Reading Assignment #1: Education Needs a Digital Upgrade

Quote:

     "If you have a child entering grade school this fall, file away just one number with all those back-to-school forms: 65 percent. Chances are just that good that, in spite of anything you do, little Oliver or Abigail won’t end up a doctor or lawyer — or, indeed, anything else you’ve ever heard of. According to Cathy N. Davidson, co-director of the annual MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competitions, fully 65 percent of today’s grade-school kids may end up doing work that hasn’t been invented yet." (Heffernan, Virginia 2011)

Response:

     When it comes to the fact that about 65 percent of our children are going to have jobs that haven’t even been invented yet, I can’t say I’m surprised. There is new technology coming out each and every day, and pretty soon, the jobs we have now will be well outdated and unnecessary. I agree that American education needs to be redesigned, and quickly. Especially for the three thirds of kids that will have these mysterious upcoming jobs. I personally believe that all classrooms need to be updated and every child should work with something other than the dreadful and quite ordinary pencils and books. I’m not saying that all book-work should be completely done away with, I just think that with the constant change in technology and the world around us, maybe our children should do more than just write a boring essay.  

Top Ten Reasons to Use Technology in Education

"While there are some nay-sayers who bring up some negative effects of technology on education in the classrooms, mainly budgetary reasons, using new technologies is the future of the education system." (Above Video)

Reference:

Heffernan, Virginia. "Education Needs a Digital-Age Upgrade - NYTimes.com."Opinion - Opinionator -      NYTimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/education-needs-a-digital-age-upgrade/?hp>.

"Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: iPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers - YouTube." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzi2RIt8_nk>.