Blog Post 10

An Open Letter To Educators by Morgan Bayda
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In her post, Morgan talks about the pitfalls of the modern university experience, and how it compares to a class such as EDM310. It's very common for students to loose interest in the coarse of a hour and a half long lecture from a boring lower-level coarse (especially one that has nothing to do with your major or interests). And I certainly agree that this is not the most optimal way to learn. I know I have had quite a few math classes that I felt especially restless in. She seems to fully embraces the Delicious "learning network" way of acquiring information, as she explains that she got the link to her post's namesake video from a shared link, and how she found out a super useful link simply by crying out to her network on Twitter. I still think school progress needs a little more hands-on. The internet is an unbelievable tool for amassing information and learning on any subject out there, but nothing beats talking to someone in arms reach and looking them in the eyes. This comes back to my argument that teachers are still very important to the education system. I know I certainly appreciate them and the relationships I have had with them!

As for Dan Brown and his "Open Letter" I don't think he's going to change anyone's world for the better, and no matter how much he thinks he can prove by dropping out of school because it's "getting in the way" of his education, it won't change the fact that the universities are the only places that can hand out the "I am smart" cards that are so valuable in the job market. As a side note, maybe that's why he's trying to sell his youtube videos for a buck. I can agree that you can learn a lot from the internet but you still have to have a degree to get the job. Extra learning outside of school is always a bonus but the school is still necessary in my book.






Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home by Tom Johnson
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Tom makes a funny little satire post comparing pencils to computers, and how standardized tests and statistics can turn even the most obviously beneficial things into terrible monsters that are ruining the world and lowering everyone's IQ. The panicking principal rants about how the students using "pencils" are doing worse on their standardized tests and how schools should not let students bring "pencils" home. Really the problem isn't with the "pencils" at all. In many school systems across the country it seems to be more about the teachers being technologically illiterate and having trouble using "pencils" and students unyielding desire to play with anything that remotely resembles a toy. Teachers need to straighten up and teach a new generation of kids that "pencil's" number one use should be "gasp" learning, and if they start with this attitude then it will spread new light on the way students interact with "pencils."

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life
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My sentence would be "To make a connection and improve all of my students lives in a positive manor and to promote the best learning environment possible." The reason I am going into education is because of my passion for spreading not only knowledge but compassion and care as well.

The second question is to ask myself every night if I was better that day than the day before. I have to say that in some ways I have already been asking myself this. I am a learn as I go kind of person and a firm believer in "life's a dance". Every day I make goals and try to get as many of them accomplished as I can and if I don't I will not worry myself to death about it but simply try my best to do it the next day. Most of the time, I do believe I was better than the day before because I feel a whole lot smarter and it is mostly because I lived and made mistakes and good decisions all along the way.