C4T #4

John Spencer- Education Rethink

     For this C4T assignment I was assigned to explore the blog of Mr. John Spencer. "Education Rethink." John is a sixth grade teacher in a urban, Title One school. He uses technology in his classroom with a blended one-to-one approach of Chromebooks, Kindle Fires and iPod Touches. His desire is to engage in an authentic dialogue about meaningful learning for all students. The first post that I read from Mr. Spencer is titled, "Facebook Without The Metrics." I thought this was an interesting title and it gave me a little insight on what the post was about. He started out by saying,"What would Facebook or any social media be like without numbers"? This made me think. I begin to think that if this were so we would really be in big trouble. We never realize how much we need numbers in social media. Such as time, dates, and when things were published. John Spencer says that," I had never realized the emotional side of knowing how many minutes ago a post was or the implied sense of urgency it was creating. I had never considered how the time elements (to the minute) were working to create a gamified experience." I totally agree. I believe that the numbers almost give our brains a sense of closure. Here's my comment:

Hi, my name is Amber McQueen. I am a student in EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. Wow, I must say your post really intrigued me. I have never looked at Facebook or any social media in that way. I now realize that if we take numbers away we would truly miss them. We don't realize the importance of time and amount on a daily basis. My theory is that it gives our brain a sense of closure. For me, the worse thing to do is wonder. By having that time that something was posted it lets is know the urgency of it. Now, as far as your theory on our own Demetricator in the schools; I would love for you to elaborate more! I am willing to hear more about this. It sounds very interesting. I'm almost sure I would agree with you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I really admired the second post by Mr. John Spencer. It's title is, "Sometimes the Best Tech is Low-Tech." He really showed his creativity and love for children in this post. It is about showing children that they do not have to use high end technology to get the best that technology has to offer. You can simply use things of a lesser value to have a great experience. It is important that children have a little balance in their life because high end technology will not always be available. They need to learn to explore their minds and be creative. This post by Mr. Spencer really got me thinking. I would love to use this technique not only in my future classroom but also in my future home just as he did. I replied:

 Wow! I think low-tech play is essential for children. I love that idea. You do not need expertise high-end technology to get the most out of technology. There are ways around that such as what you have showed here. As the person stated above, balance is good for a child. They do not always need high-end technology. To be honest it's not always available. So we have to know how to be creative and not be afraid to experiment. Interesting story! I must try this.