October 13

Blog #3 – Your reaction to video, “A Vision of Students Today”

The Groves staff watched this video back at the end of August as one of the introductory discussion topics / food for thought to get us going for the upcoming school year.  It is made by a professor at Kansas State University named Michael Wesch who studies cultural anthropology.

The premise of the video is: “what is it like being a student today?”  Dr. Wesch gets his students to answer the question in a myriad of different ways – some of their responses apply to you and some of them don’t (not being in a college / university environment with huge classrooms). 

Questions to answer:

1. What kind of picture does this video paint of today’s students (yes, college students, but one day soon, you will be one of them)? 

2. Do you think this video presents an accurate picture?   Why or why not? 

3. What do you think are the top three things that a teacher could learn from this video?  Why do you choose these three topics? 

250 words  – due Friday October 15

A link to Dr. Wesch’s talk about the anthropological origins of You Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPAO-lZ4_hU&feature=channel

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Posted October 13, 2010 by geoffwickersham in category Blogs

80 thoughts on “Blog #3 – Your reaction to video, “A Vision of Students Today”

  1. meghan furton

    1. This video shows that students are overwhelmed by all the types of media they have access to, and are completely disconnected from education that they think no longer meets their needs. They are amazingly adept with the latest communication technology, but hardly make use of old-fashioned textbooks and chalkboards. A massive amount of their day is dedicated to technology and keeping up with society, but education isn’t helping them, so they aren’t dedicating themselves to school less and less. Basically, they think that that the education system no longer suits their lives that are becoming more and more technology oriented.
    2. I don’t really agree with the message of this video.
    I don’t really understand what the problem is, except that students don’t care enough about school. I don’t think that system is broken, just that people are spending too much time entertaining themselves online and now expect for school function like google or youtube or facebook—as some other institution designed to amuse them. But that’s not what school is for. School is there so we can learn stuff—and all kinds of stuff, not just elementary stuff that pertains exclusively to you as an individual, meant to help you and only you—and to learn even how to learn. I may never need to know about Shays Rebellion if I decide to be a dentist, but so what. I live in the United States, and in some tiny obscure way I contribute to society, and it helps to know at least a little bit about that society and how it came to be the way it is: I should understand its history. Isn’t that the point of school? To understand? Technology today allows us access to so much information that the world is becoming too complex for students to keep up with. This video is arguing that a broad education in the age of internet is pointless and overwhelming, and that we need to specialize, specialize, specialize. But if you carry this idea to its end, we’ll all be so disconnected and in our own little worlds that no one will ever be able to realize that education isn’t the problem—the students are. I think that keeping education unpolluted by technology is more important than ever.
    3. This is what I want teachers to know:
    Students spend too much of their time on facebook
    Students think that school has two purposes: to entertain them and to help them earn a lot of money in their future careers.
    The world is getting to big for anyone to handle and if it’s not on a computer screen, students don’t think its relevant to them.

  2. Lukas Nicola

    1. This paints a picture of people who have gotten used to a society formed around technology. They spend more than half their day on the internet, on their cell phone, or listening to digitalized music. These students go to class, but they either don’t deem the information given relevant, or they are distracted by the technologic possibilities all around them. These students spend more time with technology then they do in class. They spend money to be integrated into an impersonal environment that holds little reward.

    2. This video portrays elements of college life that are certainly true, but to me, it presents college life as an impersonal, unnecessary, finance draining hell. It displays all of the bad elements of college, such as in a large campus, teachers can’t learn everyone’s name. But these students may choose to go to a large college. Students buy textbooks that they never use, but they choose to not use them, and all of these students claim they spend over 10 hours on technology a day, they all choose this. This video portrays college as though no one has a choice, which I believe is not true. Everyone has a choice.

    3. I think a teacher could learn that first of all, technology is not the answer. The students talked about using laptops in class for facebooking and playing games, instead of working on the assignment. Working in a computer lab setting presents ample opportunity to not get the intended work done. Incorporating technology into classroom experiences is not the answer to learning. Teachers, mainly college professors, could learn that students regard large campuses as an impersonal, potential miserable environment. As in most large schools, the students are merely numbers to be counted. A teacher could try and reach out to kids, make an effort to get to know them, or just give them the feelings that the teachers care about the wellbeing of their students. I wouldn’t want to have this experience in college, so I imagine other students there now don’t want it either. Teachers could also learn to manage work load. The students in the video talk about multitasking. They need to complete school work, and apparently they need to use technology, seeing as it’s there. Teachers in high school should know that especially with extracurricular activities, homework can be brutal. If I go through the day and accumulate 4 to 5 hours of homework, and I have Pit rehearsal for the school musical, which ends at 6, and I have to eat. How am I supposed to complete my homework and maintain a healthy lifestyle? I sometimes get lots of homework, and I know people always get more than me, so teachers should acknowledge this and try to lessen the load on students.

  3. Danny Cohen

    1.) This video portrays students today as out of touch with their formal education, but very advanced in their ability to multi-task and use modern technology. Students today are being raised in a completely different environment than in the one that the teachers and professors grew up in, and the jobs that they are preparing for are not jobs that are around today. However, the video also seems to be pushing the fact that this behavior needs to be changed.
    2.) I think that this video presents a relatively accurate picture of today’s students however, while the message that most of us are out of touch with education and more familiar with technology is true, I don’t agree that this needs to be changed. Because of the changing environment in our country and technology, the skills that we already posses will be very valuable in the future even if the older generation doesn’t realize it now. Just because the students today aren’t participating as well as they should in today’s educational system, doesn’t mean that they will not succeed in the future.
    3.) I think that the top three things that a teacher could learn from this video is that they should try to incorporate technology into their curriculum, they need to make their curriculum more appealing to an increasingly bored student population, and that technology is not necessarily a bad thing. I think these things are important for teachers to learn because I believe that many teachers today are opposed to using technology just because they aren’t familiar with it and they should try to change that.

  4. Lucy Mailing

    1) The video paints a picture of a distracted and unfocused student body that is overwhelmed by the technology that surrounds them. In this view, students spend over 9 hours a day using some form of technology, from watching tv or using the internet to listening to music or talking or texting on a cell phone, compared to only 3 hours in class and 3 hours studying. Students are forced to multitask in order to get everything done.
    2) I think this video poses an accurate picture for some students, but not others. Many students do in fact spend hours upon hours facebooking, tweeting, watching tv, or using other forms of technology, but many other students are focused on schoolwork and know how to be disciplined without being distracted with their cell phone or computer. I believe that it is the fault of the student that they never open their textbooks, don’t show up to class, or don’t do the readings. It is not the teacher’s fault that the student does not complete the assignments or pay attention in class, and just because students are not self-disciplined does not mean that the teacher should incorporate technology into the classroom. The video portrays an image that suggests that students don’t have the choice to make the right decision and do their schoolwork. Saying that students have to multitask is not true. This is basically saying that students HAVE to be on facebook or the internet during class, which is not true. Technology should and can be something that students can do if they have free time after class, studying, and homework. It is not as though they HAVE to spend a set amount of time using technology each day.
    3) Three things that I think teachers should know:
    – First of all, I do not think that this video means that teachers should incorporate technology into class just to help undisciplined students. Students should be able to put schoolwork before technology and pay attention or do the homework.
    – Second, although I think the video goes overboard in saying that students have to multitask because they have to use technology, I do think teachers could help those students who are very involved and have to manage their time. Students like myself who take honors classes as well as play sports and participate in school clubs are on a tight schedule every night to go to practice or a club meeting as well as get homework done. I do not think that homework load should necessarily be lightened, but if teachers could give students notice of homework in advance, then busy students can budget their time from night to night so they do not have a ton of homework one night and none the next.
    – Third, I think engaging students in classroom activities or discussions would reduce the ability of them to become distracted. Lecturing everyday can become boring for students and makes them more likely to use technology.

  5. Angela Mercier

    1.)This video shows that today’s students are more technologically advanced and are often more interested in electronics than books and writing. They are also more easily distracted by technology because they find it more interesting and engaging.

    2.)Yes, I think the video is very accurate. Although studying is important, people are more interested in doing fun things during class on their computers or phones. There are already many distractions in a classroom setting without electronics such as other students, fiddling with pencils, or looking out the windows; but the addition of things like phones and computers causes even more reasons for students not to pay attention.

    3.)I think the top 3 things a teacher can learn from this video are: it’s important to incorporate electronics into class, students may not always be paying attention so the lessons should be engaging, and sometimes simply taking notes won’t help a kid learn. Electronics should be incorporated because that is what kids are used to in today’s society and it’s a more familiar tool for them to use to study, write papers with, or watch movies on (but they should also be somewhat limited so they are not distractions). When a lesson is strictly lecturing or reading in your textbook, students usually zone out more often than if they were working with their hands or electronics. It’s hard to keep your attention focused on one thing for a long period of time. Also, I believe taking notes is a valuable thing, but in my experience, just taking notes usually doesn’t drill a concept into my head. It’s easier for me to learn if I learn the subject in more than one way. For example, taking notes and watching a video would be more beneficial because you learn it twice. Plus, everybody learns better in different ways so doing lessons visually and manually could create a better learning environment.

