Blog Post #10

Papermate vs Ticonderoga

Mr Spencer's Adventures In Pencil Integration cartoon is hilarious. I'm a big fan of the Mac vs PC commercials so I appreciate the reference. I like how he identifies Ticonderoga as "the most expensive purchase a hipster will ever make." I think a Ticonderoga pencil is definitely the Mac of pencils. It is expensive but quality. Papermate is cheaper, but needs to be replaced more often. I'm sad to say that I am a Papermate. With few exceptions, I tend to buy the cheaper thing and regret it later because it breaks or something. I know I should spend the extra money for better quality but that is easier said than done when one is a broke college student.


Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?
In John Spencer's blog Adventures In Pencil Integration, he creates a commentary on the changing educational model by focusing on 1897 industrial America in which "society is growing more urban, more industrial, more fragmented." In his post Why Were Your Kids Playing Games he creates a dialogue between the main character, Tom Johnson and the Principal of the school. In this story the principal hears that Mr Johnson's class has been playing games and he is not happy. The principal feels that Johnson's attempt to connect games to learning is "a stretch" and it goes against his "no games period" policy. The principal makes reference to the "Drill and Skill Consulting Group" and states that their main objective is to make sure the students pass the rote memorization test.

This definitely sounds like the problem we face with today's education system. There is more to school than just memorizing information from a book, and I think that is what Mr Spencer is saying. Unfortunately this is problem that many new teachers face. We want to be creative and engage our students but there are regulations and requirement that must be met at every school. The trick is somehow finding the balance between doing what is required and creating a fun classroom environment. I also loved how Spencer made a reference to "buzz word bingo" because I enjoyed that video and blog post by Brian Nichols very much when I watched it in my first C4T!


I also read Mr Spencer's post The Con Academy. In this post Mr Johnson and the principal are invited to a meeting with a man named Sam who is trying to sell them his new learning system which he has incorrectly labeled "flipping your classroom." Sam is a sleazy salesman type who's system is merely a set of worksheets for students to complete. His intention is that each student should work through these worksheets independently of each other with no help from a teacher. Mr Johnson suggests an alternative idea in which students use their pencils instead to work collaboratively and even develop their own math problems for which they find solutions together. The salesman dismisses this idea. He is convinced that students don't work enough. Mr Johnson believes that by giving his students the knowledge they need and the freedom to collaborate on work, he doesn't need to watch over each one of them at all times, but Sam believes that this is a problem and the only solution is to give the students this system of strict busy work.

I liked this post because it demonstrates opposing views in the education system and how Spencer feels about constructing his classroom. This blog is very insightful!


Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please?

Dr Scott McLeod's post Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff. Please? from his blog Dangerously Irrelevant, is utterly sarcastic. He is basically saying, don't expose your children to technology because it is dangerous. Then at the conclusion, he again stresses not teaching technology, because he is teaching it to his students and he is curious as to who will have the advantage in a decade or two. McLeod is clearly expressing his support of technology in education and simultaneously poking fun at the backward thinking teachers and parents who are against it. I think it is wonderful.

At my high school, we were not allowed to have any form of technology with us while on campus. No cell phone, no iPod, no laptop. Even if you were working on a web based project or couldn't hand write notes because of an injury, no laptops in class. So we did not experience the full advantage of having technology in our classes. That is why this class has been so eye opening for me. I am really learning how useful it all can be and I fully intend to incorporate technology into my own classroom someday.

Dr McLeod is right, technologically proficient students will indeed have an advantage in the future. If parents are concerned about their children's use of the web, it gives them all the more reason to get involved in their kid's lives. Watch what they are doing and how they are using this stuff to broaden their education! It could help parents just as much.