WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENTS

DID YOU KNOW?

This video showed a lot of facts that were real 'eye openers' for me. It seems unfathomable to me that by the year 2049 we could have invented a computer that not only is affordable, but will also be smarter than the entire population of the world combined. That we could have 5x as many words in the English language now as we did in Shakespeare's time is really cool to me. Just think of where that number will be in 50 years!
The way technology had grown just in the last 20 or so years is also extroidinary. That it can only take a few years for a company to reach its goal audianceand then by the time that they do that something better or more advanced has come along to rival it. We live in a world that is constantly growing in every aspect, and for one I am beginning to feel very small.

MR. WINKLE WAKES

Mr. Winkle seems to me a very lucky man, because he got to see the future! He also took in the changes that can come in 100 years in a very calm manner though. In a way I feel as if some peole have already been through this expeirence. My grandparents, and even my parents for that matter, have seen technology grow right in front of their eyes.
The fact that computers have almost become a mainstream, everday item would probably seem strange to someone 20 years ago. It is certainly true that technology has grown extremely in the past 50 years. BUT the cool thing to me is that we have only begun to scratch the surface of what could, and probably will be.

SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY

After seeing Ken's speech about how schools can kill creativity in students, I agree with him. Today's public education system is mainly focused on one thing and onething only: high test scores! This means that the main focus in schools today is getting the right answer. Kids are not asked to explore options or be creative, they are told what they should think and do. I have always been told to learn from your mistakes and that these mistakes would make me stronger. The system we have in placew today teaches kids that one way is right and to think outside the box is basically wrong.
Ken's example of the young girl with a "learning problem" is a great point. The teacher told her mother that she had a problem and needed to be tested for it. When really all she was doing is wanting to dance instead of sit still in class. Today we would tell the parents that the kid probably needed medication to calm her down. When really all we are doing is squandering a creative mind by trying to 'fix' the problem that may not exist.

HARNESSING YOUR STUDENT'S DIGITAL SMARTS

In this video I saw and heard some things that I have no clue how to do, or what they are. These are just kids in high schools around the world and they are having more options with computers than when I did in high school, which was just 3 years ago. I can admit that I have no clue what a teraform is and that I have never made an avatar for my self. I wouldn't know where to begin.
It is a great oppurtunity for those kids that are getting to learn about their "digital smarts". I wish that I had had a class like that. In which not only could I learn from the teacher but that they could learn from me too. Advancing kids with the newest technologies we have to offer is a very smart thing to do. Every school should have a program like these.