  6. Katie Burke

    This video creates a very dark and depressing picture of today’s college students. This video makes it seem like they are just going through the motions of college not really enjoying their experience or gaining anything from it. The students in the video seem like they are gaining more troubles than things that will help them excel in life from their college experience. A lot of the students don’t really make it seem like college is worth it to them. They have these opinions because they think that the only way they can learn and be interested is through technology.
    I do not think that this video creates an accurate picture at all. Even though in the past people have been able to get by in life without having a college education, society as it is today will not except you as a serious business person unless you have a degree from college. In my opinion if you choose something that you truly love doing and you choose the best school for you, you can gain a lot of very valuable life experiences from college. If you’re passionate about what you are doing then I think that kind of makes you block out all the other things.
    I think that a teacher could gain lots of valuable lessons from this video. They could learn how to make their students more passionate about what they are doing, what is in the minds of their students, and how they can change themselves to better educate the youth of today. I choose these three things because they are all important factors to what kind of an education someone gets. If the student doesn’t have a teacher that makes them passionate about a certain subject then they might not to as well. The teachers can use this as a tool to see where their students are coming from and what they need to do to better connect and change their opinions. If the teacher figures out that their students only learn with technology then they might try and start using some in their lessons.

  7. Justice Echols

    1. This video shows that students today are caught up in technology and don’t truly see the need for the things that learn in class in respect to the world around them. More and more students are on the phone or on the internet and believe that solves all their problems. We have become a society that focuses and relies too much on technology and not so much on the traditional way of learning which is just as affected. We are becoming iscolated from the world around us and becoming bestfriends with our laptops and living a “virtual” life on facebook and other social networks.
    2. I guess looking at it from the persective of a student not yet in college but dealing with the whole anticipation of college, the video is somewhat accurate. I actually laughed while watching the video because i say to my mom all the time that half the stuff I learn I might not every use. Along with how much I value relationships with my teachers. When I picked the colleges I wanted to apply to, I chose mostly liberal arts schools because they are smaller. i couldn’t imagine my teacher not knowing my name; I would be disenchanted with my learning environment and would probably be on the computer too. Even in high school, students text during class or may do other things on the computer during an assignment because they find no relavence to their life. They are in class because society says its the right thing but not that they get much out of it. I could probably do a whole math assignment wihtout going to class if I use the internet as my resource. But dont get me wrong I love going to school and learning but realisticly not everyone is like that. It is better to adapt to the majority.
    3.I think teachers should do more projects to get students out their seats and out of the regular classroom scenerio. I mean it’s somewhat like a song from the 1980’s, eventually some things get old and tedious and its time to mix it up a bit.
    Maybe teachers can but tutorials and blogs (like cool guy mr. wickersham) on the internet so the people that are more into technology than anything can learn in there own way. Some people may pay attention and learn more if it is on the internet.
    Teachers can also learn to make topics they teach more relavent to our lives today because students will value the information more. And teacher should also understand that homework should be at minimal. I along with alot of other students are very busy bodies and the homework somedays is almost impossible for me to finish. I have made sacrifices with cutting most of my sports that has been apart of my life since i could walk but thats life but im asking that my teachers meet me half way.

  8. John Hammond

    1. This makes it seem as though the college students have gotten used to using technologies and are using them in an extreme way. It also shows that students are multi-taskers, there is not enough time in the day for kids to do everything that they want to do separately, so they do multiple things at once and fit 26.5 hours worth of things in the time of 24 hours. It also shows that students get distracted easily, and do not find college relevant or helpful for the most part. They feel as though classes are to big, assignments are to irrelevant, and school can be a waste of time.
    2. I feel to the average person, this accurately portrays school and school life. I know a lot of kids that do not like school. I have heard school be called useless many times, and have peers that never do their homework. In America we often overlook the value of school, and focus more on our social lives than our academic ones. Technology can help in improving our lives, but it does not because we misuse it. The students in our generation our stubborn, and because of this have trouble learning in the class room.
    3. First, a teacher can use this video to learn that technology may be the answer, but it is also the problem. Many students use it for the wrong reasons, and this causes them not to learn and to better. Instead of using it to take notes, they are facebooking. Instead of using it to research, they are plagiarizing. Technology must be monitored. Second, schools and teachers should try to cut down class sizes. I have always found that the bigger the class, the worse I do. In a large class I am content with just sitting back and letting other people participate for me. It makes the experience impersonal and boring. Smaller classes lead to better learning. Third, make school more interesting. Students want stuff that relates to their personal interests. Everyday I hear someone say, “When are we ever going to use this?” If a student thinks that, chances are they are not going to care about the subject, not make an effort to learn it, and do worse in the class or the real world.

  9. nathan krasnick

    1)I believe that the students of today are overburdened with both necessary and unnecessary tasks. Many of these students may not be able to differentiate between those tasks that are truly helping them and those that are purely taking up their valuable time. The video shows many of the students as wasting their time by getting caught up in the superficial digital world. The technology that they have at their disposal may be being used in the wrong way, whether too much or too little. The video shows students who may believe that they are not important in such a large world with so many issues and unsolved problems.
    2)I think the video does and doesn’t portray an accurate picture. I think that the video portrays the students as either not working hard enough or not feeling that it is necessary for them to try hard. On the other hand, I think that the video doesn’t represent the students who belong to a small school that has smaller more personal classes. Different schools have different students that hand their work or burdens in different ways, there may be more wealthy students at one school then there are at another.
    3) I think teachers can learn many things from this video. Teachers can learn that they should be more personable with their students. They should also learn that there are many students that have different needs than others. Lastly, teachers should learn that there are many ways to teach their students rather than just using a chalk board.

  10. Will T.

    1. It paints a very bleak picture of the new generation of college students. It shows that these kids are more focused on what their status is than what chapters they have to read for the next day. It also shows that teachers need to step away from the old teaching methods and try to catch up with the new technology emerging. This video also shows that students are cramming too much into their day with technology, work, friends, eating, and school

    2. I defiantly think it does. Personally I’m not that way, but I have countless friends who are. Constantly my friends tell me they listen to music, check face book, and study at the same time. I think there still is a good amount of kids that don’t/, which is good, but I think a problem may be developing/.

    3. I think first of all they should learn to try to engage the kids, more so at the college level. I think k the main reason why these kids aren’t paying attention is because the lectures tend to get tedious. I also think that they should get to now the kids better, or even make smaller class sizes so that the teachers can get on a more personal level with their students. Finally, they could try maybe to incorporate more technology things. The twitter is a great example. If teachers use methods like this, then students will want to be part of class and will be more engaged.

  11. Alexis Barkin

    What kind of picture does this video paint of today’s students (yes, college students, but one day soon, you will be one of them)? 
    This video paints the problems that students are facing in our society. Yes, this college pertains to college but it can pertain to all students around the world. I believe that this video is a really good representation and an education shock to everyone who watches it. Sure, we all are aware of how students act, how technology changes our lives, and the problems were facing but when all the problems are put out infront of you at once it jolts you back to reality and how hard being a student really is.

    Do you think this video presents an accurate picture?   Why or why not? 
    I personally believe this video presents an extremely accurate picture of students today. certain parts of this video certainly pertains to all students lives. For example i believe that almost all students are multitaskers. We go to school for seven hours and then come home and do more school work until we go to bed and have to wake up and start the cycle over again. To get all of your homework done, day to day tasks, errands, and extra cirriculars a student has to be extremely motivated and able to multitask. Not to mention technology is a huge destraction to kids these days. Almost everyone i know checks their facebook, updates twitter, goes on their email or listens to music or videos at least once of twice a day. The time used to play with technology often can take away from studies and interfer with time. I also believe that the statment about dealing with problems we didn’t create pertains to us. I believe that every generation makes mistakes and then it is the next generation that has to find solutions to the problems.

    What do you think are the top three things that a teacher could learn from this video?  Why do you choose these three topics? 
    I think teachers should learn that giving a student a long homework assignment is often stressful and unecessary. I believe that homework is often necessary but i dont believe that students have all the time in the world to do their homework and teachers should take that into consideration. Just because we’re taking a ceratin class doesn’t mean other classes won’t give out homework. Teachers should also learn that students are tired. We baely get enough sleep to function. I get seven hours of sleep on a good night. I usually finsih most of homework and then sit in bed worrying about a test have the next day or a homework assignment i wasn’t complete. Lastly teachers should take away from this that students often get distracted with technology so most of the teaching should be done in the clasroom. I think that homework should reinforce what was learned during class, it shouldn’t have a whole new topic that was never discussed. Especially in math casses it is hard to come home and try to teach yourself how to do certain problems by reading out of the textbook. When it comes down to the extra fifteen minutes before dinner or going to sleep a student will usually choose that time to go on the internet or watch television instead of trying to understand a complicated lesson he never learned.

