Snow Day

A walk in the snowy woods this morning led to a fascinating philosophical conversation. It started with the state's drop-out rate, as announced by the State Board yesterday and, of course, gravitated to technology rather quickly. Would technology really change the educational landscape as we predict?

What struck me was my media specialist husband's comment. "I don't care whether teachers use technology or not. I just want them to be passionate about something. No one can be passionate about everything they teach; all I want is for them to be passionate about something." He went on to describe a biology teacher at his school who is passionate about nanotechnology. What's incredible is how many of his students are now absorbed in nanotechnology themselves--collaborating with NCSU professors, talking about nanotechnology at lunch, in the media center--you get the idea. The same with a History teacher who's in love with the period 1800-1840. Go figure! BUT the excitement she brings to her subject because of this passion creates real learners in her classroom.

My contention is that once you find your passion (after all, that's what a huge part of Kaleidoscope is all about), you can't avoid technology--and all kinds of resources. Those high school students are using technology to collaborate with the NCSU faculty; the History students use all kinds of primary documents including American Memory. But he's right. It's the passion that ignites.