"If we learn by doing, what are we learning sitting here?"
This quote really struck me, especially since I want to go into teaching. I am a kinesthetic learner, which means I learn by doing. I think most people are kinesthetic learners. Some people are also visual, or auditory learners.
My favorite times in school were when I was allowed to have a hands-on project. That is when I got most excited and retained the information best. As a potential teacher, I owe it to my students to make sure they are learning in the ways they learn best. I also need to be cognizant of how technology affects their lives.
In "A Vision of Students Today," (the college version) I agreed with nearly all of the facts presented. A long time ago, when I was a freshman in a U101 class, I had to map out how much time I spent everyday doing things. I, too, came out with more hours than are in one day. (In the video, it said college students have 26.5 hours of activity in each day). It sounds impossible, but it is because our generation is the king of multi-tasking. We are really good at doing a bunch of stuff at once. For example, my roommate and I are having a discussion, I'm writing this blog, I'm texting my mother about cooking chicken, and I'm making a to-do list.
One of the facts that really struck me is when a student held up a sign saying "Over 1 billion people make less than $1.00 a day." It is ridiculous how privileged a society we are. We are used to getting things our way, instantly, and many of us don't think about how the $8.99 salad costs more than what 1/7th of the entire world's population makes per day. What? How do we reconcile this?
This ties into the information provided about a K-12th grader. In the video, viewers were presented with facts about the average student in grades K-12.
Here are some of the facts that stuck out:
16.5 hours watching T.V. in 1 week
76% of teachers have never used wikis, blogs, or podcasts
There are more honors students in China than there are people in North America
only 1/2 of USA students will graduate high school (this is the worst statistic, in my opinion. I am so passionate about the need for educational reform in our country. The achievement gap is unacceptable, and everyone deserves the opportunity to receive an equal education.)
Here is a link to the Profile of K-12th video: https://global.slu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tabGroup=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FcontentWrapper.jsp%3Fcontent_id%3D_207989_1%26displayName%3DLinked%2BFile%26course_id%3D_3705_1%26navItem%3Dcontent%26attachment%3Dtrue%26href%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.youtube.com%252Fwatch%253Fv%253D7N-mzrI86NM
And here is a link to the college profile: https://global.slu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tabGroup=courses&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FcontentWrapper.jsp%3Fcontent_id%3D_207988_1%26displayName%3DLinked%2BFile%26course_id%3D_3705_1%26navItem%3Dcontent%26attachment%3Dtrue%26href%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.youtube.com%252Fwatch%253Fv%253DdGCJ46vyR9o
