Sesame Street, Toddlers, and Technology

Today I am going to discuss an online article. The title for the article is called Vocal Tech for Toddlers Encourages 'Anytime, Anywhere, Learning'. The author's name is Lynn Neary. This article was published December 31, 2014. Here is the link for the online article: http://www.npr.org/2014/12/31/374033373/vocab-intensive-tech-for-toddlers-encourages-anytime-anywhere-learning

Neary begins her article by discussing Sesame Street. The show began to air in 1969, and that many people were skeptical. They did not think a television show could introduce math and reading skills to young children effectively. However, Sesame Street has proven that a television show can be educationally and be entertaining. The show has reached many generations of young children. Technology has advanced since 1969, and Sesame Street is also evolving. Sesame Workshop is now being introduced to young children through tablets and smartphones. Michael Levine is the executive director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. He says, "Kids tend to consume across platforms and across settings," Levine says. "They're on the couch, they're in the living room, they're outside even, or they're on the go. So these mobile media and these interactive platforms allow for anytime, anywhere learning." Parents and children were asked to come to the Sesame’s Workshop Headquarters in New York. The children began to play on tablets. In another room, researchers were watching how each child interacted with the mechanics of the game. “We are seeing how he is choosing to help Elmo jump up the beanstalk: Is he swiping? Is he tapping? Is he piloting Elmo with his finger? And the more kids that we put in front of this game, the better we'll understand the intuitive way in which kids interact with it." Sesame Workshop's vice president is Rosemarie Truglio. She wants Sesame Workshop to have a lot of content. Truglio asked educators what developed literacy skills. The educators’ answers were vocabulary. The workshop created a game called Big Bird's Words. The game was designed to use on a smartphone. The game is aimed at showing children the relationship between words. Also the game includes parent interaction. The game wants parents involved and not used as a babysitter. "Ian Rowe, CEO of the New York City charter school Public Prep, says getting parents involved in their kids' education is crucial." Sesame Workshop is launching a partnership with Public Prep Pre-K program. Sesame Workshop is making materials that can be used in schools such as videos. The videos can act as a hook to the teacher's lesson. The videos can go alongside the rest of the lesson. The lesson could include discussion, writing, and crafts. Public Prep's Pre-K program managing director is Haifa Bautista. She wants to incorporate technology in the classrooms for educational purposes. "Once these kids are in elementary school, says Bautista, they will have their own laptops and iPads, so it's never too soon to teach them that technology can be more than just entertainment."

When I was a child, I grew up watching Sesame Street. I loved the characters Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster. Each character had different traits and looked different. When I was little, I had no idea I was learning while watching television. However, I was learning a lot from Sesame Street. I learned letters and colors. Every afternoon I watched Sesame Street, and I looked forward to watching it on the television. When I was little, tablets and smartphones had not been invented yet. When I have children, I would love to get the Sesame Workshop app on my tablets and phone. I want my kids to love Sesame Street like I did. I also would get Sesame Workshop on my school tablet too. I would feel comfortable using Sesame Workshop as a part of my lesson plans. It would help me integrate technology in my classroom. I know my future students are going to know how to use tablets, smartphones, and computers when they come to school. Technology is becoming apart of every school, and I want my students to learn while using technology. Sesame Workshop is an educational app, and I will have it in my classroom. 

Technology in Classrooms

Today I am going to discuss the article Our Brains Extended by Marc Prensky. The article was written in March of 2013. Here is the link of the article: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar13/vol70/num06/Our-Brains-Extended.aspx

