Kaia

Wow!

Kaia's father, Jabiz Raisdana, read a book titled "The Last Child in the Woods." This book motivated him to take his 3 year-old daughter, Kaia outside and explore. He wanted her to see the beauty of things although they are surrounded by trash and building debris. He gave Kaia a digital camera and allowed her to take photos of everything, including the garbage. They live in Qatar, which can be described as a desert. He posted her photos on her blog and to his amazement, there were comments posted by Mr. Chamberlain's class in rural Missouri. The students in Missouri had so many questions that Mr. Raisdana decided to Skype with the class to answer those questions. They learned about each other's world during this Internet call. During the Skype, he suggested that the students create a video with audio for Kaia because she is unable to read their comments due to her age. The students in Mr. Chamberlain's class did just that.

Mr. Raisdana worries about the dangers of making his daughter's life so public and I can understand his concerns. But in exposing her to this technology so early in life, she will definitely be a qualified 21st century citizen. I think it is so fascinating how parent's willingness to teach his daughter to see the beauty of the world turned into something deeper. Students in Missouri learned how to create a video and upload to to the Internet or blog, Kaia learned how to take pictures and add her audio for narration and someone like me learned the power of technology and the Internet as a teaching tool. In my classroom, I can pose a problem or question to my students, who can, in turn, propose that same question to the world and get amazing feedback.