Stepping into the World that Everybody is a Part of

     I was just reading an article called “Footprints in the Digital Age” by Will Richardson.  In it there were some excellent points about how the internet can be a fantastic way for kids of all ages to enhance their learning.  One of the best points made was how networks can help kids share their passions, and connect with others with the same passions.  For example: A teacher in Atlanta stood up and shared his passion for mountain biking, on a unicycle; although he is not a child, his network helped him connect with others around the world that had the same interests and passions as him.  One more fantastic example of sharing passions and later connecting is, Laura.  Laura made a blog to honor her grandfather that died.  Her blog was called “Twenty-Five Days to Make a Difference” and she decided to do one good deed a day.  Later on, other bloggers saw her posts and soon enough, she had communities around the world supporting her.  

            There are also many other educational, good, reasons for kids to get involved online and with networks.  One reason, to work technology into a student’s life is to teach them how to use it properly.  It can help students create certain networks in their mind, and online that help them learn more efficiently.  Teaching them how to be ethical and safe while doing this is also a huge part.  Information put online can never be completely erased; it will somehow always be there for people to see. For example: Facebook, even though it says you’re deleting the picture or the status, it isn’t really gone.  It just went and hid so it couldn’t be seen easily, if someone wanted to find the “deleted” picture it would be there for them still.  So safety and caution while building a network is very important.  In conclusion, using the recourses we now have to improve our learning is mandatory,  we still should build our knowledge with writing and reading normally, but  being able to connect with others and see things in a different way can really help us in the long-run.