Marc starts off by stating his stance about technology in the first paragraph. He stated Reading continues to be important—no one argues against teaching or learning it—but today, reading is no longer the number one skill students need to take from school to succeed. Technology is." Then in the next paragraph he goes into detail about the statement he made above. He claims that the human mind is not as powerful as it uses to be because technology has advanced so far. Technology offers more enhanced capabilities. Technology is not an added component but it is now a part of "mental activity". The next part of the article examines redoing the curriculum in schools. Marc poses questions such as "In a world where machines can do calculations faster than any person ever could, do we still need the kind of math we currently teach? In a world where humans are becoming overwhelmed by volume, do students still need to practice composing long essays—or should they learn to powerfully condense their thoughts into pithy paragraphs and tweets?" He believes that math should be taught with tools like calculators and spreadsheets. Marc also believes that writing should be taught in a way where less is more. He likes for his students to summarize a story by just one sentence. Then he moves into the next section of the article. He begins to explain that technology can be used as test prep for tests like the ACTs and SATs. He believes that technology should teach the tests, and teachers should provide guidance and coaching. Marc then wants students to be more aware of database usage because they are so helpful. He uses an example of one database called Wolfram Alpha. Questions or comments can be placed into the search bar and then moments later the computer will pull up relevant data. He makes a powerful statement ending this section. He says, Today, technology like this puts many college-level questions with definitive answers within the reach of 10-year-olds." Marc then goes into his next section and he is adding more to his argument that technology needs to be added into the curriculum more. He makes comments like, science cannot be taught without the use of technology because the volume of data is too overwhelming for the human mind to comprehend. He wants teachers to implement and embrace technology in their classroom. In order for teachers to implement technology, teachers and students must learn how to work and understand technology. Marc then goes into explaining what students need to learn in order to control/ understand technology. He breaks it up into three subjects. Subject one is effective thinking, subject two is effective action, and subject three is effective relationship. Effective thinking is simple mathematical and logical thinking and a focus on obvious flaws. The student would start at a young age learning how to use world databases, knowledge, sources, and teams. Effective thinking would have the teacher and student focus always on thinking in various forms and on being an effective thinker. The next subject is effective action. The Effective Action curriculum would focus on getting students to be proactive, to initiate positive actions and programs to improve their communities, their country, and the world." The third subject is effective relationships. This subject wants students to learn how to work in groups and work on communication skills. To conclude his article, he says, "What all students would have in common, though, would be a strong, underlying, long-practiced skill set of thinking, acting, relating, and accomplishing, which, when they leave K–12, they could bring to more specialized higher education or work."

As I read this article, I appreciated Marc's opinion. I come from the generation where technology began to advance quickly. I also used technology in my elementary classrooms. For example, when I took A.R. test, the test were computer driven. We played educational games on the computer and we also had computer lab as an elective. I think having technology in the classroom is an idea that needs to be acted upon. However, I do not fully agree with him wanting to change the entire curriculum and base it entirely around technology. I feel like it is a far-fetched idea. Common Core states that their standards will ready students for college and the workforce. Do I know for sure if they do? No, not yet, but I do not agree on changing the curriculum. Many schools cannot afford computers or other up to date technology. Changing the curriculum to focus around technology requires a lot of money. It also requires persuading a lot of people to think the way Marc is thinking. Everyone has different opinions on how a school should run. I think a medium needs to be reached. Schools should spend a little money on technology for example, a few computers or tablets should be purchased for each classroom, but they should not have to change everything including the curriculum to center on technology. 

Edutopia's 10 Big Ideas to Improve Public Education

I am going to discuss the video Big Ideas for Better Schools, and the video was made by the Edutopia Team. Here is the link for the video: http://www.edutopia.org/big-ideas-better-schools. The ten big ideas that were displayed in the video could really help schools in a positive way. The first idea that was presented was project based learning. The idea is to have more projects in the classroom, and this is a way to get students more involved. One teacher in the video said the students become more passionate about a certain topic because of the projects. The second idea that was presented was technology integration within the classrooms. Students could use computers and other tools in the classroom. The third idea that was presented was interpreted studies, and each subject can be connected in the classroom. The fourth idea was cooperative learning, and that is pretty straightforward. Teamwork among students needs to be displayed in the classroom. The next idea was comprehensive assessment, so instead of testing other ways to assess students needs to be placed in the classroom. Then the idea of emotional intelligence was discussed. Teachers are to help students beyond the textbooks. Teachers should help mold the confidences in each student, and also help students with other emotions too. The seventh idea is teacher preparation, and this idea does not just mean the teacher needs to work harder on lesson plans. Input from others such as the principal or other teachers will help in many ways. Teachers can continue to always learn more. The next idea is to get the parents more involved. Parents becoming more involved in the classroom can help with behavior among the students. The second to last idea was getting community partners involved for field trips and other educational reasons. The last idea was maximizing resources in the school so the needs of the entire school community is met. 

This video gave ideas that would help schools in many ways, and the video then described how the ideas could help the schools. The video backs their ideas up by showing the ideas in action in schools. After watching the video, all my thoughts revolved around hoping the school I get a job in implements these ideas into the school. These ideas are improvements that could help schools become better within classrooms and the school community as a whole. Personally for me as a future teacher, I want to display as many of the ideas in my classroom as possible. Learning never stops and neither should improving. I want my students to be passionate about learning, and I want my students to always feel confident in and out of the classroom. Comprehensive assessment was one of the two ideas that stood out to me because I am not the best test taker. There were many times where if I could of been tested differently then I think the anxiety would of have not been so severe. I want my students to not be fearful either. The second idea that stood out to me was emotional intelligence. My worst experiences as a student in school was when my teachers were not invested in my well being. I must make a visible effort with every student who is my classroom. I want to show compassion and also be personable. I want my students to respect me, but I do not want my students to dread coming to class. There has to be a medium among respect and control in the classroom. I will never stop learning even after I become a teacher, and I hope to always use these ideas throughout my career.