Blog Post #10

“I’m a Papermate. I’m a Ticonderoga”: John T. Spencer

While viewing Mr. Spencer’s picture, “I’m a Papermate, I’m a Ticonderoga”, I came across with his view of old technology opposed to new technology. It involves pencils, but the bigger picture he wants to get across is sometimes a higher price can be the better option. In my opinion it relates to a regular laptop and a Mac. One at first does not seem to be better than the other, except that a Mac cost higher than an ordinary computer, nevertheless a Mac has more to offer. We need to upgrade with new technology, cost can be a factor, good or bad depending on the software. Sometimes a little more spending is a good thing, especially when it comes to bringing technology in a learning environment.

“Why Were Your Kid’s Playing Games?”

This post was set as a conversation between Mr. Spencer and the principle at his school. The principle was mad at the fact role memorization skills were not being used in Mr. Spencer’s class. Instead he was playing a game with his students. His game was active, and it did involve a learning curriculum. But, the principle was not having it. He wanted students to do well on the role memorization test, not play a game.
The argument he had with his principle made it a point that the school’s main focus was the test; I feel test are very important, however no school policy should be focused around them. From reading other blog post about Mr. Spencer it seems he wants his kids to get involve with the 21st century of learning, but the school itself is stuck in the past. I think it is great that Mr. Spencer was playing a productive game with his students; the game kept their minds open to other possibilities of different ways to learn. If there is no involvement in the classroom, students will not care to learn the material. Sometimes a little fun needs to be in the classroom from time to time.

“Remember Pencil Quest”

John T. Spencer writes about his past sophomore year when his teacher was excited to play what was called, Pencil Quest. The game involved multiple pages and the usage of a pencil in a classroom, as well as a computer. The fact that they were active with a pencil, other than just reading a book, made it more exciting. He mentions the pencil was not that sociable, but they loved the fact that it was multiple pages they had to go through. He looks back now at Pencil Quest comparing it to new things out in the world day, major difference.

I think back at times when I was in elementary, and I would get all excited over similar things like Pencil Quest. Now, I look at how everything has changed around me to point where I wish some of the new sources today would have been around when I was younger; some kid’s will never know how great they have it today, compared to back then. Mr. Spencer questions how his students will look back on what they are learning now as appealing. It is such an amazing thing to have technology as of now, but I am pretty sure everyone does wish they would have had it back in the day. As educators we can help bring new sources into our student’s lives, and keep the cycles going from old to new.

I think the big point Mr. Spencer makes out of all his post is, recognize the change in the world as of today. We must bring technology into the classroom so that every student has equal chances as other students out in the world. His title to his blog is Adventures in Pencil Integration, which to me means, pencils are important still and so is technology. Does a classroom need to have up to date technology as the only source to learn, no! Pencils or other older materials are very important to use, plus we should not forget about them completely is another point I think he is trying to get across. There was another post I read about Mr. Spencer not wanting to do the Flip Classroom Method, called The Con Academy. It all came back down to the students, and can teachers focus on each student individually. This is the problem the visitor proposing the Flip Classroom Method was trying to make, we as educators look at what is best for our students as a whole, but what about what is best for students individually? The Flip Classroom Method is a way to solve the problem, by knowing how each student processes certain learning material we can better the education system. Technology is a possible way to make sure educators can do this in their classroom setting. We should not ignore old materials on the other hand we should embrace the new sources out there like social media or technology.

“Don’t Teach Your Kid’s This Stuff. Please?”: Scott McLeod

This post by Dr. McLeod had me laughing the whole time while I was reading. It was very entertaining because, he was describing why students should not have certain things at all while learning. It is about complaints teachers and parents, in a way, made about sources of technology in the classroom. Scott was being very sarcastic, by acting against technology then again, towards the end he was all for it. There are always negative outcomes or actions that can happen with any new source out in the world, but we have to take a chance. Dr. McLeod takes chances by letting his students explore the internet, do social networking, and have their cell phones in class. It is all a part of learning using the new sources available. If we worry about all the negative things in the world today, learning would not have expanded worldwide as much as it has; learning would still have been focused around a paper and a pencil. This makes him a good Professor because he allows a change in the classroom environment. There is always a chance of it not always headed in the right direction. Since this post was very humorous, I found the best part about it was the truth behind it all.

Information on Scott McLeod can be found on his website, under the section About Me. It talks about how he has made an impact with technology in other classroom settings. He is a leader when it comes to technology issues as well as the founder of UCEA Center of Advance Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE) program. CASTLE was the first technology savvy of school leaders to be present as a graduate program. It also talks about Dr. McLeod publishing his first book called, “What School Leaders Need to Know about Digital Technology and Social Media”; this book explains how to integrate technology in a K-12 school.

Dr. McLeod has truly made an effect on the source of technology, and he is still striving to put it into schools around the country. I think it is great that he is allowing students to become leaders, plus the fact that he made a graduate program specifically for this degree. However, I still feel technology should not be the only source in the learning environment. I will agree that it should be a key source in the classroom, to help students learn in the 21st century K-12.