Are you paying attention?

I found the video, "Pay Attention", to be informative and thought provoking. The video asks the viewer to question whether he or she is paying attention to the way students learn in this day and age. Because of the influx of ways technology can be used in the classroom, the video inspires educators to integrate these mechanisms into their lesson plans. According to the video, only 28% of students find school actually meaningful, and only 21% find their coursework interesting. In order to give students a boost and make school a place where students can feel as if they are actually learning, technology needs to be incorporated into the classroom.

The video gives good examples of just how technology can be used in the classroom, ranging from using text messaging as a simple way of communicating and gathering data, to the use of podcasts. I recently created my first podcast and I can honestly say, I not only learned the technology, but I also picked up a lot of information along the way from my peers about using technology in the classroom. Rather than having to sit and sift through articles about ways to use technology, I learned from a podcast, and the information stuck with me.

Because we are now a society where we are indeed "digital learners", it is imperative that we update our teaching styles to reflect this because if only 39% of our students believe school work will have any bearing on their success in their later life (see the video), than as a society as a whole, we will not be successful.