Comments Four Teachers Won

What Ed Said
Exploring Access to Education- August 31, 2011
Although I know nothing about Ed, aside from his occupation as a teacher, I like what he's got going. A lot. Using technology in a fun, not draining, way. Students in sixth grade class are doing a project to explore education and classrooms all over the world. They're learning something beyond facts useless in 10 years. Actually learning, and learning something fun- that's something new, right? He focuses on his friend Bhushan in India that is helping the kids by describing his school and a typical day. This man is also something fascinating. He helped to form Samidha, an organization that has many initiatives to help underprivileged children by "helping to help." I really am looking forward to keeping updated on the kids' class blog.

My Comment: It is kind of fascinating how much we take advantage of the technology available at our fingertips. I am a student at the University of South Alabama, and I know that I get frustrated all of the time at the amount of homework that is only available online, online classes, and the general amount of work that must be done staring at a computer screen hours at a time. In fact, I was assigned to comment on your blog (but also because I think your outlook and ideas are fascinating), and will be posting summaries, along with a copy of my comments on September 11 to my blog. However, it is difficult to imagine no internet access and few resources for learning.
I aspire to be a teacher, and I think what your students are doing truly defines learning. Facts and information are only remembered for so long, but a worldly perspective and an understanding of people on the other side of the Earth, just like ourselves, are matters that can be remembered forever. It is also refreshing to see such great people helping others and serving the world, like your friend Bhushan. We often forget that such great things really are not beyond our reach.

Ignite, Engage, Inspire- September 3, 2011

Edna is a teacher at a PYP school in Australia. I think the idea behind this type of school is fascinating, teaching children to be global learners, in a time when this is nearly as important as general school subjects. Some students in her school (or a different class?) were assigned a filmmaking project. They first had to come up with the idea on a 6 frame storyboard, then filmed it with an iPad. After filming, they edited the video and added music. It is amazing what 12 year old students with little filmmaking experience can envision and make happen!

My Comment: This idea is extremely inspiring! It is amazing how much knowledge and thought can come from such a short video without speech. I think that similar videos may even have more of an impact than those with a lot of action and speech. This is a similar video, from a crew with little more experience, that really emphasizes the same idea. It not only taught the kids more about filmmaking, but I’m hope also taught them more about what it feels like to be hungry or living in poverty. It would be great if they can continue to use these skills in future projects, whether it is directly related to filmmaking or not.
A link to my blog put together for a college course focused on technology in the classroom.