Blog Post 8

How We Dream
Dr. Miller did a great job by displaying the possibilities of technology now. In part one, he spoke about how technology now makes it possible to share and learn information internationally. He showed how it's not just about the text anymore, but more visually dynamic. He showed an example of how he not only uses hard copies for his students but also a visual copy. He then included a video of Dr. Martin Luther King to show how easily a video could be added. In part two, Dr. Miller stated that instead of just reading and taking in information, we should also be producing our own. He stated that we should put together alternative stories and share those stories. He also made a great statement, "large restrictions are the ones we place on ourselves." I agree with Dr. Miller, I think that people are capable of anything they set their minds to, but it's up to the individual to accomplish what they set out to do. He also spoke about how technology now allows us to accomplish our dreams and share them. I thought it was neat because no one can see your dreams but you, and now with technology you can produce your dream and share it with other people.

"Chipper Series" and "Edm for Dummies"
These student produced videos were great, I thought Edm for Dummies was hysterical. It captured what life is like in the first week of EDM310. I would be interested in creating a video to help future students in EDM310. I also think a neat idea would be to go around campus and ask people technology related questions to see how many students at South Alabama are considered "technology illiterate."

"Learn to Change, Change to Learn"
I was shocked to learn that education was ranked 55th, dead last industry sectors by the U.S. Department of Commerce. I agree that children to learn more outside of school than what they are getting inside of school. I totally agree that the student should be at the center of learning and just having the school as a resource, I loved they stated the community and home are just as important for learning as the school. This video also proposed an interesting idea, to allow children to leave the school and get out into the world and collect data and learn in other places than just inside of the classroom. I also agree that standardized testing serves no purpose. I don't think that you can measure a child's intelligence and what they know from multiple choice. I think that it's about critical thinking, and this video did a great job on hitting that students need to think critically as well as using their artistic skills to figure out the answers. They also stated that if schools were more like this, then schools would create geniuses; I tend to agree.
Secret Powers and Drive
The secret powers video was so unique and creative. It took concepts such as time zones and applied them to how people live their lives socially. It also went on to use Italy as an example in the belief that people who live in the North are more future oriented than people who live in the South. The video also showed that people in different cultures live a different pace of life. I found it interesting how it was measured by timing people who walk into different places 100m. It also went on to show that when there is a high pace of life, men tend to have more coronary problems. He made a great point stating that kids now play video games and can't fit into a normal classroom because it's boring compared to the video games and the virtual worlds they can create. I found it shocking that if there was an extra day added people would chose to use it for themselves.
The Drive video showed that using cognitive skills challenges had poorer performances using larger rewards as found by a study at M.I.T. After the study, they decided to move the study to India and found once again higher incentives give poorer performance. He stated that if bosses would pay their workers enough money so they don't have to worry about it, they have more time to concentrate on their work. He also showed that an Australian company showed that one day or workers doing what ever they want, they had more ideas and projects created than any other day. He also found that when the profit motive is unattached from the purpose motive, bad services and products are created.
I feel these videos were perfect at describing how life truly is. For example, schools are placing children into a classroom to sit all day while a teacher stands at the front of the classroom and lectures without pictures, videos, or anything stimulating. These students are not wired to learn that way. The time video proved that kids need something virtual and exciting to get them to learn and be involved. The drive video also showed that money doesn't make people think harder or come up with better ideas. In a lot of ways, that's exactly what schools do but instead of money they use grades.