Project #3 C4T #4

Education Rethink

10 Things the Khan Artists Are Missing

For C4T #4, I was assigned to John Spencer's blog, Education Rethink. I have read a lot of different post by Mr. Spencer and I really enjoy the different posts he writes. The first post I read was 10 Things the Khan Artists Are Missing. This post was about the instructional videos that have been released by Salman Khan and the issues with them. Mr. Spencer addresses ten different problems he has with the videos and then offers a few solutions that would help make them better.

After doing a little research on the Khan Academy videos, it doesn't seem to me that the videos are a bad tool if they are used as just that, a tool. The problem seems to come in where people think it is a new approach that must be presented as the only option where the teacher uses just these videos alone. I think these videos may be helpful, but should not replace the teacher and other ways of learning.

What We're Missing in Acceptable Use

It is obvious in many of Mr. Spencer's posts that he is not against technology in the classroom, but this post, What We're Missing in Acceptable Use, brought up a very valid concern. He discuses how when his boys wake up from their nap, the first thing they want to do is play on the iPad. While he realizes that the construction paper is far "less pretty" than the iPad, it is possibly more creative. His wife decided to make a deal with the boys one day. She tells them to get their swimsuits on because she has an idea. She tells them that once they try her idea, if they would rather play with the iPad they can. The boys spend the entire afternoon playing in the mud creating mud meals and castles and never once mentioned the iPad.

I really enjoyed this post! As much as I believe that technology is a wonderful tool in the classroom, I think it is also important that our kids don't spend their entire day in front of the computer screen. It's important that our children and students still play outside and learn to do things with their hands. Yes, technology make learning way more interactive than regular text books, but there are still things more interactive than computers. While playing in the mud may not be for everyone, it is still important that we get outside and have fun with our kids.