As part of my education classes, we're learning about technology in the classroom. We're blogging, making podcasts, creating wikis, and doing all sorts of technology stuff. This has spurred me to think about how to make content relevant for our students. The children I'll be teaching don't know a world without computers and the internet; I barely even know a world without computers, and the internet became a major part of my life 14 years ago. Therefore, doing technology for the sake of doing technology is no longer beneficial. Rather, it is important to weave technology in with content area learning. This also has the benefit of allowing students to pursue their own interests in making content relevant.
While perusing youtube, I found the fabulous video I have embedded below (and the author of this video has many more!). While it's not strictly in my subject area, this is a great reminder that we can motivate students by addressing what they care about. The individual who made this movie is a stand-out student who never studied math in school but has been inspired to learn based on what interests her. Another interesting fact is that she majored in music and composed a multi-part piece designed to follow the story arcs of the Harry Potter books. Her blog is always worth checking out. I hope you enjoy the video!