  12. Mia Orlow

    1. This video shows us that college students today are becoming less and less connected to their classes, teachers, schools, and their studies because of technology. It tells us that colleges and universities are becoming less personal with their students and more focused on how many students they can get to come to their school. By doing this, they are making the students become less interested with their studies and are not giving them the education that they expected when they had to pay a lot of money to go to that school.
    2. Yes I do think this video presents an accurate picture of the colleges and universities today. Schools are starting to shift more towards using technology to teach their classes and this is just paving the way for many more distractions for students. Also, a lot of the students of these schools are feeling like their school is not relating to them on a personal level because there are so many other students, and now with the technology that we have today, teachers can post the readings and homework online, and essentially do not have to even be in class to teach. They can video chat or skype to teach their class. When the teachers do this, the students are probably feeling like the teachers do not care about their work, so they would not work as hard on it as they should.
    3. The three top things a teacher could learn from this video is to be more active in the classroom, such as use a dry erase or a blackboard to write down thoughts and ideas, because then students are more likely to question and discuss the topics talked about in their class. Also, to make the lesson that they are teaching more fun, interesting, and entertaining, because then the students are less likely to drift off or are less tempted to succumb to the distractions of their computers, cells, Ipods etc. And finally, technology is good in moderation. If all teachers rely on to teach their students are the new technological ways of teaching, and then the students will not have diverse studying habits and will essentially forget how to study without using technology.

  13. Andrew Gordner

    1.This video paints a very clear image of a typical college student today. This video shows a college student as a person that has is no longer committed to learning instead they are obsessed with technology. They spend immense amounts of time on various types of new technologies that weren’t around 20 or 30 years ago. All this time spent on facebook or talking on cells phones takes several hours a day out of time they could otherwise be using to study. What learning they do is not from reading a book or paying attention in class it is from surfing the Internet.

    2. I think that while all college students do not fit this stereotype, most do. I think that it is a true statement to say that students are often more focused on new technology and keeping up with their social lives that they are to keeping up in school.

    3.One of the most important things a teacher could take away from this video is that they must make lesson plans more compatible to the interests of modern students, which in this case happens to be technology. If teachers were able to incorporate more technology into the lesson plans I feel like more students would be able to relate which would raise their interest levels. Another thing a teacher could take away from this video is that many of the students were tuning out because they felt the information was useless to them so if a teacher could give examples of practical uses for the information that would give students a very good reason to stay focused and learn the material. The last thing is some of the students appeared to be very bored in class and therefore had to occupy themselves with something other than learning the material. So if the material was taught in such a way that it was more enjoyable for the student, they would spend more time listening to the material in class and less time updating their facebook status.

  14. Jasmine Berger

    Response to video
    1. This shows that students are overwhelmed with the amount of technology that is in their day to day lives an sometimes don’t know how to use it productively. This video also shows that in college there is a lot less learning from experience and more of reading from text books. Students lack a close student-teacher relationship which discourages some students from coming to class or completing homework. It also portrayed students concern with paying for college and how most of them will e in debt when they graduate. I think the overall theme of the video was how much technology had effected students lives. Due technology this generation has become a large group of multi-taskers who juggle homework, facebook , phone conversations and watching TV everyday along with school and work.
    2. I think this video does a good job presenting an accurate picture of students today. Even though I’m not in college I enjoy learning from hands on activities instead of just being assigned reading. I sometimes feel really overwhelmed with the work I get in school and just don’t complete it. It’s also true that students enjoy having a relationship with their teachers; I know I wouldn’t really like a huge class where the teacher doesn’t know my name. I to spend lot’s of time with technology on a daily basis and tend to multi task when doing homework. I spend usually an hour on the phone everyday and text throughout the entire day. Technology really does take priority in my life sometimes and prevents me from being as productive as I could be.
    3. I think teachers could:
    a. Learn to do more hands on activities to give students a better understanding of things and remember them better.
    b. Try not to overload students with homework because they do have other classes to worry about and have activities they are involved in and an excessive amount of homework can be very overwhelming.
    c. Teachers could also realize that students are really concerned about college and maybe students could have more 1 on 1 time with a college counselor who could give them information and help relieve anxiety.

  15. Kiara Moore

    1. This video painted a picture of the real life today, which is the use of technology. Students are getting caught up in the technology, socially and educationally. They are trying to keep up with society and not really focusing on actually helping the students. Once you go to college, you start to experience what happens in life. When you become a college student, things change. You no longer have the small classroom, small responsibilities, someone guiding you throughout the whole process; you are pretty much on your own. In college, the classrooms are over populated, which makes it harder for you to really know your teacher or for your teacher to know your name. You have to buy your own books and sometimes the books you by will not be used. College, it self, is expense and some people do not make the money that people pay to go to college. You have to be motivated to do things on your own and refrain yourself from the social networks.

    2. I do believe this video presents an accurate picture because this is what really happens in college and those students. I am experiencing some of it now and I am only in high school. I also feel like it is a good thing that college is the way it is because it helps you in the long run. It prepares you to go on your own.

    3. A teacher could learn how a student feels and what they want or need. They can see how a student is affected by their experience in college and what they are or are not comfortable with. Also this could make them aware of what is going through a students mind. I choose these three as my top topics because I believe those topics would really fill a teacher in on the students picture of college as they are experiencing it and the teacher can see if technology is really helping the student.

  16. Hassan A. Saleh

    1.
    Question:
    What kind of picture does this video paint of today’s students (yes, college students, but one day soon, you will be one of them)?
    Answer:
    It paints a picture of students who are no longer in touch with the system, but its not all the students fault, the system is also no longer in touch with the way students are today and is instead based on a system that is outdated.

    2.
    Question:
    Do you think this video presents an accurate picture?   Why or why not? 
    Answer:
    I think this video presents a pretty accurate picture, it shows that there indeed is gap nowadays between the teachings, methods of teachings included, and the students. I think this is true because it is becoming much more difficult for students to get involved and stay interested in class because the stuff they(we) do are so far out of the way compared to their normal actions.

    3.

    Question:
    What do you think are the top three things that a teacher could learn from this video?  Why do you choose these three topics? 
    Answer:
    The top three things I think a teacher could/should learn from these videos is that 1) something is seriously wrong with the learning structure if the students aren’t really staying “hooked” during class, 2) the students aren’t learning to the best of their abilities, ESPECIALLY if they are uninterested because they are bored or just not finding a way to stay interactive with the class, and 3) technology is the key, these students are straying during class because they are messing around with their technological resources, and if they are using these computers or iPods or whatever that device may be to learn and participate in class then they have to pay more attention and there is absolutely no way that they can not be following along and learning the material. All in all; these are just my opinions, amazing as they may be, they are in no way the answer to everything and they do show that this is what one student thinks and if teacher can make a difference in one person’s life, I think they have accomplished their goal.

  17. Maxime Lawton

    1. This video paints a picture of today’s students as busy people who spend more time doing things per day than there are hours in a day. They spend their days encased in bubbles of technology and impersonal relays of digital information back and forth without much if any enhancement to their knowledge of important matters. These students feel that their learning environment is no longer able to teach them what they need to know when they need to know it. To them, technology is the only way to learn, and it must be used in the classroom if they are to succeed in the global workplace. It is the only way the human race will advance and thrive in the future.
    2. I think that this picture paints a somewhat accurate picture of how many people feel about technology and what sort of role it should play in their lives, but I don’t completely agree with the size of the role they think technology should play. I think that, yes, technology should be used in the classroom as a catalyst for greater learning, but not so much that it reduces earlier ways of teaching to mere blips in a student’s educational experience. In my opinion, no blog or collaborative document created by 200 students will ever be able to replace a good teacher’s lecture. Despite recent advances in how we humans communicate information, there can be no shortcut in learning. Technology will enhance the world and its students, but it cannot do so without “old-fashioned” teaching methods that force a teacher to be prepared and willing to teach.
    3. I think that an observant teacher would learn from this video three important things about society and who they are teaching:
    1 Students may not always want to learn but it is not the teacher’s job to make learning entertaining, their job is to provide a quality education. I want teachers to know this because it puts them on a higher plane that those of their students and allows them to create a quality curriculum without having to ask students if they like how they learned. Rather, they should ask if the students actually learned what they needed to.
    2 Students and teachers need to manage their time more effectively. This is extremely important because when a student, and even more importantly a teacher, fails to be prepared for a lesson, hours of a student’s life can be wasted without any marked increase in their knowledge.
    3 Technology is an important tool for furthering a student’s education, but cannot be the only one. I stress this point because I hope that teachers will not be blinded into the idea that only technology will provide a good education and if there isn’t technology in their lesson, they’re doing something wrong. This view is naïve and dangerous, doing the opposite of such a teacher’s intentions.

  18. Angelique Harrison

    1. This video shows us that today’s students will be so different from the students of the past. In the past more students had to focus in class because of the fact that there was no technology to distract them. There wasn’t any laptop. Today the students get away with bringing these new technologies to school because it’s considered essentially now. Instead of doing notes for class by hand people type them. They can do different things while the teacher is talking to. This means that more students will pay less attention to what the teacher is saying because they feel that it really doesn’t concern them and that it is irrelevant. This paints the picture that kids later on will be less worried about paying attention to the teacher and will start to lose interest in their classes. They will feel that college isn’t so important and start failing.
    2. I think that this video does present and actuate picture of students today and in the future. Students today tend to rely on technology too much. You don’t see too many people going to the library to get books for research any more. Now they type in one word in the computer and get thousands of sites with information full of their topic. This video shows what it’s like now for kids at college but I think in the future things will be even more towards technology. Like students not having to attend class but just log on to the computer and watch the teach from there.
    3. I think that a teacher could learn to try and incorporate some of the new technology into his/her class to make it more interesting for the students. I think that the teacher could also learn that times are changing and that you can’t do things the way htey used to be done. Things must be done differently. You may not have to use technology always but some way of incorporating it would make the students at least a little more eager to learn. I also think that they should see that because there is so mush technology that they should try and use books as well as incorporating technology. I mean don’t force the student to use the books but have that choice to use it.

