The Times They Are A-Changin'

The first video (seen above) did not surprise me much. I have seen it before in EPS 201, and simply thought to myself, "Yeah? So what's the point?" I suppose my lack of reflection was somewhat juvenile, but I believe I learned something this time around. All those students claimed to have a lackluster approach to education, yet I assume that most of them will be moderately successful in life. The question that stuck out to me is this: how much can education- that is pure education in the sense of critical thinking and creativity- really do for a person if the person does not want to succeed? And more so, how can we measure that a person has learned anything at all? Because they go on to found a multimillion  dollar business? Or they become a renown artist? The entire question seems arbitrary and difficult to arrive at any sort of conclusive answer. 

The second video (above) got me to focus more on how I will personally push my students to become aquatinted with technology and innovation. I don't know what kind of school I'll be teaching in, but I suppose that the economic status of the students will vary greatly, and that will affect what methods I can integrate into my lessons. If possible, I would want students to respond to each other's writing through digital means. I think this practice would be great for students to learn how to peer review without any of the anxieties a face-to-face critique can create. Also, I think it's important that I should not try to limit students by telling them they need to neglect what really interests them. If anything, it's my job to find out how to integrate their interests into my lessons. I think that's how I'll be an agent of change within the classroom.