Angry Rant

After viewing this video, I think technology is over-emphasized in today's schools.  The vidoe made me angry.  I liked that it brought up important statistics: such as "I watch television 16.5 hours a week."  and "I game 3 hours every day."  Honestly, I think those two statistics are exactly why we should NOT implement technology in the classroom.  Maybe children today should be spending a little less time staring at a screen.  You're probably thinking right not, "Oh Whitney, she must be some frumpy 88 year old lady, who doesn't know the difference between DVR and Tivo."  The truth is, I am 23 years old.  I don't have a televison.  I choose to spend my time reading rather than spending mindless hours in front of a television watching Jersey Shore. (I'm proud to say I've never seen an epidsode!) I read "Watership Down", "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", and "Grapes of Wrath".  This antiquated form of entertainment challenges me, and it helps me learn.  You know why I think kids can't get jobs or go to college?  Because they can't read!  Watch "Waiting for Superman".  Maybe if teachers taught kids how to read and do basic arithmetic they'd be closer to going to college than having the "create" on a laptop. I apologize for my elistist tone, but I refuse to devalue my morals by buying into the newest crock that MCS is trying to promote.  With all this being said, I DO think that typing is a very valuable skill.  I also think learning basic computer skills that are pertinent in college (such as writing a report using WORD, organizing/creating a presentation using POWERPOINT and analyzing data using EXCEL) IS very important.  I don't think that schools shoudl be void of computers by any stretch of the imagination.  What I DO think is that learnig to read, write, and do math should be prioritized before learning to blog.