Blog #10

I'm a Papermate. I'm a Ticonderoga.

Mr. Spencer posted this picture in his blog to mock the "I'm a PC and I'm a Mac" commericials. In the cartoon the heavy set guy is the uncool cheap Papermate while the skinny hippy kid is the Ticonderoga, an expensive product. Ticonderoga makes a more expensive pencil while Papermate's aren't nearly as costly. I believe if you read in between the lines Spencer is comparing the PC and Mac as well. PCs tend to be more like the Papermate pencil, they're cheaper and yes they do tend to catch viruses and break easier and more often than a Mac. The Mac easily sides with the Ticonderoga because they are very expensive, Macs seem to the new trend not only for hipsters but for older people also and from what I've gathered the viruses that attack PCs don't hender the Macs because they are made differently. Now I don't think Mr. Spencer is picking a certain computer over another and I don't think he's saying incorporate either in a classroom; he's only making a mockery. From the template and lay out of his blog I see pencils everywhere so I'm only guessing he's into the traditional pencil and paper education.

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games? In this particular post Mr. Spencer gives the readers a dialogue between his boss and himself. They discuss what his boss thinks was a game Mr. Spencer's class was doing and Mr. Spencer tries to educate him on what was really going on. His boss doesn't approve of any educating that looks, smells, and sounds like a game. He wants all his teachers including Mr. Spencer to teach for the test. Test scores are important to some degree but they are not why educators teach. I hope the conversation Mr. Spencer posted isn't real because in this day and age I would hope principals and advisors aren't still set on teaching for the test and not allowing educators to teach in their style. Dr. Strange is my EDM 310 teacher and one of his many mottos is to get rid of the "burp back" education. We as teachers teach to educate our students for the life they have before them not to have them memorize definitions, equations, and biographies for a test. The government is set on numbers and test scores to see if teachers are doing their job and to have no child left behind but it's practically impossible to get disabled children to learn at the same speed and level as a child without disabilities. It's unfair to children of both backgrounds to be asked to learn in such an environment. Regardless, if a teacher has a style of teaching that benefits the children and the children like it and learn something while doing it then let the teacher teach! Like the saying "tomato, tomatoe".

Are Pencils Making Us Narcissistic?
After reading this post all I can think is, "Really?" I cannot believe that conversation existed. I don't think pencils make students narcissistic. That idea seems a bit ridiculous. Mr. Spencer shares a conversation between a principal and a teacher named Mr. Brown; the principal says he had just read an article about pencils making society narcissistic. As students get older they naturally become more self-centered, I feel like it's apart of nature. Later in the conversation Mr. Brown says perhaps it's our words that change our mindsets like using the word audience instead of community. I feel there's nothing wrong with students, children, or people in general writing and sharing their ideas and opinions. Writing doesn't make one become self-centered or narcissistic. I quote from Mr. Brown "I'm pretty sure self-centeredness is a social and psychological rather than a technological issue. Blame humanity on that one." This is exactly what I think. I just can't believe this conversation was even had.

Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?
This blog by Mr. McLeod was hilarious (once I got to the bottom)! He tells teachers, administration, parents, and board members not to teach their children to read the web, blog, communicate using social media, make videos, use hyperlinks, PLNs, etc. He's sarcastically saying this kind of stuff is non-sense, it promotes children watching porn and meeting strangers. That all this technology is going to cause sexting, cheating, and other bad things. McLeod ends it with this
"don't do any of it, please
really
'cause I'm doing all of it with my kids
can't wait to see who has a leg up in a decade or two
can you?"
This last sentence cracks me up, I like McLeod's sarcastic sense of humor. Using these types of technology methods does not say all those bad things will happen. Of course, it can happen but it's not a guarantee that it will. Parents see shows like Dateline NBC "How to Catch a Predator" and it scares them into not letting their children use the internet or allow them to use social networks because they're afraid that it's going to happen to them. As long as the teacher, guardian,or parent monitors their childrens' use it should be fine. If a parent is still on the fence about the use of such then do some research on it or install a tracker on your child's computer to make sure they're staying on track. Most students are already using social media, tablets, computers, blogs, and making videos for YouTube at home so allowing the students to use these type of things in class will further their knowledge and skills.