2 Million Minutes

I feel like this video gets at what we were talking about during the last class–the idea that our students are very different from our generation, preoccupied with an array of other things other than education. I believe that this is indeed a problem–our students are not spending their time wisely if America’s priority is to ensure that our students build an “intellectual foundation” that will keep us competitive with other countries in the world. (And this statement makes me think about why this is such a priority…Not that it isn’t, but I think it’s useful to really examine why this is important since it connects to our purpose in teaching.) Once again I’m taken back to the question that plagued us during class: why are our students so indifferent to education–and why do they seem so different from our generation, which only has five years on them? Previously, I thought that it might have something to do with technology and how it has changed how we learn, how much we have to process in a short amount of time, and our attention spans. But is that the only reason? I know it isn’t; I think that society has gradually pushed against the notion that education is a privilege (perhaps because it is compulsory and free–and therefore we take it for granted). In addition, our students have great pressure on them to be well-rounded in order to be competitive candidates for college. So they have to work and be super involved in extracurricular activities. And then there’s their very natural desire to have social lives. Many of my coworkers at school argue that our students are lazy, but I don’t think the explanation is as simple as that…I would really like to see the whole video…