A Vision of Students Today

I have always thought our society relied on technology for much in their lives, but as I watched the two videos, I was surprised by the statistics.  Students are not reaching their full potential in the classroom by simply sitting and listening to the teacher lecture.  For some students, their class size can be in the hundreds.  Because of this, teachers do not learn the names of all their students, which creates a less personal environment.  If the classes are smaller, the teacher gets to know his or her students on a more personal level.  Also, in smaller classes, students are more likely to raise questions and have the opportunity to fully comprehend the material being taught.

One of the signs held up by a student read, "my neighbor paid for class but never comes."  Students also spend a great amount of money on textbooks but refuse to open them.  Last year, a few of my teachers told us to not even open our books and take them back to the bookstore at the beginning of the year because we did not really need them.  If parents are paying for their children to go to school or if students are paying their own way through college, why are students taking their education for granted?  When students do not see a purpose in going to class, some simply will not go.  A question to be raised is how can teachers create an exciting and interesting atmosphere to get students involved in their studies?  As future teachers, we must be brainstorming possible ways to keep our students involved in the classroom. 

Today's teenagers and young adults have become quite multitasking.  Many hours of the day are spent on the computer, listening to music, and watching television.  Students look at facebook during their classes and spend a great amount of time on the internet each day.  In previous generations, Americans are not familiar with the types of technology being used by young Americans.  Without this technology, teachers are not able to relate to their students on the same level.  Instead of using traditional ways of teaching, teachers should become educated on new technology.  Students will become more involved and excited about learning.  An example from the video  is a student holding up a scantron test.  By taking this test, they are not learning how to think critically.  Students are learning how to memorize information instead of analyzing the problems facing our world.  "I did not create the problem, but they are my problems."  To solve problems, students must be figuring out how to become engaged in the classroom. 

In order to create a more successful world, students must graduate high school and receive further education if they are able.  In the video clip, a sign read "I will have 14 jobs before I am 38 years old."  Some of the jobs we will have in the future do not even exist today.  Using technology, we can find new ways to create jobs for our society to become more educated.  Technology has come a long way, and it will continue to grow in the future.  A video I found on youtube has shown how much we, as Americans rely on technology and how technology has grown in the past years.  I am amazed at the statistics presented in knowing how much we use different ways of technology on a daily basis. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8&feature=related