Importance of students posting blogs from the classroom and Michael Wesch

Michael Wesch
PS22PS22




Examples of students sharing their talents over the Internet


Let the Children Play

Landslide

Don't Stop Believing

Coldplay

In PS22 Chorus class in New York a group of elementary students have been able to share their unbelievable talents with the world. In this video the teacher of this elementary class decided to post his students singing Landslide over youtube. The first thing I noticed when I watched this video was the response the children were giving off. Every student in that class was not only singing, but they were whole heartidly enjoying the experience. Every students eyes were focused and paying attention, which in many cases you do not find very often. Students appeared to have a spark about them while singing this song, and each one put in so much emotion with hand movements and their expressions. I believe the reason behind this amazing motivation and heart felt singing had alot to do with being video tapped. I am sure that was a new and exciting thing for children to experience, and you could see it in their preformance that they were all engaged, and having fun. When a teacher posts students work on the internent I think it fires up the students, and gives them a sense of pride knowing other people will be able to see their talents. On the other hand, I believe posting students work on blogs not only benifits the students, but also other people who view the blog. Thousands of people have been able to view video's such as these and it has been an inspirtation. Blogs such as these can motivate other teachers to start incorporting this type of learning into their classrooms. Obviously, it is making some kind of spark in students, and inhancing education. I believe this is a great way to motivate students and other people all around the world.




Michael Wesch

Watch Lecture

Michael gave a lecture on culture today, what it is impacted by, its behaviors, and also effects of youtube. He started off by identigying the strong bond between media and are culture. If something changes in the media, it changes our conversations, and our converstations determine are culture. He gave an exaple of a youtube video posted called " charlie bit my finger". This video recieved millions of hits, and thousands of videos were created by people that related to it. Anywhere you went this video was known. He started to explain some of the characteristics this generation is showing. He showed a picture of his college classroom with hundreds of students appearing disinrested and dis engaged. Next, he showed a casting call for American Idol where people were going crazy with ecitement and were engaged. He asked the quesion what is the difference here. The difference he explained is in the word "Whatever". Whatever over the years has morphed into something that explains our culuture today, which is that today people believe the world is all about them.


As a whole we have are own agenda's and are not worried about anything else. People are forgetting about what real relationships are. He talked in detail about youtube, and using the tool to create and entire new way to connect and form real relationships with others. Although, people may feel context collapse, which is feeling nervouse or self conscious when first being infront of a web cam , Wesch says that people can form relationships with people, and have the entire world watching with out the social anxiety aspect. Through several videos on youtube Wesch was able to show that people all over the world wanted to form real connections with people, and shift the focus off of themselves. For example, one person created a video that asked people to write one world on their hands and put it up on their web cams for the world to see. The response was overwhelming. People responded to the idea of one , and unity. People were seeking those relationships and connections, and therefor finding their true self. Welsch said that we could change the whatever of today into We care and will do whatever it takes...by whatever means neccessary.