  19. Sam Mondshine

    1. This video shows how college students spend too much time on the Internet and watching television. It shows a generation that revolves around technology and is becoming more distant from the traditional education system. When these students go to class, they do not focus on the lesson but they facebook each other or focus their attention elsewhere. Students spend more time watching television or using the Internet than they do on their education.
    2. I agree with the video in that most students do spend too much time focusing on facebook or television and not enough on their education. I believe that the problem lies with the students but not the system. Students should understand how much time should be devoted to their class work. Students force themselves to multitask and some buy textbooks that they never even open. Despite all of the time students spend on facebook, I still believe that they can be successful in college and their lives.
    3. From this video, I think that teachers should learn how much some students are distracted by the available technology and should try to incorporate it into the curriculum. Teachers should also make the time students spend in class more interesting to avoid the loss of their attention. Lastly, teachers should avoid giving large group projects as they make life more stressful for the students and take up a lot of time without having more educational value.

  20. Keely Nowland

    1) The picture that this video paints of college students today is a distracted and unmotivated student. College students seem to be uninterested in the work they are assigned. The statistics show that students only complete 49% of the assigned reading and only 26% of the reading is relevant to their own life. This depicts an unenthusiastic student that is frustrated with the curriculum. Students are finding it increasingly harder to relate and further educate themselves because of the new technology. With the presence of all new technology students are cut off from education.
    2) I definitely agree with certain aspects of the video but I think as a college student learning is what you make it. It is always your choice to log on the facebook instead of reading an essay but that doesn’t benefit you. Part of growing up is making the right choices to better yourself. Your education is your own responsibility. Distractions are more prevalent now with the increase in technology but it also brings us more resources to advance our education. I think curriculum can be modified to suit the more modern student. The education system will always be traditional but it’s there to further your learning process.
    3) Teachers should learn that students are extremely distracted between social life and their education life. It is getting even harder to reach out to students because of technology. Most students don’t care about the curriculum but care about the final goal, which is to get a good job and make money. Students have to become way more conscience with economic issues that they are starting to not care about curriculum that is not relevant to them. I think students are feeling unappreciated by teachers. In the video students talk about multitasking. I feel that multitasking is a huge part of student’s everyday life. Most students have so much going on that reading assignments etc. don’t get done. Teachers should realize students have lives out of school.

  21. Morris Fabbri

    1. The video portrays college students as out of their depth; students are stuck in classes that are too big, and never establish relationships with their teachers. They learn things in class that they can rarely apply to everyday life; meanwhile, they accumulate debt due to the costs of keeping up with the expenses of attending college. They get too caught up in everything they need to do, and are overwhelmed by the amount of technology that they are exposed to. They are forced to multi-task, and get caught up in the college atmosphere, becoming zombie-like in their routine. However, the students feel that nothing they learn in college will prepare them to combat the problems that they will face later on in life. Students are surrounded by technology that may just make their lives more difficult.
    2. The video does present an accurate picture; after all, the statistics and facts came from a survey of 200 college students! They would know the most about how students survive in college; they know the problems that they face, and should thus be able to paint an accurate picture of college life.
    3. From this video, I believe that teachers should teach lessons that show how the material learned will apply in later life. Students need to know why they should care about the topic being taught; they need to know how the material is relevant to their lives. I also inferred that teachers should include less technology in their lesson plans; students need to be taken away from all of the distractions created by a computer; they need to be able to get away from it all, and focus on what they are learning. I have always found it difficult to do assignments on the computer with the internet one click away. Finally, teachers, at least in college, should strive to develop a more personal relationship with their students. This would allow the students to be more engaged in the subject being taught; if students don’t understand the material, they can just go to the teacher or professor in order to better their comprehension of the subject. A good teacher-student relationship will help end the alienation that many college students seem to feel as they try to keep up with the expectations of society and the requirements of taking a college course.

  22. Aaron Yost

    1.) This video portrays college students as a group that has been thrust in to unfamiliar territory, and completely lost. It seems like today’s student is faced with problems and distractions, but the problems are growing faster than solutions can be developed. These students are expected to deal with problems, both externally and internally caused, and they seem totally overwhelmed.
    2.) If this video was filmed at Kansas State, then I am certainly not going to Kansas State for a higher education. I do not think this picture is accurate at all (if it is, I think I’d rather live in a cave somewhere). It seems like the video is trying to show that students don’t care, but I know that is not true. Perhaps those students that don’t care shouldn’t be pursuing places at major universities, so that the rest of us have a chance to actually work and study to make the world a better place.
    3.) Teachers could learn:
    — Technology can be the problem rather than the solution. Perfectly normal methods of teaching have been around for thousands of years, and used successfully; just because something is new, doesn’t mean it’s better.
    — Not all students think like those in the video (I think it is important to stress that): there are many different learning styles and people take different approaches to problems. Technology is not a uniform solution: it will work better for some than others.
    — Keeping up with the Joneses isn’t always worth it. All it does is leave teachers stressed about constantly being on the cutting edge, and it leaves the students confused. Again, one method for one group will work differently for another. It is up to informed administration and engaged teachers and parents to decide what needs to be done and when it has gone too far.

  23. Austin The Kue

    1. I believe trhat this video paints a sad picture of today’s students. It kind of victimizes them and tries to make out that being a student is difficult because of technology. I think. This video, in my opinion was very hard to understand. It came off to me as stupid and preachy, which would be okay, except it was also confusing. All I could glean was that it says that being a student is hard because of all the technological stuff around us. But then, this video becomes contradictory, because it is decrying technology, yet it is using technology to convey the message, which furthers the cycle. I thought it was pretty stupid.

    2. I believe that this video presents an accurate picture. Maybe. I really dont know, because it was very difficult to understand. Also, i was annoyed by it. But back to the point. I think it was somewhat accurate, but for sure exxagerated on some points. Well, maybe not exxageratted per say, but distorted the record, especially when it was deconstructing a person’s day. I think it tried to make people sad for the students, but in doing so, it ignored the fact that most people do in fact multitask, and that is not something that is “oh so terrible”. Honestly though, I really dont believe that tech is as bad as the videop says that it is, it assumes too much. Im guessing they probably got the numerical values from averages of what people posted, which of course will be skewed because not everyone would post values for everything, and a few outliers would throw off the numbers.

    3.The top three things that I think that a teacher could learn from this video are that: Not to only use technology as a teaching tool, dont let students use laptops in class, and to keep the class interesting. And that Dr Wesch comes off as pretentious and having a “holier than thou” attitude. Just Kidding. Not Really. Yeah, the video’s main point was that technology is bad for us, but at the end, with the quotes on the screen, i wasnt so sure what exactly it was trying to say. So I just added the ideas together and took the average of them, which is to not rely to heavily on technology, for it bores the students and distances them from the teaching. My second point is not really like a theoretical/ideological one, but more of a concrete policy option. It should be pretty obvious why i chose this point. Students all have low attention spans. Unless they’re weird. Dont tempt their already weak restraint with the lure of Facebook and Youtube. My last point was chosen primarily because of the conclusion of the video. It stresses making hte class interesting and “fun” This is important for the class, because it engages the students, and the teacher, more in the material and allows for a better learning experience, which leads to better grades and such and so on and so forth.

  24. Sarah Blume

    1. This video portrays how students in the education system today, are becoming basic numbers as they enter the outside world and how our growing technological society is contributing to the decrease of an education’s significance. It show’s how big everything such as classrooms and classroom size directly correlate to the student’s performance in class and how much information they retain in the long run. It also depicts technology, as a tool that not only distracts the student’s ability to stay focused, but also to provide shortcuts and helpful ways for students to flourish in America’s growing education system.

    2. I do think this video represents an accurate picture of our society, because it helped show how the importance of education today is losing it’s significance in society, and specifically, how difficult it is for a student to afford and keep up with college and everything it demands. This video also portrays, in my opinion, an accurate representation of how the large size of a college classroom directly effects their classroom performance. It discourages their potential to thrive in a learning environment, by not having enough attention on their particular studies. Students in the video showed how technology (email, facebook, etc) contribute to their inattentiveness in the classroom and how hard it is to succeed in an environment where everyone is just an e-mail address or facebook profile—which is what I took most from the video.

    3. The three top things I think teachers should take from this video are to pay attention to specific students and their needs, use technology in a class effectively in way that can make them individually stand out, and try to relate life lessons to every day topics discussed in the classroom. I think these topics are the most important because as a student myself, I personally feel I thrive and am able to contribute more by the teacher actually knowing me and individually helping me to succeed and face my weaknesses.

