Let’s just say that my fourteen-year-old son isn’t all that excited about blogging, podcasts, on-line learning, or technology. He loves his ipod and xbox. He’s great at managing the TV/stereo system. The computer and going on-line just isn’t very interesting to him.
The plus to that is he’s not on IM or any other social networking site when I want to use the computer. The minus is that I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about the learning that’s available to us and my own son is completely uninterested. I’ve tried to suck him in by searching for others who have read the Mario Puzo novels he loves or about any of his other interests. Nothing. So I’m leaving it alone and hoping he’ll eventually be curious enough about something to go looking for more information.
Until this weekend. I was reading one of his teacher’s posts and I read it to him. He listened, he reflected on the post, and he asked to respond. (!) I played it cool, I typed it for him as he dictated (because typing wouldn’t have been worth the effort to him), and I waited. Yesterday he wondered aloud if Ms. Geist had read his comment. Then he wondered if I could check while I was reading my bloglines. (!) She had not responded, but someone else had so he read that comment. I’m thinking if she continues to post topics that grab his interest, he might return again. And hey, I told him he had to at least open a blog if he wanted to comment. (It’s a start!)
I’m excited about his interest because I know he’s not always all that excited about what’s being taught in his classes. I never want him to “turn off” to learning. And I’d just about drive to the end of the earth to fuel his interest or passion in any subject. Knowing that I don’t have to drive there, that it’s available on-line if I can just lead him down that road, yeah, that makes me very happy.
Curiosity might have killed the cat, but in my world, it makes the kid.
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One day you’ll probably be able to blog from an iPod or XBox. Problem (eventually) solved.
It was the other way around for my son. He introduced me to it. He doesn’t want anything to do with my blogging though, but reading his writing and his blogs was what made me realise that it was valuable to students at school. I read one of your previous posts about having your child at school with you. Both my children have attended the school I teach at. It has been mostly a positive experience for me. The challenges are when teachers inform/complain to you about your child because it is convenient.
I have come to ask them “Would you phone another parent to tell them?”
They soon got the message and it eased off.
By the way, I love reading your blog.