Virginia
Heffernan wants the reader to remember one number: 65%. According to Cathy N. Davidson,
these are the chances that today’s grade-school children will do work that hasn’t
been invented yet. She says that even a
lot of current digital-age careers will be old by then. She believes it’s time
to redesign education. Davidson says we are ignoring the cognitive skills that
grade-school kids are they’re developing on their own. Most importantly, people
above 40 need to stop disapproving of the digital-age. For example, many
professors are wondering why the papers their students turn in are terrible.
They need to take a look at their students’ online blogs; they have less
errors, plagiarism and better prose than their classroom assignments. The
classroom needs to teach the array of complex skills involving digital
literacy. All of these ideas are from Davidson’s book “Now You See It” and
Heffernan really encourages people to read it.
I
believe my teachers in elementary, middle, and high school could have better
prepared me for the tech requirements in college by having more online work. I
would suggest to them that they should have utilized technology a lot more;
using smartboards weren’t enough. They needed to use technology that was
interactive with the students, not just for themselves. They should have posted
online assignments on moodle or blackboard. They also should have taught us how
to use wordle, prezi, animoto, etc.
I am
also anticipating using a lot of technology in my chosen career field. I am
aspiring to be a doctor. I may not know what my specialty will be, but I know
that I could use many different types of technology. For example, I could use
computers, x-ray machines, electronic medical records, laser surgery, and many
more different types that aren’t even invented yet. I believe Oakland will do a
good job of preparing me for any of this because Oakland has a medical school
and I think OU would want to prepare students for its’ own medical programs.
I feel
that I write equally as well in a blog, email, or paper. It just depends on how
I feel about the topic I’m writing on. If I love the topic, I tend to write
much better than if I’m just forced to write about something I have no opinion
on.
If I were
a teacher, I would utilize as much technology that is available to me. I know
that technology changes, but if we’re constantly trying different technology
then it will be so much easier to adapt to future technology.
Lastly,
I think the tone of Education Needs a
Digital-Age Upgrade was very persuasive. I strongly agree with Heffernan’s
and Davidson’s opinions on moving toward the digital-age. It is so important to
utilize all technology around you and constantly be learning new things. The
world is constantly changing around us and it is necessary to adapt to changes.
Some people are unable to adapt and it makes using technology so much more
difficult for them. I believe we should prepare our future generations for anything
that could be thrown at them.
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