C4T Summary for September

Ms. Kolbert published "Are You Riding a Race Car or Horse and Buggy" on September 3, 2012. She used the analogy of the Amish people's use of the buggy and horse for movement when comparing to the education system's lack of use of technology. She says, "The rest of the world is competing in Nascar-like races, and you're hoping to win in your buggy". In her post she made some important points about the education system of today who is retarding the ability of students to learn and communicate in the world. I commented by adding on to Ms. Kolbert's post by saying that the world is moving so fast (race cars) while teachers and the education system are lagging behind without the use of technology (buggies). Since it is a teacher's job to help the student be successful and prepare him or her for the future, if technology is not integrated in the classroom, he or she is not doing his or her job right. Educators should prepare students to stay up to speed with society and its advances.

Because Ms. Kolbert did not have a newer post, I chose to go back and comment on an older post. Ms. Kolbert published "Some Things I Learned at ISTE" on June 29, 2012, on her blog. Her post mainly discussed what she got out of ISTE. She learned a lot about herself, such as how inspired she was and how she had made new friends. Furthermore, Ms. Kolbert discussed that there was a focus on helping teachers see that they are valued, but there were some people who argued that teachers were alone out there, which she felt was wrong. She was happy about the fact that new people had joined the Bloggers' Cafe. Lastly, she discussed the features of the iPad app, called Soundnote, that she had recently learned. I commented by replying that it was a a good thing that she was able to deepen her relationship with people that she had only previously known. In addition, I agreed with her that it was good that teachers were being valued. Every individual teacher can have a great influence on his or her students for the rest of their lives. So, it is important to help them feel empowered.