Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Blog Post #2

Did You Know? 3.0
This video is about the ever changing world that we live in. As the years go by the world becomes larger and more dependent on technology. It's crazy to think that in 2013 there will be a supercomputer that is more intelligent than the human brain. This video actually scared me a little bit. I knew the world was changing, but I didn't know that it was changing this fast! By the time that I'm my parents age, technology is going to be so different. I hope that I can keep up with the times.

Mr. Winkle Wakes
Mr. Winkle is a prime example of how some schools work. As society grows and technology changes, the schools have stayed the same. The students in this video look bored and frustrated. Students need to be placed in an environment that is stimulating and interesting. No student should feel that school is a waste of time. Mr. Winkle is old and is stuck in his old ways. He didn't want change because he didn't understand change. As teachers, we need to understand that society is constantly changing. In order to keep up with our students and give them the best education possible, we can't let ourselves stay with old habits.

The Importance of Creativity
Sir Ken Robinson, in my opinion, is an amazing speaker. His views and ideas of education astounded me. He said that the public school system is teaching children skills that will help them to get into college and to get a career in the future. What the school system has forgotten about is the fact that not all humans work well under this system. The human brain is a two sided system and the public school system is only exercising one side. Creativity is being "educated out" of students and they go through school. Robinson suggest that students need to exercise their own talents and intelligence instead of following a strict guideline that might not get them anywhere. College degrees are pretty much useless now because everyone has them; they're not special anymore. Too many students are coming out of college and not getting the job that they trained for because someone else already has it. I feel like if students were to exercise their creativity, there would be more jobs to choose from and people would be much happier with their job of choice.

A Day Made of Glass
Fat people from Wall-e
Although I love the idea of this upcoming technology, I can't help but think of the fat people in the movie WALL-E. They were the product of a nation who became too dependent on technology.
This technology is a great devise for learning and discovering, but I fear that it may take over our lives at some point. I mean, why do I need to store the contents of my closet on a screen in order to decide on what I'm wearing for the day. As a PE teacher, this screams laziness. Also, I hope that we as humans do not lose sight of the natural world. I could look at pictures of flowers and bugs online all day, but I'll never get the true experience unless I see them in real life. Will students lose interest in the natural world when all they have to do is look it up online and get the information that they need or will this technology encourage students to go out and experience it with their other senses? These are the questions that come to me when I see this video. I guess only time will tell.
On the plus side, doctors can use this technology to make further discoveries with the human body, students will have an abundance of resources to use in their studies, and life as we know it could become easier to manage.
I just don't want to lose sight of what's real.



Thursday, August 23, 2012

Blog Post #1

Me marching onto the football field with the USA Marching BandHi, my name is Meredith Anderson. I am a Physical Education major. I was a member of the USA Marching Band Color Guard from 2009 to 2011. This will be my seventh year of Color Guard experience. I teach my own Color Guard at Robertsdale High School and I'm also a lifeguard at the USA Rec Center. I went to Murphy High School and graduated in 2008. My dad works with the public school system maintenance crew and my mom is a secretary for a lawyer. My one brother is 28 and working towards a degree in Psychology. Whenever I get my degree in PE, I want to teach at an elementary or middle school level. I'm a kid at heart, so working with kids for the rest of my life seems to fit my personality. I'm very passionate about children. They are our future and I want to teach them the importance of an active lifestyle while they're young. I can't wait to get started!

Randy Pausch on Time Management- I have heard of Dr. Pausch before. He was an amazing speaker who died from Pancreatic Cancer. Even through all of his struggles, he managed to give amazing speeches with great enthusiasm to the public before he passed. I really needed to hear this message. My time management skills are definitely lacking. Here are some notes that I took during his speech.
*People are more money conscience and less time conscience.
*Failing to plan is planning to fail.
*Just because you make a plan doesn't mean that it can't change. You can't change a plan unless you have a plan in the first place.
*When looking at your "to do" list, make sure to do your least favorite idem first and get it out of the way. Start with the biggest task and work your way down.
The last note is the one I've used recently. I sat down and made a list of everything that I needed to do for school, work, and around the house. After the list was made, I numbered them from most important to least important. With the aid of this list, I was able to accomplish everything that I needed to within the time that I had to do it. I'll definitely continue to use this method.

Penn State Learning I am not very happy with my time management skills. I need to plan with more structure. I also procrastinate and I'm wasting a lot of my time with T.V and Facebook. This website gives excellent tips on studying and avoiding procrastination. One of the tips says to keep a notebook nearby to scribble down any random thoughts that are clouding your mind while you're trying to study. I found that one pretty helpful when I'm dealing with a lot of stuff at one time. It's nice to get it out of my mind and onto paper. It also helps me to remember what I need to deal with later. I've learned a great deal from this website.

Project #2 - Wordle

Wordle picture made from the blog post number one paragraph.

Test Post

Test Post