Sunday, October 30, 2011

Blog Post 10



"Do you Teach or Do you Educate?"

     I recently watched a you tube video by Joshua Bloom called "Do you teach or Do you Educate?". In it, Bloom eloquently explains the difference between being a teacher and becoming an educator. He said that a teacher is someone who causes or even forces someone to learn. That is a scary thought. No one should use punishment as an incentive to learn. He then says that an educator is someone who cultivates thought and nurtures creativity.

     I believe most people who became teachers aspire to be educators. Over time people lose their drive and become lethargic. We must always try to do better, to be better. We must never lose sight of the our purpose as educators. We must always educate to inspire creativity and problem solving. I believe that students and teachers alike are ready for change and would welcome it. We must continue to pursue greatness. We must find inspiration in our students as they would hopefully find it in us.



"Don't Let Them Take Home The Pencils"

     When was last time you picked up a pencil? The last time I used a pencil I was doing a wood working project and used it to mark a line. When was the last time you put pencil to paper? I wrote a shopping list out about a year ago I now just type it  up and print it put on the inkjet. When was the last time you used a pencil to write something meaningful? I wrote thank-you notes in pencil for gifts after graduation from high school in 2003. John Spencer makes the point that pencils are more than archaic tools used by an older generation in his plog post "Don't Let Them Take Home The Pencils".

     I never gave much thought to the use of pencils, yet I truly can not remember the last time I carried one around or used one for more than a second. We must realize that students follow our lead. We will spend more time with our students than they will with their parents. So it is up to us as educators to give them a good set of tools to carry with them into their regular lives outside of school. Technology is important but we must not lose sight of the past either.

     Everyday, students and teachers must make decisions toward our future. They choose what they will learn and how they will learn it. Technology has made it much easier to find and process information. Yet, is it not just as important to use your own mind? Shouldn't we be able to write our thoughts and feelings on paper? We are the future of this profession and it our duty to give our charges every tool to accomplish their goals. Even if that tool is the humble pencil.

   

2 comments:

  1. Christopher, I was very impressed after viewing and reading your blog post! Although your comments were shorter in length than mine I feel you did a great job getting the point across in each comment! In your comment on "Do you teach or do you educate?" you gave great information providing me with enough to fully understand what the video was about. I loved your point on believing most teachers aspire to be educators. Always trying to find ways to remember why we chose this career path in the beginning throughout our years I also feel is a very important part of our future career as educators. In your comment on "Don't let them take home the pencils" I feel again that you did a great job providing your viewers with proper information needed to know the main points of the post. Your opening sentence of "when was the last time you picked up a pencil" I feel was a great way to start! This sentence made me very interested and engaged in reading the rest of your post! Overall, I think your comments were great!

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  2. "No one should use punishment as an incentive to learn." I agree. But I am afraid we all do this at times. Some much more than others, however. I try not to, but I know a lot of my students would say that is what I do.

    A comment in reply to Hunter above: Sometimes (often, actually) it is harder to write less and still convey the message.

    Johnson: You missed the metaphor but it was clear that you were very close to understanding the writing technique Johnson was using. You are not alone by any means. Additional Assignment: Read these three posts:

    1. Metaphors: What They Are and Why We Use Them

    In that post there is a Special Assignment. Do that assignment in a new post which is Additional Post #1. It does NOT substitute for Blog Post #14 as it did in the Spring semester.

    Due midnight Sunday November 20, 2011.

    2. Metaphor Discussion Update

    3. Jennifer Asked: Why Use Metaphors? Here is My Answer

    4. For more information also see:
    You Missed the Point! It's Not A Pencil…"

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