  25. Adam Green

    APUSH Blog #3
    This video portrays students as completely engulfed by technology on a daily basis. It sends the message that these students are lazy and not fully focused on school, and that they would rather go on Facebook during class than actually listen to the lecture. On the other hand, it also gives some insight into how stressful some students’ lives can be, and how little time they actually have to relax. Between work, school, and their social lives, students usually exceed the 24 hours they have every day.
    I believe that the message in this video is somewhat accurate, but leaves out many important factors. This video only focuses on the negative aspects of college, such as the impersonal relationships between teachers and students. However, it really doesn’t specify a problem with the educational system today. People may be abusing the technological advantages that they have today, but that is only because they choose to do so. If they were to pay attention in class rather than go on Facebook all hour, then maybe they would be able to take something out of the lectures that they have to sit through. The problem isn’t with the system: it’s with those who reside within it.
    One thing that teachers should learn from this video is that making lessons exciting and interesting is one of the most important parts of teaching. If a student is stuck in a boring lecture with a laptop in front of them, then of course they are not going to pay attention. Teachers need to know how to engage their students rather than just droning on. Another thing teachers should learn is that students will spend a lot of their time on Facebook. As a result, teachers need to utilize technology instead of trying to fight it. The last thing they should know is that students do have very stressful lives, and that dumping loads of homework on them is not the way to help them learn the material. They must be understanding and try to set a schedule that is more compliant with other teachers’ schedules.

  26. Jasmine Acharya

    1. The video portrays American students as bored, technology-obsessed, overburdened drones. It shows that the amount of technology available to students today has caused students to become distracted and preoccupied and their performance and attention level during class decreases. Their focus is divided among countless technological distractions, both social and academic, which greatly reduces their capacity for functioning well both academically and socially. They have more daily tasks to perform than a 24 hour day allows and therefore begin to neglect classroom attention or even classroom attendance in order to have enough time to take care of other needs or even to catch up on much needed sleep.
    2. I definitely think that this creates an accurate image of modern students. Many people spend most of their time in class worrying about their facebook pages or vibrating cell phones and have little room for focusing on the material, which is usually presented in a way that is disinteresting to them. They are surrounded by distractions and are immersed in a wholly impersonal academic atmosphere where little emphasis is placed on the individual and teachers or professors do not keep in touch with individual students and students who may be having an especially difficult time excelling in class.
    3. Teachers can see from this video that most students are preoccupied with their technological distractions, have insufficient time in their day to complete all tasks required of them, and are disinterested with the traditional way in which teachers present information. These are the most important lessons to be learned because they can help teachers create assignments and adopt teaching styles that are more accessible to students, allowing them to become focused and involved academically.

  27. Dylan Kakos

    1.This video paints the picture that technology is the way of the future and that people can do everything through it. Students are now using technology for everything. They get too caught up in watching a television show at a specific time everyday they can’t find time to do their schoolwork that might have to be written on paper. During class students were saying they bought books they barely used and they would write forty essays and five hundred emails. This says that the education system is not working for them because it lacks the technology that the students are used to in their everyday lives.
    2.I think this video represents an accurate picture because technology is all around them and they use it every day. With the new technology used in class, students get distracted from the teachers lecture and listen to their music or go on facebook during class for example. The technology is not being used in class for what it was intended to do like take notes faster. Students are more involved with their social lives that their education comes second to them
    3.Three things a teacher can learn from this video are that the education system might not be working as well as they thought. Teachers are using whiteboards and students are using laptops. Teachers need to upgrade the technology they are teaching with to provide all the information online just in case a student isn’t present or can’t take notes as well as another person. They also need to have a system that can monitor what the students are doing on their computers in class to make sure they stay on topic and focus on what’s being taught(like Sony soloist in the Spanish classes). Finally, teachers can learn that students aren’t paying attention to what is being taught because it could be boring to them or uninteresting. They need to upgrade the way that they teach and that could happen through technology because it gives them more resources to use with their lectures. I chose these three topics because I know I don’t pay attention all the time and I know that it would help me learn easier and keep me on task.

  28. Leah Duncan

    1. The video shows the impact of technology on college students. It shows how the development of new technologies has shaped the average college students life. Many college students now have to deal with a society where the teacher-student relationship has become non-existent, learning takes place through the computer and many students will be in debt before they even graduate. Also it shows how college students are completely overwhelmed with the amount of technology accessible to them.
    2. I think that certain aspects of the video are true to an actual college students’ life but it seems to just portray the negative aspects when in reality there are many positive things technology adds to college life. Yes, technology can be very distracting but not all students give in to it. The video left out the fact that it is up to the student to make the decision to use technology to enhance their learning not distract from it.
    3. The top three things a teacher could learn from this video are:
    a. Teachers should work more to build back the teacher-student relationship. Many students feel that since the teacher-student relationship doesn’t exist that they don’t need to participate or even go to class.
    b. Teachers could also learn the extent that the impact that technology has on every aspect of students’ lives including education. A lot of teachers know that technology is a big part of students’ lives but they aren’t fully aware of the extent.
    c. The last thing teachers can learn from this video is that topic choice is a big way to engage the whole class. If teachers used topics that were more relevant to the students lives then students would actually be paying attention instead of texting or facebooking.

  29. Stephen McShane

    1. This video paints a very realistic picture of today’s students. It highlights a student population disillusioned with conventional teaching methods. They feel as if they are simply wasting their time in class. This view is augmented by the scarcity of time the students have; they feel that sitting in class is not the most productive use of their time. With technology taking such a forefront in lives today, and with entirely new job fields being created all the time, it is easy to relate to them in not understanding how watching some professor write on a chalkboard is at all helpful to them.
    2. Yes, I think this video is very accurate. Most of the time that I am in classes or doing homework, I struggle to see how what I am learning relates to my life. I have textbooks that I literally never use, to the point that I don’t even recall the colors of all of mine. I fly through most of my school day on autopilot, retaining just enough information to pass the tests, and zoning out for the rest. I have huge daily obligations, and generally school falls to the bottom of my priority list.
    3. Three things a teacher could learn
    a. 1. Ask yourself before every single assignment, lesson, test, etc. “If I was a student, would I be compelled to assert myself for this for the right reasons?” If the reasons are to maintain a grade, get into college, avoid being grounded, or others along those lines, then the assignment is probably useless. But if the reasons are things like “because this interests me and relates to the real world” or “because I can see a direct application of this knowledge” or “because this lesson can help me succeed” then it deserves a second look
    b. Lessons and assignments need to be focused and concise, kids don’t have the time, desire, or focus to absorb a rambling, hour-long lecture on the merits of early native Inuit hair care when the main points could be laid out to them in 5 minutes. In addition, there is nothing a student abhors more than “busy work”, work that serves no apparent purpose other than to fill time, or homework that is repetitive and interminable.
    c. Recognize how busy we are. Talk with other teachers. If the English teacher has a huge essay due the next day, and the language and government teachers have tests scheduled, that night might not be the best to assign some giant assignment.

  30. Emma Salter

    1) This video portrays college students that are struggling with their learning environment; they buy expensive text books that they don’t use, some pay for class but don’t show up, and only 26% of what they read is relevant to their lives. In other words, students are not motivated to show up to their college classes.
    2) I think that the video is accurate in some ways, but inaccurate in other ways. Some students, for example, thrive in a traditional learning environment, like a classroom. This video expressed that this was purely negative. The video was right on about some things, however. The fact that only 18% of teachers knew the student’s name is upsetting, and could be the fault of student, teacher, or both. This evidence shows that class sizes are too large in a university environment. Another thing that could be changed in a positive or a negative way is the use of technology in a classroom environment. I feel that this could help and hinder: it could broaden any given student’s knowledge in a new and creative way, but it could also be very distracting with all the internet has to offer. I believe that teachers should explore technological learning to an extent creatively, but cautiously.
    3) A teacher should learn that their students need attention. Luckily for high school students, we have one on one teacher attention often, but in a college environment, that drastically changes depending on where you attend school. Both students and teachers need to make an effort to know each other, and when in college, students must take extra responsibility. Secondly, teachers must be aware how distracted students can be. This is not a fault of any given teacher, but it’s just the way young adults behave. They must be aware of this, and think of ways to minimize the distraction: a nice way to exercise creativity and imagination! Lastly, teachers should know that technology could be a helpful tool when used properly. I think that our vast technological discoveries can definitely expand learning, and be a fun way for students to be engaged in the classroom.

