C4T Summary

For my final C4T I commented on Joe Bower’s blog. He updates his blog almost everyday, so I’ve had several different posts to choose from. The first week I read his blog entitled Redford’s Broken Promise? This post was about Alison Redford who was running in the 2011 Progressive Conservative Leadership Race. Joe voted for her because she promised to eliminate the 3rd and 6th grade Provincial Achievement Tests. This election was over six months ago and the tests are still there. He mentions holding up his end of the bargain by voting for her, but she has yet to abolish these tests. He makes a good point at the end of his post: “And if she doesn't and this is indeed a broken promise, what good are Alison Redford's promises in this new election?” I replied back with agreeing with what Redford said about these tests. They are too stressful on these students and they are not the best tools for determining these children’s performance. I was apologetic towards him for the lack of progress. I also agreed with him about her being filled with broken promises going into this new election.

This week Joe wrote a post about social networking. This post was called The Denial of Social Networking. This post is about blocking YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter from schools. People are under the impression that children come out of the womb knowing how to use all the different social sites. That is ignorant. Children have to learn how to use them just like everyone else. He makes a valid point about the repercussions of banning these sites: “If a school blocks YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, how are teachers suppose to learn about social networking? If a school blocks YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, how are teachers suppose to teach students how to use social networking appropriately? If a school blocks YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, how are teachers suppose to teach students how to NOT use social networking inappropriately?” Teachers can educate their kids on how to navigate these sites properly and responsibly. I responded with getting rid of these sites is going to do more harm than good. When children are told not to do something, they’re going to find a way to do it. They’re rebellious and curious. As teachers we should take advantage of the opportunity to teach them how to use these sites in a responsible manner.