Bringing Technology Into the Classroom: Michael Summers

April 27th, 2009 by Nate

Michael Summers Bio

Of all the bloggers I am currently following, there are few I respect more than Michael Summers. His goal is to bring us to the point where our classrooms have the most up-to-date technology possible, and educators are using it appropriately to provide our children the best foundation we can give them to compete in this world. We’ve entered a new global economy, and our educational system must adapt to remain relevant and effective. After reading some of his articles, I think you’ll have a hard time disagreeing with him.

A bit of forewarning: Michael writes some looooong posts on his blog. There have been a few times when I could almost hear some distant recess of my brain yelling “novella!” at me as I scanned paragraph after paragraph of a single post. No matter how long it is, however, I always read the whole thing – his writing is clear, the tone is engaging, and the content is solid. For what it’s worth, Michael, I fully agree with you here: “Talk is cheap. When you say something, it can too often be lost, forgotten or misinterpreted. But when you take the time to write it down, it elevates the discourse; it facilitates thought, it has deeper meaning, it shows that you’ve taken the time to actually think about what you have to say and that you have the courage and depth of conviction to throw it out there.”

I don’t know much about the educational system, but I’ve been a part of some technology initiative teams at work, and if driving change is that hard at a private company, I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to engage a gigantic government establishment. Michael has a tough task, but what I love about reading his stuff is his tireless attitude and constant hope for the future.

I’ve been looking around Michael’s site off and on for a couple days now, looking for quotes to pull or posts to recommend, but I haven’t found just one or two that I like. There’s a ton of quality content there, and I certainly can’t reference all of it. So here’s what I’ll say. Just head over to his home page and get started. Whether you agree or disagree with him, post a comment and start a discussion. You’ll probably learn something.

On a personal note, I’d like to thank Michael for putting so much of his energy into being an education evangelist. It’s obvious that he cares a great deal about the students he fights for, and I respect him for that. Our kids are going to be better off with him on their side.

I’ll leave you with an excerpt from a post I really liked: You Are Who You Choose To Be.

But then I’m reminded why we’re here. The kids. That’s why we fight. Because we should be able to say to every child in every school, and really mean it, “You are who you choose to be.”

What a beautiful thing to say. What a powerful thing to say. And we have the power, we have the means, to make this true, or certainly more true than it is now, for millions of children who depend on our schools and the decisions we make today.

Change begins with choice.

And with who you choose to be.

So with the Michael Kamen score swelling through the recesses of my mind, my resolve, though tested, remains firm. Launch the missiles. Slam your doors. Hold on to your industrial-age traditions. I understand.

I’m ready.

Progress can be slow. Change can be painful. But I’m going to keep moving forward.

Because that’s who I choose to be.

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