Wikipedia Versus Textbooks

     Surprisingly enough, according to the article titled "Wikipedia Emerges as Trusted Internet Source for Ebola Information", people are using Wikipedia as one of the top websites for Ebola information. Is this a good thing? A site well known for not having accurate information is now being trusted by many in order to educate one's self on a rare/ deadly diseases.    

     Comparing Wikipedia to textbooks tends to bring out many personal opinions. While Wikipedia carries a reputation of containing false information, textbooks tend to be a source of learning that aren't updated for years at a time. Information is constantly changing and needed updated. However, a lot of school couldn't afford to buy new textbooks every year.

     After attending class and discussing Wikipedia, I learned that it doesn't provide us with false information and that it's closely monitored by people whose job is to make sure people aren't putting incorrect information  on the site. Wikipedia provides great information and is an effective way to learn. Also, it would save all the money that's wasted on textbooks (that a lot of teachers don't use half of the time.) The money could be spent on new technology!

 

                                                                                                      

 

 

Now when people ask about the safety of using Wikipedia I can let them know what I have learned about how cool the site actually is. I believe Wikipedia should be used to help kids further educate themselves in school because it can be reliable, it is one of the most well-known sites, and students can even contribute to the site by going in and editing Wiki pages when they see information that needs corrected.

all evidence from above is from Wikipedia On Ebola Article

My only concern for kids using Wikipedia is that they won't be able to tell the difference between what information is accurate and what's not. 

Link For Cartoon

Our Brains On Video Games (Part Two)

Do video games really make us smarter? My claim is that yes; they do. Video games lengthen our attention span while also making us better multitaskers. This is proven by recent research and studies. 
Think about it. Playing video games is going to make our attention span longer because we're constantly focused, and our brain is constantly alert while playing the game. Also, we're naturally going be better at multitasking because in most video games we problem solve in our mind while while running through buildings or shooting at things. Imagine how a longer attention span and being a better multitasker would help children (and myself) in the classroom! 
While I strongly believe video games make us smarter, it's important to note that they only make us smarter playing them in moderation. Too much time spent playing video games is called binging, (indulging in activity to excess.)

In other words, limit yourself.              
                                                              Link To Photo Below


                                                            

Our Brains On Video Games

Today I learned:
 
1. Fluid Intelligence is the general ability to think abstractly, reason, identify patterns, solve problems, and discern relationships.

2. Crystallized Intelligence is the ability to use skills, knowledge, and experience.

3. The average IQ is rising by .3 each year

However, the most important thing I learned today was..

nutrition helps raise your IQ!

Quote of the day: "I learned my way around the streets from Grand Theft Auto. #IQraise" -Roberto

Texting: Help or Hurt?

Many people look at texting as such a negative thing. I'll be the first to admit my phone distracts me from many things. Most days I'd like throw that annoying device into the nearest lake. I love being connected into all the little social worlds, don't get me wrong. At the same time, I've realized how disconnected I've been with the real world. I should be living in the moment; taking in and enjoying the things and people around me. However, I am still a firm believer that texting helps us. I believe it aids in staying sharp on our writing. Texting is like writing, but with no paper or pencil. We still use thought to form words, ideas, and sentences. Also, texting helps us stay creative. Sometimes, when  we text we create things such as "textisms", smileys, or even a cute, little tongue face. Texting can help us share the ideas we have really fast too because using "Imessage" is instant. In the "Texting Can Help With Spelling" article, it states that texting does indeed help with our writing because it forces us  to understand how words are built, and to read; which improves our literacy. The use of textisms has proven that it does spark our creativity.

                                                           Link to Texting Picture                                                      

Is Texting Making Us Bad Writers?

In the scholastic article "Can Texting Help With Spelling"  it talks about how (believe it or not) texting all the time actually does help us with spelling and improves literacy. One particular fact I liked from right off the bat was "Girls outpace boys, averaging more than 4,000 texts per month. That’s more than 130 of them a day, every day, or a text every 10 minutes, almost around the clock." That definitely did not shock me in any way because most of us ladies act as if our phones are our life support. We feel the need to constantly check our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook in case we miss that one important post! Another interesting fact I enjoyed was that texting boost phonology. I never really thought about it, but it definitely makes sense. In order to type "GR8", "PLS", and "SRSLY"; I would first have to know how to build the words "great", "please", and "seriously". In the article, it encourages you to try creating a textism of your own. I came up with the sentence, "2day I 8 chkn n drank lemon8de." I have to admit it looks horrible and I sound like an idiot, but it's improving my literacy, right?! I thought it was pretty cool to know that ""OK", the most popular American word in the world, was invented during the age of the telegraph." The article explains that teachers back then thought "OK" was just as inappropriate as "c u l8r" is to teachers today. I grew up thinking "OK" was just as equal to "okay" so clearly, that abbreviation has come a long way. At the end of this article, they provided five activities to incorporate texting in classrooms. I think if teachers decided to try these activities it would create a better relationship /environment between the students and their teacher because students would appreciate the usage of their cell phones and be more respectful to the rules knowing there is a point in time of class in which they will actually be allowed to use their phones.

Education Needs A Digital Upgrade

In an article titled "Education Needs A Digital Upgrade",  Virginia Heffernan talks about how what we're teaching today's students and how we're teaching today's students isn't going to be relevant and useful to their future. Technology seems to progress at a constant rate anyways, so in 10-20 years there will be so many new jobs that require the use of this new technology. Who will be expected to have these jobs? That's right; us! I personally feel we will not be prepared enough if we continue to teach without the use of technology in today's classrooms. Therefore, I agree when Virginia says, "Simply put, we can't keep preparing students for a world that doesn't exist."

 

In this video young kids are using technology to learn in the classroom which is a new sight for me to see because I hardly used technology in the classroom ever. The adults in the video are talking about how they are open to evolving with the time and changes in our society in order to create a future in which today's students can survive in.

 

 

This picture motivates me to not be that person! Technology sucks to learn sometimes but as long as you keep trying you'll eventually grasp it and progress with it; which is a plus!

 

 

The Three Pillars - check out this link to an interesting article about how the textbook, lecturer, and classroom are the crumbling walls of "21st century learning." This article reveals thee new walls that we need to build in order to really arrive at 21st century learning.