Blog Post #2

In the Mr. Dancealot video, there is a good example of how not to teach, but also the importance of students paying attention. To dance the final, all the students had were the notes the teacher had given, no prior experience. To me that shows the importance of not relying solely on the teacher for instruction, you also have to teach yourself. Saying that, he conclusion of this video is the importance of the teacher actually teaching and not just throwing material at the students. While it is important to let the students teach themselves you also have to guide them. I do not agree with the way Mr. Dancealot taught because it didn't help the students. They weren't taught how to do it, just briefly shown an example and told to take notes. 

For Robert, teaching in the 21st century is engaging your students to learn and integrating the technology while you do it. Teaching in the 21st century means new innovations for the way teaching is done, technology serves as a useful tool as a 21st century teacher. 
I. What kind of teacher teaches in the 21st century
II. What resources are available to kids
III. What can teachers do to integrate these resources
IV. What does it take to keep the kids interested
V. What kind of teacher do you want to be
Above are the main points made in the video about teaching in the 21st century. We need the technology provided in order to teach children and teach them correctly. Information online is easily made false and not worthy to meet a standard, but it is on there anyway for anyone to see. I think Robert sees teaching changing a slight bit more drastically than I do. I do not really believe that young children, like the elementary age I will be teaching, will be blogging, tweeting, or facebooking, simply because that is a young age to be on that, and from what I have gathered helping in elementary schools, most parents still keep an age level for when things like that are allowed to be used. If Robert is correct though, it will be my job as a teacher to have the kids learn right from wrong. They need to know when they're reading something legitimate or when it's made up from someone who just likes to make stories up. Credible sources are far and few between anymore, the news media is like the game telephone, every time a story is retold it changes just a little. Games like that would be a fun way to teach children credentials. 
The "networking" student needs a teacher for a lot of reasons. While his teacher may not have been helping to him, most teachers offer material for side reading, or at least a book that can be purchased for learning, that's usually not the case. The video is great in theory, but in reality, especially in high school, if a student has a professor that does not want to lecture, give any material, or assign a book, most people will drop the class. It's simple laziness. We are lazy in nature, and if the teacher wants us to have no outline of a class and no structure, we will drop the class. The networking student is just a figment of wonderful imagination that likely never exists. Even with technology playing such a big part, it still is not probable for someone to put in that kind of work. 
Mrs. Davis has a great idea for her classroom. She's connecting her children with so many opportunities and learning tools. Her idea of making them learn something to teach her is brilliant, because it was something the kids were interested in and that made her interested in it. If more teachers taught like this we would have so much more knowledge coming out of high school. Connecting her kids as far as the Middle East is huge for them, that gives them so much of an opportunity for new things and new ideas and thoughts. More teachers and schools should be integrating like Mrs. Davis is in her classroom. 
Who is ahead in the learning race? While the answer may seem obvious, it is not quite as obvious as one might think. While the graduates are supposed to have the most knowledge and be the smartest, third graders have figured out macbook computers when most have not. Undergraduate and graduate students are supposed to be ahead, but with all the upcoming technology, the tables have turned. Its no longer the college kids are the smartest, but the elementary school kids are so far advanced because of what they are given. Gulf Shores Elementary was a great place to show that because the children there are ready to learn and have great enthusiasm for everything they have done. As some one who has volunteered in GSES, I can say that those kids technology knowledge and where they are in their learning is far advanced. They have taken a step up and those kids really are "ahead in the learning race."

This is the first I have heard of classroom flipping. I do not currently think it would be useful, but only trial and error would tell. Just from the amount of work kids already sit in school getting instruction and going home with homework is over the top, and to try and force kids to watch lessons and learn things themselves without any prior instruction is a huge overload for some kids. I believe in the end it would do more harm than good, although it is a pretty good idea for more driven students.
Teaching students the system is a great way to harmonize them. It tells them exactly what is expected, what to look for and find, and they have a better chance of acquiring a goal because of it. Coaching in the classroom gives new light on boring topics, such as the writers Shakespeare. His kids did not enjoy it until he taught them the system and opened their eyes. That would be so useful in so many classroom objectives. Explain to the students exactly and the results will be phenomenal.