What really caught my attention this time around was the WNC EdNet. I'm afraid, in this regard, I may have accepted some of the stereotypes about the mountain region. Even without rancor, the idea that this area is full of simple folks who hold to older traditions is a appealing one. The idea that, while time marches on elsewhere, that it tends to stand still in the mountains does have a certain appeal. Yet this initiative just goes to prove that sometimes the latest technology can be just around the next bend.
The mindset of simple mountain folk is a dangerous one. Just as soon as your expectations for your students go down, so to will you see their performance dropping. The Internet can be the great equalizer, allowing the same opportunities for the rural students as it does the urban or suburban ones. The trick is in its deployment- making sure it is available is the first step; the second, making sure it is utilized falls to us, the teachers.
No comments:
Post a Comment