University, is it for everyone ?

The question posed in the title is one that every person in college or school will ask themselves at some point throughout their years in education, and it is a very important question that people need to answer before deciding on whether to apply or not. On a personal level choosing to come to university was a decision that took a lot of thought and time to decide, but so far after nearly a year in, it has been the best decision i have made. The reasons are clear to everyone who enjoys university, as university is a fantastic learning environment that gives you control over your learning, you are treated as an adult and are given the trust that you will continue learning outside of the lecture theatre. There opportunities to meet new people and make new friends from different parts of the world, from people who are from North Wales to people living abroad there is a vast culture in university. It is also a massive commitment and if people are not willing to committ then maybe university isn't for you. Chosing to do a course in uni should not be taken lighly and many people choose not to go and will get full time jobs or voluntary work for example, it is a matter of what that indivdual person feels is best for them there is no right or wrong answer. Uni is not for everyone as we are all different and people will choose the best for them.

(Google Images)

Discovery Kids

Discovery Kids is a website that is designed for the use for children in both an educational context and at a home environment. The website has a number of games that are designed to help children develop their problem solving skills and also teaches them how to use technology as a whole. The website itself is very user friendly with most games placed into categories so it is easy to find the games or activities that you are looking for. The website is also child friendly with the way the website is produced as it is very informal with a vast number of colours and pictures that will draw the child to the website, you do not need a username or password to access the games or activities on the website. However, if you were a teacher and decided that you wanted more access to what the website can offer then you can and more activities and games will become available for you. The link for the website is given below.

http://kids.discovery.com/home

7 Picture Story

This is a 7 picture story that i have made with windows movie maker, the story shows my rise through my local club from being a player all the way through to being a coach for the same team. A little background on the last picture as it does not show where this picture was taken. The last picture is of a sign that was placed up in the players and offical entrance to the Cardiff City Stadium of me and my friend who coaches with me with our team, this was there for the Wales V Slovenia game. It was a very proud moment and i thought that it would be nice to include this in the movie.

Possible new Technology for 2014

New technology is introduced around the world on almost a monthly basis with in particular the Iphones which are constantly changing in order for them to improve their product. But what revolutionary technologies could be introduced in 2014? The first piece of technology that has already been in the news is the new Google glasses, these are glasses that people will wear and through the glass you will be able to access the internet and see it throught the lense of the glass. This idea is brilliant and if it is brought out, it could be a massive success as in particular for people who may travel long distances to work via train for example will find these very useful as they can see if there are delays on the railway networks while on their way and make nw arrangements if need be. Also they will be able to access their social media site while thier are on the train and on the go. This really is a remarkable advancement in technology if they can pull it off. Another piece of technology that could be made available to everyone is 3-D printing. This has been available to large companies for a while now, however, these are individual, personal scanners where you can make anything you design into a 3-D object while at home. There is a downside as it could set you back almost £2000 to buy one but you get unlimited use of it and you are able to mass produce any design at home. It is a fascinating idea that many people may find very enjoyable but it will not reach the mass audience that the Google glasses could potentially reach. The link below will show you all about the technologies we have discussed and more ideas, but i chose to discuss those two as i feel they can be the biggest advancements in technology this year.


http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/revolutionary-products/

Vines !

Vines are 7 second videos that people will upload to a social networking site, most of the vines that are posted are for entertainment purposes and it has to be said that after you watch one funny vine, then you end up spending maybe an hour looking through all the vines that are uploaded and this can be a problem when you have to get up early to go to university ! They are the new technology that has hit the world of social networking by storm, as in 2013 we had the introduction of Instagram that was similar to Twitter where you are ablt to follow people where the only difference is that all people can post are photos. Now at the end of 2013 and into 2014 we had the first vines that went viral across the world and now on both Twitter and Facebook there are devoted pages to vines where they show some of the funniest and some of the most ridicolous videos you could ever see ! The best part of vines is that they are in vast majority of cases unharmful in that people will only use them on an entertainment basis which is brilliant and a nice change. Below is an example of a popular vine that has had many views on the pages on both Twitter and Facebook. (Uploaded from Youtube)  

Is Technology important in education ?

The question posed in the title of this blog is a very important one, as stated in past blogs it is clear that there has been a massive change in the technology uesd but we haven't discussed if the use of these technologies is benfical. I guess it is a matter of opinion, however, i am yet to see how there can be any significant downfalls to the use of technology in schools, as for one in everyday life children will be in contact with technology from watching TV to using an Ipad on a daily basis so it's now become the cultural norm to use technology. Also by using these technologies they will gather and develop new vital skills that will benefit them hugley in later life, as in most jobs you are required to have a knowledge of how to use a computer for example. Technology is also very useful in making lessons more interactive for children and will help them not to only develop their ICT skills but more skills such as problem solving etc. So technology plays a massive part in education and can only be beneficial for children of this generation

The change in Technology in schools

The change in technology in schools has been massive over the last 20 years in particular, as schools in 1993 for example when i started school the technology in the at that time was limited, we had no interactive whiteboards they were all chalk boards, computers were 1 to a classroom and were extremely slow and in play sessions on a friday afternoon the main toys were Pokemon cards. These days it is completely different, if you were to walk into any primary/secondary school classroom these days there is usually at least 1 computer available for every student and one massive change is that they now use Ipads to enhance childrens learning to make their lessons more interactive. Even in University, in one seminar we were given an Ipad between 2/3 to research an area of education, when the Ipads were brought out i was shocked/excited that we were allowed to use Ipads as i have never used one in an educational context before. But this is the norm in education these days and it can only be a good thing as most jobs require you to have ICT skills and that is what schools are developing by having this change in technology.