netTrekker Blog

“I LOVE netTrekker!”

 

As I go to different conferences and talk to educators and administrators I hear this sentiment A LOT. 

Why do people get so excited and passionate about netTrekker? 

Do you ever hear someone say “I LOVE Microsoft Excel”?  No, I don’t think so.  Yet, Excel and spreadsheets are also tools that students must master in order to be considered digitally literate in today’s world.  Educators know this…yet somehow they do not exhibit the same level of passion for a tool such as Excel as they do for netTrekker.

So…..why is that?  When I was in the classroom there was a lot of FEAR surrounding the use of the internet and online resources.  What would students find?  How could those resources harm them?  How could they harm me and my reputation as a professional and an educator?  This FEAR keeps many educators from using online resources at all – resources that are crucial to utilize and encourage students to seek out in order to achieve success.

netTrekker alleviates FEAR. 

• Fear of using online resources
• Fear of not appearing to have mastery of the internet
• And mostly fear of being responsible for something harmful being experienced in the classroom. 

I left the classroom to come and work with netTrekker and educators because I am so passionate about what a great solution it is.  I continue to be amazed at the wonderful reaction that educators have to netTrekker and all the features that I show them.

I love it! netTrekker makes it so much easier to search for mathematicians and other subjects. Using netTrekker, we can narrow down searches easier, and I don’t have to worry about my students pulling up inappropriate material when they search!

                                   Heather Plaisance, Killeen ISD, TX, teacher

As we continue on the path that takes our children from digital natives to digitally literate and Web 2.0 savvy citizens we must fight that FEAR of the unknown.  Embracing solutions that offer the rich wealth of online resources without the “dark side” of the web creates stepping stones along this path.  I’ve come to love the new term I am hearing on the digital airwaves…..”walled gardens”.  These safe and relevant enclaves create the much needed opportunities to experience the online world without giving educators or students anything to FEAR. And that’s exactly what netTrekker provides.

Tags: fear, safe resources, walled gardens