Mr. Winkle Wakes was such a great video. It put it in such a different perspective for me. If you haven't watched the video you should. It describes a man who has been isolated from the world for 100 years and he finally ventures out into society. He first goes to businesses and sees all the technology there (computers, fax machines, printers, internet, etc) and he hears all the sounds associated with the machines. He feels sick after seeing all the change so he goes to hospital. The hospital as we all know is filled with technology left and right. He saw machines that were keeping people alive, x rays, IVs, and numerous other instruments. He finally goes to school and sees that nothing has changed. He feels relieved that some things can stay the same.
When comparing a school to a hospital in terms of technology the difference is enormous. Schools haven't changed at all when compared to the rest of society. Schools and teachers should be taking advantage of the age we live in. Technology has the potential to change a school and how the teachers deliver the information. Not only should technology be there to aid the teachers but it should be there so the students know how to use it and operate it. In a world that is changing and based on technology students will be left behind if they are technology illiterate. I was a nursing major before I decided to be a teacher and we had books after books filled with the new technology in the hospital and how to operate it. It is sad that as an education major this will probably be my one and only technology class. I hope one day the education system will integrate technology in the classroom and see that it is mandatory in the world we live in.
Great post Brooke. Poor Mr. Winkle! I can only imagine how he felt waking up after all that time. Everywhere we go there is some sort of technology whether it is a fast food restaurant, auto repair shops, even churches. The bug man came to my house last week and he had a hand held devise that he entered all the service information and then could either email it to me or wirelessly print out a copy in his truck. We expect the businesses we frequent to be as up to date as possible so why don’t we expect our schools to be technologically advanced? I never thought about the lack of technology in the classroom until this course. My children attend a small school in southern Williamson County. When they first started school I was amazed to see that each classroom had two computers for the students and one for the teacher. The teacher’s computer is hooked up to the smart board and just recently every class was equipped with an ELMO overhead projector. These should be the minimum amount of technology in the classroom. Even with these items available, teachers are not using them to their potential. Brooke, while I am glad the medical industry keeps up with all of the technology I wish our schools did too. You made a great point, our hospitals make sure the nurses and doctors know how to use the items they have spent lots of money on, why don’t our schools?
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