  31. William Hudson

    1. I think the picture that it paints is one of students who don’t really pay attention in class, don’t really feel compelled to read the material, and are just generally uninterested. It’s a genuinely negative picture and it seems to put the blame on the heavy integration of technology and the barrage of things one can do using said technology without even batting an eye.
    2. While I feel at some level this is accurate, I also feel like this entire video was so clearly designed to slander technology in the institutions of knowledge, it loses most if not all of its credibility, I feel instead of pointing at technology the blame would be more aptly put towards the schools and their inability to keep up with the changing student base, some schools go all out and buy fancy shiny things just to keep students attentions but then the students see it for what it is, a gimmick, and disregard it; some schools go all out in the opposite direction with technology being the equivalent of a dark magic of sorts, but then this too loses students interests and wares down on the willpower to learn of the students. So in short what I’m trying to say is today schools can’t keep up with the students, whereas the video trees to say the students are corrupted by technology. (also in a side note I want to say that the harm over protective overactive over-lawyered-up parents have caused to the learning institution is much harsher than that which technology has)
    3. Honestly this video kind of irritated me, just because I love technology and I think there are better answers then to blame everything on it; that said, things to learn would include: 1. Teach in a way that requires students to use their time effectively (aka make sure no one has time for Facebook) 2. Get interactive, use lots of waving motions and gestures and other things of the sort, and keep the class lively so people are less tempted to steer away from class, 3. Make a dynamic classroom that works with the class, don’t assume every class will, or even should, work the same way

  32. Cheyenne Stone

    1.This video paints a picture of students that have become so technologically advanced that it has become a distraction from school work and planning for their future. This video shows that students are multi-taskers, but it also shows that we have to be in order to study and enjoy our time, along with eating and sleeping. It shows that all of the technology is distracting the students and getting in the way of their education, considering some of the points made in the video such as only reading 49% of the reading assigned that semester. This video shows that students have outgrown the old methods of teaching such as note taking from a chalk board. They are bored in class, and need new variations. It shows that the classroom experience has not modernized with the rest of the world.
    2.Yes, I think this video is definitely accurate. Students, even in high school, have learned how to write an essay and facebook at the same time. Most people have face books and twitters, and these social networks or texting is so addicting, that for most students it is a temptation from doing homework or studying. This video shows that students are more focused on technology than their school work, and it is the same way even at Groves. A lot of school work is boring for students, and technology is a way to almost become part of an imaginary world for a little while.
    3.The top three things that I think a teacher could learn from this video are to incorporate some technology into the curriculum, try to liven up the lessen plan so students aren’t bored out of their minds, and that although technology is good, don’t go overboard, and give the students options. Lesson plans and the classroom atmosphere needs a change and needs to be livened up, and technology can help, but only to a degree. Teachers shouldn’t use so much that is starts distracting their students more than they already are. For example, if students are already listening to their ipod during class, teachers should let them! Maybe it helps them learn. However, don’t play music over the speakers of the classroom, it could distract others. Teachers should give their students option when it comes to technology. For example, if a teacher is going to use twitter, then they should give their students the option of tweeting, or hand writing the response. The classroom experience will probably one day be all technology, but first schools have to get through the in-between stage.

  33. Mark Melendy

    1. This video gave me the picture that students are over worked and don’t give a care about their education for the future. They said that the averages added up to 26.5 hours which says that students need some sort of wind down and stress relievers. The multi-tasking action that is constantly going on is the cause of worse grades then expected. The books cost an outrageous amount of money and then you may only get to some of the readings and may not even open up the books at all meaning it is even more a waste of money. Then when kids are crashing from lack of sleep; there not able to attend classes that they paid for and that cause more money to enter the college sinkhole.
    2. I do not think so because I have cousins and friends that are in college and they say that college is fun, but is challenging so you do need to multi-task. They say that everything is manageable so this video is a very poor representation of how college actually is. There are the kids that do skip class and never open there book, but that is because they are lazy or have really bad time management skills.
    3. I think that teachers should realize that kids do have other things that are happening throughout there lives and having everything revolve around a single professor will cause mayhem in the youth of our nation. Another topic is maybe to give the students a week by week guide of what will be happening over the term so if they know that next week will be busy then they can get ahead before instead of getting behind later. Lastly teachers, especially in the lecture hall environment, should involve the class more so that there minds are preoccupied by all the distractions that a laptop can provide.

  34. Cameron Blum

    1. I think that the point of this video was that today’s college students have to accept and solve the problems created by previous generations. They also have to learn to multi-task because they spend more than 24 hours in one day just doing activities. These students are also used technology as more of a crutch and a distraction than an actual learning tool. It states that students are charged too much for college and will end up in debt before they even have a job that creates enough income to pay off any debt that may be accumulated over the years.
    2. I think that this video presents an accurate picture in some respects, but not others. I do think that the “Y” generation is going to have to learn impressive problem-solving skills not just for the problems of tomorrow, but they also need to learn how to solve the enduring problems of yesterday permanently. Our students don’t learn these kinds of things by taking tests on Scan-trons. They learn to solve problems by being faced with problems and figuring out a method for solving problems, not postponing the negative consequences while leaving the positive consequences. They need to actually solve the problem.
    3. I think three things a teacher could learn from this video are very simple: become teachers of more practical thoughts; try to use technology to help in the classroom (not too much to hinder the learning experience); and help the students help themselves (don’t carry them along; make them learn to walk.) For the first point, when are students ever going to help solve a problem in the future by analyzing the meaning of a peace of literature like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? For the second point, we need to use this technology as a tool that can help us connect with information from the other side of the planet. We shouldn’t use technology just to talk to friends on Facebook©. Finally, students are too dependent on memorizing information; they need to learn not to just regurgitate information, but to process the information and synthesize it with other information to come to logical and proper decision when faced with a problem. We should be able to use experiences of other people to solve problems.

  35. Olivia Reader

    1. This video proves that our generation is completely consumed with technology- whether it’s before, during, or after school, the majority of students are either on their cell phones, laptops, or ipods. Receiving an online assignment is just another excuse for a student to check their Facebook notifications or tweet their every thought.

    2. I think this video very accurately portrays our generation’s lifestyle with technology. I myself have visited Facebook, Twitter, Powerschool, i-chat, Skype, and all of my emails between the time when I began typing this blog and now. I’m also glancing back and forth from my computer screen to my television screen to my cell phone screen at this very moment. If I worked as much as I tweeted, I would probably own a multimillion dollar corporation by now. As much as I hate to admit it, technology is a complete distraction to me, and I perform much better in school when I don’t have it available. This blog which should take me ten minutes to complete, will most likely take me an hour due to my ridiculous addiction to technology.

    3. I think teachers should consider making technology less of a concentration in the classroom. Although some parts are useful to students, a vast majority of today’s available technology could be detrimental to the learning environment. Teachers should also be aware that if students don’t think a lesson is applicable to them, they will tune out immediately. However, they should also realize that incorporating technology into every part of our school lives will not necessarily solve the problem of relevancy. If a teacher is entertaining and enthusiastic about what he/she teaches, I think lectures are a completely appropriate way to transfer information, even in 2010.

  36. Sam Cusimano

    1. This video portrays students as the victims of an outdated, inefficient, and irrelevant educational philosophy. They are subject to the same teaching methods as were developed in the Nineteenth Century, when many of today’s most common forms of communication (television, radio, internet, etc.) didn’t even exist. Immersed in a world of Facebook, Twitter, and cable news, they see school as inadequate in helping them to solve problems and achieve their full potential. School simply doesn’t “fit in” with the rest of their lives, and they are uninterested and unmotivated as a result.
    2. I think that while this video does present an accurate picture of the educational system (archaic), it puts too much blame on schools and not enough on the students themselves. Teachers incorporating audio, video, and pictures into their lesson plans may very well improve education. Unfortunately, it won’t make students any more disciplined. Contrary to what students would like to believe, the real world isn’t always entertaining or pleasurable. Indeed, most adults deal with things that are boring, difficult, or downright unpleasant – attending funerals, paying bills, going to the doctor, sitting in traffic, and dealing with bosses, among many others. That’s not to say that life is drudgery, or that “being old sucks.” Making school more appealing to students and more suited to their learning styles will probably have a positive effect on how much they learn, and how useful they find their new knowledge. But none of this can happen unless students are willing to meet schools halfway and take responsibility for their education.
    3. What teachers could take from this video:
    -The world is changing; education should, too. Using the internet as a supplemental resource for teaching will help students to learn in a way that is familiar to them and become more proficient with technology. This, in turn, will make them more marketable workers.
    -School can be streamlined – a lot. Educators should reconsider how much time students spend in school, how much homework is given, how many subjects can be effectively balanced within the same semester, and how much paper is used (this includes textbooks).
    -Our being a culture of “multitaskers” actually makes students as poor at time management as ever. That a college student should be spending one and a half hours watching television, three and a half hours online, two and a half hours listening to music, and two hours on the phone per day is discouraging to me. Where does studying come in? Students are unfocused, and this must be taken into account when choosing which videos and pictures to include in class.

  37. Cody Fayolle

    1. This videos paints a very clear picture that students believe they are wasting time in class. They have trouble paying attention in class when there are so many distractions in the classroom from laptops, ipods, their cell phones and other classmates. Most classes today have a hundred plus students in a lecture hall with only one professor writing on a chalkboard. The students also spend a quality amount of time thinking about their life outside the classroom like paying off student loans or how late they have to stay up to study or finish a paper. From the video it is clear that today’s students have trouble focusing on what a teacher is teaching them when so many things take priority over their focus.
    2. I think this video creates an accurate picture because I personally have the same problem. I am involved in several activities after school and I often am up late studying or finishing up homework. So when it comes to paying attention in class I have to really focus or else my attention strays and I vaguely remember what was taught. Listening to lectures and taking notes off a white board are not the most exciting ways of learning and there are many new creative ways to learn.
    3. I think the top three things a teacher could learn from watching this video are:
    a. Listening to lectures and taking notes are effective ways of learning but they do not always generate the full attention of the class.
    b. Many students are semi-pro at multi-tasking and there are many interesting ways to incorporate technology into the classroom that are entertaining and maintain the focus of the students
    c. Students already spend long periods of time using technology so if assignments and studying were online they would be more likely to do it.

