Dear Kaia

This story hit a lot of important topics. I found it ironic that it all started because Kaia's dad was reading The Last Child in the Woods and he felt guilty because he was not exposing his child to nature the way he should and in the end he was exposing his child to more than that. I believe children are spending less time outside exploring nature and all the great wonders of the world hands on. I think a key factor in that is the way society is changing because of technology. Children no longer feel the need to go outside and discover something new when they can simplyGoogle it without having to leave the comfort of a chair. Also it has become more convenient for parents to tell their children to play video games, watch TV, or surf the net instead of having to worry about them playing outside. The world has become such a fast pace place that parents do not have the time to watch their children play outside and since violence is getting worse as well they do not allow them outside alone. This subject really hits home with me. I believe it is a vicious cycle. I am gladJabiz Raisdana shares my belief that today's children need to spend more time outside exploring nature.

Even though I may believe technology is the source of a lot of society's problems I still believe these advancements have opened a lot of doors. I think it is amazing how quickly people around the world reacted to this topic and project. Jabiz simple posted the pictures for family to see but in the matter of hours it had touch the hearts of people across the world. Without technology this would not have been possible. Students in rural Missouri would have never been able to learn hands on about a culture half way around the world. I would have never seen the pictures, the blogs or heard about a book that would inspire me. If we did not have the technology advances we have today then people such as Mr. C ( the 8th grade teacher at Noel Elementary School) and me to explore nature more often.







The world is full of danger so we cannot let it predict how we should live our lives. There is danger in nature as well as with the internet and technology. The key is education; if you are educated on what is dangerous and how to avoid it then life suddenly doesn't seem that scary anymore. In all reality technology is not fading away, so as a teacher we need to teach our students how to safely and properly locate sources of information. The pace of the world is not slowing down but instead is just now beginning to pick up speed. We need to teach our students how to be Networked Students I feel these skills will be a necessity in the future. Although I feel we should prepare children for the future I also believe we have to teach them about the past. There needs to be a harmonious balance between nature and technology and I know that seems impossible now but hopefully we are moving toward it.