Blog #8

It's interesting that we're talking about portable media. I oftentimes forget that it exists or even that it could be used in an educational setting. I almost view it as an extension of myself, my cell phone, laptop and iPod are pretty much always with me and I panic when they're lost or I've left them at home. I feel disconnected and a little lost, it's sort of crazy when you step back to think about it really.

The articles were really interesting. It had NEVER occurred to me to use a cell phone in education. They were banned in my high school and most schools I've had practicums in have a similar policy. I really loved the concept of teaching students HOW to access information, throughout reading the article I really came to agree with everything that it said. I remember in school being forced to memorize things, like the periodic table, and wondering what the point was...if I needed to know an element, I could look at the poster on the wall. I knew how to access the information. Students are smart and making them do rote memorization of uninteresting concepts really makes them check out of learning. When you make it meaningful, make the search something that they're interested in and what to know, that's when it becomes meaningful and something that students can remember. I always remember things I write for papers in college, especially the ones I have to do lots of research for. The search for important information makes it more valuable and memorable to me.

Portable media is the way of the future, schools really need to re-think the way they are delivering information.