  38. Zack Kozlow

    1. This video represents today’s students as people who like to be social at all times: even whilst at school. This is neither a good thing, or a bad thing- it is just the way Michael Wesch views today’s college students. He says that the formal approach to education is becoming hard for students to connect to. He also points out that people are becoming ‘multi-taskers’ because they are able to do so much at once. ie; surf the web, and listen to class.
    2. This video represents a semi-accurate picture of today’s students. Although many people multitask and depend on technology, there are plenty of people who prefer the old style of teaching. It really depends on the type of person the student is. Some people find new technology, like the Internet, fascinating, and easy to use. Some students, on the other hand, would much rather stick to the formal way of teaching, with a book and a chalkboard.
    3. I think that three things teacher can learn from this video is that they should incorporate technology in their curriculum, work to keep students focused in class, and encourage them to complete their work. If technology is incorporated into education; students will feel more comfortable learning through means that are very familiar to them. This will also grab the interest of the students. People are naturally more interested in things that they know well, like technology. The video also made it clear that students find themselves ‘too busy’ to complete all their assignments. This feeling of being too busy comes from spending too much time indulging in modern conveniences, like a computer or a television. If readings or assignments are somehow connected to this technology, it may encourage students to complete them.

  39. Laurel Cerier

    1. This video gives a sort of disturbing and realistic picture of how today’s students no longer spend their time learning what educators are teaching them, but rather giving in to the electronic distractions around them. They bring items, such as computers or cell phones, to class as a supposed tool for learning purposes, and then use it for anything but. It gives the idea that students have quickly been lured into a cyber world and struggle to stay out of it for a single class period. They are in constant need of a technological “fix.”
    2. I think the accuracy of this video truly depends on the sort of college these students go to. The video takes place in a lecture hall, and it’s definitely common to see students “taking notes” using their laptops rather than trying to scribble down everything by hand while keeping pace with the professor. At a small liberal arts school, however, you might find classes of 20, and there, one would likely be much more intellectually intimate with his/her professor. The students’ minds would be stimulated through discussion and actual class work rather than trying to comprehend all that a teacher is telling over 100 students. It all depends on how opportune the situation is.
    3. Top three things teachers should get out of this video:
    -When they give assignments that they know will require the use of a computer, many students will be tempted to do other things on the computer, especially going on facebook or twitter.
    –As great as technology is, most students comprehend something they’re reading better when a piece of paper, whether in a book, or one that’s handed out to them, is physically in front of them than when they’re looking at a screen. Also, technology, for the most part, cannot replace having a conversation in person. If a teacher asks you a direct question and works to stimulate your thinking, your mind searches for the answer based on what the teacher says to give a related idea. You don’t get that from a “conversation” with the internet.
    –Most students believe that the easiest way to learn is through the internet, especially for research projects, when really it’s the most convenient. Help us learn how to use it in a way that is more efficient and effective. Technology is an unavoidable part of young Americans’ lives. We need to know how to restrain it.

  40. Gretchen Weed

    1. The picture it paints of today’s students is that they stuck between a time gap, while being encouraged to use resources such as Google, they have stepped away from traditional teaching while still required to meet the standards of the past with the minimal help of real teachers, not computers. Today’s students have been brought up in a culture that believes graphics and moving pictures convey and teach information better than traditional techniques such as chalkboards and the obsolete textbooks.

    I think this video presents an accurate picture of today’s students. I know from personal experience that each night I am willing to spend more time on face book, doing nothing then studying for a test or simply taking interest in learning a new skill. Sometimes it feels as if we are flooded with media sources, with a constant web of information it is difficult to keep it all straight in ones head and teachers do not help the cause by showing more mass media and assigning more projects that step away from traditional classroom environments. Another great example is when I have a question/research project instead of turning towards a book/encyclopedia; I simply use Google to find the answer. Therefore, I do not retain the knowledge for I know I can easily access it again.

    3.
    1.Students should not be allowed to use technology in the classroom it is distracting and unnecessary, academics have been taught for centuries without the use of visual and multimedia enhancers why should they all the sudden become the most powerful learning tool of the day. All though more people are educated now are concepts dumbed down through the use of compressing them into small videos and forums.
    2. Students need to feel inspired to learn, either by a teacher or a subject. It is so common today for students to simply say “I will never use this, why do I need to learn this?” but the truth is the more knowledge you collect the wiser and more cultured you become. A student who yearns for knowledge and is inspired by their teacher will inevitable do better. To inspire students you have to be more involved then simply playing PowerPoint slides.
    3. Students need to be taught how to prioritizes homework assignments and activities. The internet should not play such a large role in assignments so when students complete on the computer they are on so long they become distracted by other information /network sites.

  41. Shawn costello

    1. It shows the lack of focus that students have these days. It points out how the ability to learn is actually stunted by the technology. The ability to have any thing you want at the tip of your fingers can actually stunt their ability to focus. These students attend their class no longer to learn, but because they have been raised with the idea it’s the right thing to do.
    2. This is a completely true representation of this problem. For an example as I write this paper, I am texting and watching YouTube at the same time. The lack of focus can actually cause my focus to constantly drift from one thing to another. The video also points out how the increased number of college students has begun to increase. This has caused class numbers to increase and how the lack of one on one teaching has actually caused students to drift away from learning with no one giving them a positive push. This even pushes students more towards slacking.
    3. The first topic is that students need a way to have a way to focus because if they aren’t helped it could spiral down and cause a serious lack of study skills. A second is that technology must be used but in limited amounts. If technology is overused it could cause them to become unfocused making it worse than just a lecture on that subject. Third teachers must focus on their students to make sure they are working instead of slacking. Teachers should monitor them to make sure that the students work and don’t waste their time in class.

  42. Conor F

    2. The video does paint and accurate picture of today’s learning environment. I believe that the technological advances of our society have led to the belief that technology is the answer to all of our problems. Yes, it might have solved poor spelling with spell check but it does not mean it should dominate our lives. In the school systems to many teachers rely heavily on technology in their classrooms from power points and animations. With this flashy gimmicks and presentations they are getting away from the reason the presentation was made, the content.
    Students While trying to study or write an important paper are constantly multitasking whether or not they are on Facebook, Texting, or watching television. The students spend more time socializing then learning the technology that connects us as distracts us.
    Teachers and students need to return to the basics of learning, they need to get rid of the flash power points and movie clips and return to the study of the material. IF the focus was more on the material students would learn more and become more effective later on in life and their $20,000 they maybe in debt would be worth the time and effort in the long run.
    A teach that is activly in front of the class writing on the white/ chalk board is more engaging and easier to pay attention to. A teacher that sits behind a desk and goes through a power point is putting his or her students on the fast track to boredom not knowledge.

  43. Michael Aughton

    1. The video demonstrated how times change, and how, often, an impossible amount of work is expected of college students. For example, in the video, there were facts shown that demonstrated that current college students will probably end up in a job that does not yet exist. That combined with improvements in technology and resources prove that now is a different day than the past. Technology is taking up a larger and larger part of our lives; it is inevitable. Additionally, while improvements in technology can make work and life much easier, it can also pile more work and time into one’s life, time that one simply does not have (for instance, the college student needing to do 26.5 hours worth of work in a day).
    2. For the most part, the video illustrates a truthful representation of how life really can be for college students. Although, personally, I only know of the necessities that high school comes with, I have family in college who claim that, at times, it can be extremely stressful with an impossible amount of work given. However, I also know college life to vary considerably. While, one week, one might have an overwhelming amount of work to do, the next, they may have close to none. I also agree with the video’s point that, often, education does not keep up with the pace of present day technology and life situations. In my opinion, many educational courses see technology as just a slight “luxury” that is used occasionally. But this is not the case. Today, our lives are almost entirely dependent on technology, and as such, technology should be a larger part in the educational process.
    3. I feel that, in many aspects, the video can be too harsh on the educational system and often does not give credit to all of the factors that must be taken into consideration in the formation of such a process. However, there are things that, in my opinion, could be improved. First, as I previously discussed in question 2, technology needs to be a larger part in education. Ordinary life outside of school and technology seem to be growing at similar paces, why can this not be the case for technology and education? Secondly, teachers should try to get students more involved in the material that they are learning. Teaching information straight out of a book or lecture, though a common and “efficient” practice, will commonly cause a student to become bored, sidetracked, or not fully understand the importance or meaning of the material. Interactive activities with the students could help reduce such boredom or misunderstanding, and instead build a level of true comprehension. Lastly, a teacher should build a connection with the students individually. I know that this has not been much of a problem for me in high school, but in high school, smaller classes are fairly common. The video presented the lack of a relationship between the teacher and students as an important problem, and such an association can be both beneficial to students and teachers alike.

  44. Colette Gaenssle

    1. This video portrays today’s students as easily distracted from an education system that is no longer relevant. Technology, the supposed miracle fix, takes their attention away from learning via facebook, twitter, emailing, texting, watching tv, and the like. Rather than read their expensive textbooks, they’ll surf the web. Instead of studying, they’ll watch tv or talk on the phone. While their lives are centered on technology, the education system is struggling to keep pace, and this is frustrating to students.

