Additional Assignment #2

Obviously I underestimate kids! The kids in these villages were very intelligent. I kind of assumed that kids who are fortunate enough to have access to technology would eventually learn to use different programs on the computer. I also assumed that kids who have never even been introduced to a keyboard, like some of the kids in the speaker's video clips, would need more help to figure out how to use one. But these kids not only figured it out on their own, they did it within a matter of hours! This proves that people who are motivated, even children, can teach themselves. I'm sure these kids did not just click the screen and the music started to download. It took time for them to learn how to use the computer, find a site that allowed them to download, and understand how to move the downloads from one computer to another. That took an extreme amount of patience. If you aren't motivated, you wouldn't sit there for hours attempting one task. You'd give up the minute it got too hard or too confusing.

I'm sure kids could learn many things without technology, but it increases their chance of success. Kids need something that can keep their attention. This is the role that technology plays. Kids, and adults, need to be interested in the material. No one will attempt to teach themselves something they don't even find appealing because they wouldn't be motivated to keep moving if any problems occur.

Questions and problems are also a great way to motivate someone. Again, if someone doesn't care about the topic in the first place, then no amount of technology or questions could capture their attention. But if I'm attempting something new and a problem arises, I don't sleep until the situation is resolved. For example, this past week had to complete a Timetoast. I could not get my embed code to post to blog properly. I spent hours trying to figure out the problem. Eventually, I had to do the entire assignment over so Timetoast would generate a different code. Why did I go through all that trouble over one assignment? 1) Because I don't want to fail this course. 2) I was motivated. If this had been an assignment for another class (I won't say which), I would've turned my computer off and went to bed. But I enjoy some of these assignments and I enjoy learning new things.

I do have a lot of teachers who play a very important role in my education. It is because of their concern that I succeed. It's sad that I am 21 years old and my teachers still remind me to complete certain assignments. But the fact that they even care enough to notice keeps me going. They are my motivation. My teachers are in the position I wish to be in within the next 5 years. I want to motivate my students as well. There is no set way to motivate a person. You have to know what's important to that individual. And when I become a teacher, I plan on doing just that. I will know what my students like and don't like. I will know what they want out of life. And once I have all that information, motivation will follow.