C4T #1

Image via WikipediaC4T #1a
David Warlick opened his post with "Dang! I just missed it!" He proceeded to tell about a planetary phenomenon: Mars coming closer to Earth than it ever has in recorded history. This would cause Mars to appear to be as large as the full moon to the naked eye. After building up this story with more and more information, he sends you hurdling back to Earth by telling you that it was a hoax, presented as a fact at a recent teaching convention. He closes with telling us to be careful of the information we receive from the internet. The internet can be a great tool, but can also cause the misguidance of students. His final statement? "Will we admit it to our learners tomorrow that we made a mistake and use the mistake as a learning opportunity?"

I commented the following:
I find it interesting that the more resources and tools we have, the more likely we are to accept something as the truth. My initial response to your post was, “I can’t believe I missed it!” Upon further reading, I began to understand how unlikely such a planetary encounter would be. As Philip noted, as educators it is important to use our resources to ensure that we are giving accurate information. A student will always remember the mistake of a teacher, regardless of how much pertinent,accurate information the teacher has given prior to such a mistake. As useful as the internet can be in the classroom, it is important that we are able to instruct students how to separate fact from fiction. We also need to remind them that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. I really enjoyed reading and pondering your post!


C4T #1b
David Warlick was trying to get the name of someone he supports, Gary Stager, out in the open. Gary wants to be invited to speak at the South by Southwest Conference (SXSW). In order to do this, he needs educators who support his cause to  vote for him. He provided a link and instructions to vote for Gary.


I commented the following:
Vision for the future is exactly what we need for the education field. I’m going to vote for Gary right now!