    2.I do not necessarily agree with how this video is portraying students. The education system has worked for years and years, so why shouldn’t it work now? Just because there are new technologies out there, that does not mean that students can no longer learn from textbooks and lectures. Incorporating new technology into lesson plans is perfectly fine, and possibly a good way to get students engaged. But technology does not need to replace traditional methods completely in order for the education system to “work.” When it comes down to it, certain methods work for certain students. There is no one right way.

    3. I think the top three things a teacher could learn from this video is that, firstly, students are dissatisfied. They feel education is not suited to their needs. Also, technology is not necessarily a good thing. Laptops may be brought to class with the intention of being used for note taking, but end up being distractions. Students are overwhelmed, not only with their education, but by the world and its problems. I chose these three topics because they’re things that teachers may or may not be aware of when it comes to their students.

  45. Beth Mansueti

    1.This video shows students as multitaskers who have too much going on. It depicts us as somewhat disinterested in school, but mostly because we don’t think what we are learning has any relavance to our lives. We believe that what were learning won’t help solve the world’s problems. It also shows that students feel like the problems we will have to face after graduation are ours to deal with, whether or not we created them.
    2.I believe the picture the video portrays is accurate in some areas. Students today work to balance so many different activities along with our acedemics. We also face many distractions from the media such as television shows and facebook. With so many things going on around us, we find it difficult to get the most out of our schoolwork, household work, social lives and atheletics. I don’t, however, agree that all students lack the motivation to get the most out of their education. I think all kids have a certain degree of control over how much they learn throughout their years of school based on how dedicated they are, and if used correctly, this information could one day help a student in their job.
    3.I think this video helps to point out a few things teachers can learn about their students. From watching this video i think it gives teachers a greater idea of how many things the average student has to juggle on a regular day to day basis. I think its important that teachers know how involved their students are in various activities so that they better understand why we all feel the need to be multitasking at all times. I think another valid point this video points out to teachers is how students feel what they learn in school is so disconnected from the real world. By relating more lessons to current issues, teachers may see and increase in interest from their students. The third thing I think teachers realize from this video is how involved technology is in the lives of our generation. If teachers incorporated more technology based projects, students may find the lessons easier or more comfortable to learn.

  46. Anisha Glanton

    1. The video portrays the students as people that don’t pay attention in class, put work into their education, or value their education. Some of them also seem as if they don’t care about their college education because they don’t attend class or don’t pay attention whatsoever. Those people are the ones wasting the valuable teachers and resources that they have at hand. If they would learn that they have something that a lot of other people don’t get in their lives, then they would take more pride in it and act like they actually care. A lot of students do care about their college education, but the ones who don’t are wasting many people’s time and don’t deserve to be there. The video also gives the impression that students’ education isn’t helping them deal with or solve real life problems that are prominent in today’s society. Social issues aren’t usually discussed in a typical college course, so how would they know how to deal with something if the material they’re learning now doesn’t even apply to their lives?
    2.I don’t think this is an accurate depiction of what all students are experiencing in college classes. The video didn’t portray students that actually pay attention in class or have small class sizes. Not all class sizes are 100-200 students. And not all students spend so much of their day doing other things that they could do once they’re done learning in class or studying at home. Of course not every student is going to go home after class and study, but if they actually cared they could at least do some of it instead of not trying at all.
    3.Teachers need to be more interactive with their students. A powerpoint isn’t the best way you could get students involved in the lesson. There are other ways that students can learn something so teachers should take advantage of more interactive lessons. If a student isn’t involved, then they’re not going to get much out of the class. Second, teachers could use technology to get students to learn more effectively. That does not mean typing out the notes for them or presenting them in a video. That means making them make websites and wikis and podcasts to show that they actually know what they’re talking about. Thirdly, teachers shouldn’t depend on just lecturing to get the point across to their students. Talking at someone doesn’t get the point across; they need to be interactive in class by discussing and participating.

  47. Meghan Marx

    1) This video shows that students today are overwhelmed by all of the things that make up their schedules. They spend thousands of dollars on books and education that, in general, they are not taking full advantage of. The question that is controversial about this topic is WHY they are not taking full advantage of these opportunities. What this video is saying is that it is the technology that is so available to us and forced on us that is distracting and inhibiting today’s students. Whether it is the technology or the overhelming burden of the need to be successful is up for debate.
    2) So, I think that technology is definitely a significant factor in this, but I think that they left some angles unanalyzed. then again, they were trying to portray a point of view, not a documentary on all aspects of a topic.
    3) A – Students today have som much pressure on them to succed, form so many different angles. Socially, mentally, physically, spiritually, that they scarcely have the time to fulfill all of the requirements imposed upon them. Like the video said, that adds up to 26.5 hrs per day. 26.5+
    B – Technology is taking over our lives. Not only do we rely too much onit, it is taking over our lives and diminishing our learning ability. (which is one of the reasons why i don’t have a facebook)
    C – Technology can both enhance and hinder the learning enviornment
    I chose theese points because they apply to me and that is how in interpreted the video.

  48. Brandon Walling

    1. I feel like this video painted a really negative picture of college students. It made them seem like they were distracted in class and were trying to bull*#&t their way through college. It also made them seemed like technology was ruining them and making them not do school work and give them excuses to not pay attention in class and to slack off. It did point out some positive facts like the advantages of technology over chalkboards but that also showed a negative aspect to schools that still use chalkboards because it is so outdated.
    2. I think that this is a semi-accurate picture because in many ways it is true. I am personally, however, a supporter of technology and the use of technology in schools, but I do see that it can also be a distraction, especially in class. Also, outside of class students decide to go on facebook instead of do homework or simple things like that that don’t really seem like a big deal, but the hours add up, like how they showed that the total amount of activities for them is 26.5 per day. It also kind of showed how students aren’t in college because they want to learn a lot, they are more there because they need to be there in order to get a good job and make a lot of money. I think that that is true in many cases, and that the majority of students in college are only there to have a good time and to eventually make money because of it. Not many students, in my eyes go to college just learn as much as they can.
    3. I think the three most important things in this video that teachers can learn are
    1. Students are on facebook the majority of the time that they are “working” on their laptop.
    2. Technology can be a very useful tool, but you can’t give students too much freedom with it because they will get distracted.
    3. Students don’t have as much free time outside of school as they think we do. We don’t have enough time to do hours and hours of homework for each class because we’re busy.

  49. Leah Sherman

    1. This video makes all students out to be multitaskers who care more about their social networking than their schoolwork. Though this is undoubtedly true for some students, I don’t think it’s fair to label all students this way. There are some people who have a very strong grasp on time management and prioritizing; it’s all about maintaining a balance.
    2. I sort of answered this already in my previous response: I believe this video as a whole portrays an accurate depiction of some students, but definitely not all students. In terms of individual pieces of the movie, however, I think it’s very accurate. The section about only reading 9 books but reading some-thousand websites especially resonated with me, because too often do I hear people discussing how they took notes online as opposed to out of the assigned reading.
    3. If I had to select three things for a teacher to take away from this, it would be these: accept the new technology, don’t shun it; create assignments that could utilize their technological skills; and, don’t assume that all students are tech-junkies. My first point may be hard for more old-fashioned teachers to digest, but it’s a point that needs to be made. Simple methods of lecturing just aren’t cutting it anymore for students; what with all of the media, kids have become accustomed to bright colors and lively design. Interactive activities seem to be the only things that keep them focused nowadays. This blends into my second point, which is if teachers can adapt their lessons into something more user-friendly, students will without a doubt enjoy what they do more. It is already hard enough for them to relate the material back to their lives, but adjusting it to something more reachable is just what they need. Finally, there are some teachers who automatically assume that all students are going to text in class and neglect homework for facebook. This is grossly untrue; teachers need to give students a little more slack. Just because some struggle with the newfound distractions doesn’t mean all do.

  50. Tanguy Crosnier

    1) This video paints todays students to be overwhelmed and multitaskers. It shows that they do not tasks that do not relate to them. It shows that they they will look up readings instead of actually doing the work because it is easier and efficient. It shows that todays student are indebt coming into the working world and that some of the money is wasted on books they will never read.
    2) Yes I do believe this represents an accurate picture of students today because many students come into the world indebt and are indeed multi taskers. They are usually doing hw in front of their computer or the tv.The fact that most student dont read more than 9 books i believe is also very accurate because students rather go on a site that summarizes the important parts rather than actually read.
    3)I believe that the 3 most important things a teacher can learn from this video is how students are overworked, dont do the work anyway and dont need to buy useless textbooks. Students are overworked in the sense that to do everything they need to do in a day theey would need 26.5 hours. To compensate students try to multitask but when doing so they are ussually less effecient therefore learn less. When assigned readings teachers have a 50% chance that students will do it part of this is because some reading will never help students in the real world so they choose not too. Or the readings and the work isnt pertinent to them. Student when coming out of college are ussually indebt. The reasons of this can be all the text books they had to buy but never even opened. Personally i dont see why you would by a book you would never use so i feel that teachers should put the textbooks ase optional and not force students to buy it.

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