Week 3: 21st Century Skill Implications

After watching the videos, especially the Chatham High School one, I feel stronger that we need to embrace technology in the classroom.  I read a couple of other students' blogs and I really got to thinking about the implications of losing certain basic skills like writing in cursive or looking something up in an encyclopedia.  I understand that those two skills are good to have, but are they a neccessity? I don't think so. I can't remember the last time I wrote in cursive or looked something up in an encyclopedia. I somewhat believe that those skills are obsolete.  Typing and print hand writing is what is relevant today.  Credible internet information gathering is also a relevant skill needed in today's society.  There was a reason why we stopped writing with bird feathers and ink well pens.  There was a reason why very few people still use the abacus. Certain skills become obsolete.  We move on to something that is more efficient.  This is evolution.

As a future Health and P.E. teacher, I won't have much to do with technology in the classrooms except for my Health lessons.  There, I must integrate a variety of media along with the designated book to get my information across, all while keeping the students on task and motivated.

When I job search, I would like to work in a school that promotes healthy living and has computer use for students that allows me to bring real life issues into the lesson and use real life solutions to fix the problem, similar to the Hydrology video.  I can use certain websites with my students to help track dietary consumption, like a food log.  This can help break down and show how many calories of each macronutrient (fat, carbs, and protein) students are taking in.  A lesson like this can stick with students for a life time.  Teaching them how to track their eating habits and eat properly can help bring the high rates of obesity down.