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This "Did You Know" video illustrates how digital innovation is changing the world everyday. Not only has the internet and all of the mobile devices we use to access it made newspapers seem stone-age in their dissemination of information, television may be next on the list of medium that may be shoved aside. Technology is transforming how we communicate and how we learn. More information is at our fingertips through our digital devices than we ever thought existed. There is an explosion of ideas being exchanged every second that can really change people's lives. One element of digital learning that still has not worked itself out is the fact that with the internet, there is no filter for the information, so it may be difficult to know that what you are viewing is totally accurate.With newspapers and traditional media, we counted on the media professional to put information in context for us and to decide what was correct and what was false. With the internet, we handle that process ourselves. However, in some ways, that does allow us to form our own opinions without influence from the built-in bias or point-of-view of traditional media outlets. This video just sums up the fact that the digital world is growing exponentially every day, and as educators, it is essential that we give our students the knowledge and access to tap into these tremendous resources of learning.

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Mr. Benjamin has a very interesting theory in regards to how we should be teaching Math to students throughout their academic career. Traditionally, we have built a foundation of algebra and geometry that led to an introduction and understanding of Calculus. Calculus was the goal and all early math education formed the building blocks to be ready for that discipline. Mr. Benjamin suggests that we should change our focus as educators. We should prepare students for a complete understanding of Statistics, rather than Calculus. Most people deal with elements of Statistics in their everyday lives. Students can relate to it and it can be fun to learn because it can be useful to them in a wide variety of their daily activities and endeavors. Calculus, while essential in the world of science, engineering, and math academia, is not as relevant to most people. I tend to agree with his argument. I think that the more relevant we can make Mathematics to the typical student and to pop culture, the more excited they will be about learning the fundamentals that we all know they need. I think we can develop greater math skills in students by a slight shift in focus that makes the numbers more important to how they live their lives.

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Mr. Ohanian tells a story to demonstrate the power of social media in a Greenpeace campaign where user-involvement actually changes the direction of the marketing plan and makes it much better. His point is to make a splash on social media, you have to be willing to lose control a bit of your message and give the consumer some leeway in interpreting and molding your theme.Allow the user to have some fun with your ideas and elements and angles will probably develop that you had never thought of before. Social media is very interactive, and the more the user can be part of what you are doing, the more your campaign will take on a life of its own, as is the case with "Mr. Splashy Pants' in the video.

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This video really hits on the head, I think, some key elements of learning. As a football coach, I worked with many coaches who wanted every play in practice to be absolutely perfect and would set up practice so that each play was perfect. I actually, though, wanted to see mistakes in practice - I wanted to not set up the easy path to a successful play, but to have the players work through the difficult circumstances which may face them when that play is run in a game. The players would learn more what they can and can't do and would perfect the skill better through learning from the mistakes than from always being scripted to succeed in practice. The same philosphy holds in the classroom. The goal is learning, not just information transfer. Students need to get out and experience things in the real-world that supplement what is being taught in the classroom. It is about experiential learning - the ideas that are taught need to be presented in numerous ways to ensure they are understood, such as not only reading about the concept but actually doing it or observing it as it happens in society. And students learn much more sometimes from the mistakes can come from doing than by a teacher simply telling them about it.

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This speakers talks about making education, K-8, available and accessible to everyone in the world. He says the technology is there now to make this happen, but that the only thing standing in its way is a cultural paradigm. He calls for a shift in the cultural paradigm of trying to make a buck on knowledge. While capitalism is the best economic system ever developed, I do see merits in making knowledge a right more than a privilege or comodity. However, I think the paradigm shift the speaker calls for is occurring somewhat already in the new business models of Facebook and Twitter, where the information and communication methods are free to consumers; it is the advertisers who pay for the opportunity to reach the user. So the content is free and available to all who want the information, and the money is made through companies who want to be in front of that audience. This might just be the shift in paradigm that can help educate the world.

__Technology Autobiography__

Technology is changing the world in a more profound way than most of us can even comprehend. Just think of the impact that social media had in the recent uprising in Egypt, and how the ability to communicate digitally has connected the entire globe. The power of digital innovation in today's world is staggering! And no one really knows what tomorrow will bring. That unknown can be both exciting and a bit intimidating, but one thing is clear - computer skills and the ability to maximize and harness the potential of the internet will be invaluable to our future as a society.

When it comes to computer literacy, to be honest, I am probably still in the Stone Age. I think I have the basic skills, but new knowledge is developed every second, so I know I have a challenge to keep pace. From my exposure to the digital world in business and from social media sites, like Facebook, I can see the great power that the internet gives us to connect to others. I can also see that the world is moving fast in the direction of digital competency, and if a person does not stay ahead of the curve, they will quickly fall behind and their old, traditional skill-base will be obsolete.

As a football coach, I saw how Facebook and smart phone technology was rapidly changing how colleges recruited high-school student-athletes. High school students would never answer their phones, and you could waste lots of time trying to speak to them person-to-person. However, they would always respond immediately to a text. Instead of e-mails (which few high school athletes accessed), it was more effective to send a private e-mail message through Facebook. Coaches had to be in tune with how the kids communicated to be in the game as far as recruiting. You had to have a presence on the internet, with social media, and be fluent in the language of the internet and the technological devices of today to be relevant. The technology was all so new that the NCAA rule book couldn't even keep up with the new issues that popped up online each day. The coaches who have embraced the digital age have flourished, and the others are playing a game that no one plays anymore.

As far as computers and their standing in the educational process, I almost think that there can be no such thing as learning in today's climate unless it is done through a digital spectrum in some way. Computers are ESSENTIAL; maybe the most important aspect of functioning in the society of tomorrow. Computer skills should be incorporated into every subject, and students should be taught the skills to use and take advantage of everything the internet has to offer. Digital innovation also gives the student the opportunity to participate in creating knowledge and developing ideas in ways never imagined before. A future educational goal should be to work towards having a laptop for every student and making sure all have access to the internet. I know that funds are required for this type of endeavor, but it would be money well-spent. A complete education on the benefits, dangers, capabilities, and future possibilities of technology should be a major part of each student's educational experience.

To be the best teacher that I can be, I must strive to continue to learn myself. I want to know all I can and consume as much knowledge as possible on the internet and its great potential. A teacher in today's classroom must stay hungry themselves in order to infuse their students with that passion. I will work on being right on top of innovation andadvances in technology and ensure my students are knowledgeable, solid digital citizens.