because I still have a lot to learn. However, I think that I am prepared to start incorporating some of it into my schoolwork. I think it will take a little while to get adjusted to it. I think that my students will be prepared to write with multimedia because for their generation, technology is becoming more and more important and widely used. People are being introduced to technology at younger ages these days, so I think writing with technology would be simple for my students and would come naturally.

2. I think these two videos were made very well. The main message of these videos is just that you need to learn how to do your own work and you can’t rely on others to hold your hand and walk you through everything. In the first video, Chipper quit school because she didn’t want to teach herself how to do the proper work for the class. The second video shows that once you stop complaining about the work and actually take the time to learn and understand what you have to do, you may end up enjoying the class. If I had to create a video for any reason, I think I would make one that is sort of like “The Chipper Series” because it has a plot and there is no talking directly into the camera. I think it’s easier to follow something that has a storyline because it will make you want to find out what happens next.

3. In the video “Learn to Change, Change to Learn,” the people express their belief that education needs to adjust to the times. They say that schools need to start including technology instead of keeping education as it has been over the years. We need to embrace the technology instead of banning from the classrooms and preventing the students from using it. I think the people in this video are absolutely correct that we need to use technology even more in schools, and we can’t stick to the same way of teaching that has been used forever. However, I don’t completely agree with them when they say that students are using their social networking sites to learn and research. More times than not, they are using those sites for entertainment. They may occasionally learn something from this kind of social networking, but not like they are implying in this video.

4. In the video “The Secret Powers of Time,” Mr. Zambardo talked about what kind of time people focus on. There are some people who focus on the past, some on the present, and some on the future. There are multiple factors that determine which you will focus on. Two factors are your religion and what region you live in. He also talked about how the times are changing and that kids are different now than kids from previous generations. Now, kids’ brains are being digitally rewired and they aren’t succeeding in school because school is passive and they can’t control anything about it. I think that with more technology, we can give students a better chance to succeed because technology is what they are used to and only teaching by lectures will bore the students. If we can change the way the students feel about school, then maybe the enormous numbers of kids who drop out of school will decline.
In the video “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” Mr. Pink explains the results of a study about what happens when money is offered as a reward for complicated cognitive tasks. The results prove over and over that people are not motivated by money when it comes to assignments that require critical thinking. When it comes to these types of things, people seem to be more self-motivated. They would rather do something to get better at it or because it is fun or satisfying. I really liked the one example Mr. Pink used about the company in Australia that allows their employees to meet once a quarter to work on anything they want. The employees are able to gather, collaborate on new products and designs, and have fun at the same time. I would much rather participate in this kind of work environment rather than one where I have to come up with something by myself for a cash prize. I think this was a great video that describes how people can be motivated, and shows that humans are not just persuaded by monetary rewards.