I am not really sure what the representation of the cartoon is. But it says on the left side is the papermate pencil, which is cheap and easily broken. The character is an large old nerdy guy that I think represents papermate. I may be wrong because it seems to me to be a bad representation; a large man is not easily broken. The right side of the cartoon is Ticonderoga pencil new, more expensive pencil. The cartoon character is skinner and dressed more like a young person that would be my age. Even though you can not see his pants, I would picture him with skinny jeans. I personal do not have skinny jeans but for some reason a lot of guys wear them.
Why Were Your Kids Playing Games
In Why Were Your Kids Playing Games Mr. Spencer is being asked by the principle why he was letting his kids play games in the classroom. The principle had previously said that there would be no games in school due to a parent complaint. Mr. Spencer tried to explain that his game was an advance simulation that involved the students making a mock factory. The students had to draw, read various scenarios, and describe their solutions in text. The principle told him that he was suppose to help the students memorize for a test. Memorizing is not teaching, just temporally remembering information. Mr. Spencer was in the right by actually doing his job.
Avoid Social Networking
The second post I read was Avoid Social Networking . The post starts out by with Human Resource officer stating that teachers should not interact with students on social networking sites. One of the teachers, Ms. Jackson, spoke up against the resource officer saying, "the best way to model appropriate adult behavior is to interact with kids and be a positive role model." Another teacher was told to stop coaching a baseball team outside of school with children from school. A third teacher was told she could not acknowledge students when she saw them at a grocery store. The post is saying that teachers should have any contact with students outside of school because it may be viewed as inappropriate.
I can agree to some degree with the post. We see in the news sometimes teachers having "inappropriate relations" with their students. But I do not think that all teachers should be rude and avoid their students outside of school. I believe that social networking can be beneficial for both students and teachers. A teacher could answer questions threw Facebook or blogs. Posting lessons or reviews on YouTube or a blog would be great for students and their parents. I plan on doing this in my classroom. But I can understand where people can get the idea of inappropriate teacher/student relations and teachers need to be taught not to step over the boundaries.
Don't Teach Your Kids This Stuff Please
In the post Dr. Mcleod is addressing parents, teachers, and administrators telling them not to teach their students how to use technology or social media in the classroom. He warns of cyber bulling, sexting, and sexual predators that students could run into when they use it. I totally disagree with him because students must learn technology in today's society because they will most certainly fall behind. A school that did not have any kind of technology would be doing severe damage to the student's education. Dr. McLeod is right that there is cyber bulling and sexual predators online but if parents and teachers teach kids how to use it properly then they will not have a problem.
Scott McLeod, Ph.D., is currently serving as the Director of Innovation for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency 8 in Iowa. He is also the Founding Director of the UCEA for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE, the nation's only academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and was a co-creator of the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens). He has recieved numerous national awards for his technology work, including recognitions from the cable industry, Phi Delta Kappa, the National School Boards Association, and the Center for Digital Education. He is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading academic experts on K-12 school leadership and teachnology issues.
Papermate is a metaphor for a PC. Ticonderoga is a metaphor for a Mac. The cartoon characters resemble the stars of the long series (66 over 4 years) of Apple ads starring John Hodgman as PC and Justin Long as Mac. I don't know about the skinny jeans but you could check your theory by watching some of the ads which are available through this link.
ReplyDelete"by the principle why he was letting his kids play games in the classroom. The principle had previously said that there would be no games in school due to a parent complaint. Mr. Spencer tried to explain that his game was an advance simulation that involved the students making a mock factory. The students had to draw, read various scenarios, and describe their solutions in text. The principle told him that he was suppose..." principal (a pal), not principle which is a law or rule. Several incorrect spellings in this paragraph. supposed, not suppose
You missed the meaning of Dr. Mcleod's post. It is a sarcastic commentary on fears which are unfounded and, in fact, will undermine the chances of children who are kept from maximizing their use of technology. reread the last sentence of his poem.