Blog Assignment 4

Scott McLeod is an edublogger. This means he blogs and uses other forms of technology to help students learn concepts better. Technology has become a major part of the work force and is steadily becoming more useful in educational settings. Dr. McLeod utilizes this to the best of his ability. I completely agree with his viewpoint in his blog. Students today need technology in their educational environments to be successful after they leave the classroom.

Travis Allen has a very valid presentation in The iSchool Initiative, a video about how the iTouch can be utilized as is in classroom environments. Applications for the iTouch include things such as email, maps, and calculators. Aside from these, there are many more useful applications on the iTouch that could revolutionize learning as we know it. With a few modifications, we would come to have the iSchool.
The idea for the iSchool is very much like that of the iTouch. There are only a few small differences. Students would be able to access only sights approved by their school system. This erases the aspect of doing irresponsible things with such a useful tool. Parents, teachers, and students would all have immediate access to schedules, attendance, assignments, grades, and more, I think the utilization of the iSchool would not only revolutionize the learning process, but it would also be cheaper than buying school supplies, it would make information readily available to all involved, and it would help students capture the essence of technology.

The Lost Generation is a very moving video. It starts out by streaming words across the page. As I saw what was originally said, I was sad. The girl speaking in the background began to tell of a future era, one where work would always come before family and money is the only thing that makes people happy. I, personally, have learned to appreciate those closest to me and thought how sad such a world would be. The young lady told of how we would begin to care less and less about our environment. She says she is part of a "lost generation".
At the end of the streaming words, she says that all of these things will be true unless we decide to change it. she then reads each line backwards and, surprisingly, the words seem to fit in a new way. She speaks of how she will not be part of a quick fix era and how she will love her family. She will not be celebrating the tenth anniversary of her divorce in thirty years. Everything will be different because she will change all of this. I was moved by the way she played back her words and said the opposite. It was creative indeed. I congratulate the person who made this video.

I thought Eric Whitacre's video and production Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir is an amazing feat. To have one hundred eighty people who have never met before compose this is nothing short of breathtaking. I applaud Mr. Whitacre for his accomplishment. I was honestly speechless when I saw the video. I thought it sounded beautiful.