Thing #7

Commenting is a very important part of blogging. It is what makes blogs interactive. Instead of just reading articles, we can respond and discuss them. Commenting makes blogs more like a conversation.

I relate commenting on blogs to commenting on Facebook. People can reply to other people's Facebook status. I don't comment on Facebook too much because it makes me nervous. I feel very vulnerable when I put my opinion out there for the rest of the world. That's how I felt for this assignment as well. It was easier to comment on my classmates blogs than on the educational blogs. I felt like the other people doing 23 Things would relate to how I was feeling because some of them were new to commenting also. On the educational blogs there are more people who blog on a regular basis. I thought they might judge what I said more.

The commenting tips were helpful. That made me feel more confident about commenting. It was also helpful for encouraging people to comment on my blog. I think it makes it easier to comment when there is a question or open discussion. So in saying that, how do you feel about commenting?

Thing #6

I had a difficult time finding an educational blog that interested me. A lot of the ones I found were over my head. The articles that are written more professionally are hard for me to understand. I find myself reading and re-reading. I prefer to read educational blogs that are easier for me to read.

After a lot of searching and clicking I found a few educational blogs that were interesting. I actually used the Google Blog Search to find educational blogs that interest me. I searched for first grade teaching ideas and found Teacher Knows Best. This is a first grade teacher’s blog where she shares teaching tips she does in her class. I also found a blog Scholastic has called Classroom Solutions. This blog is not active during the summer but from looking back there seems to be lots of great ideas for all grade levels. The last educational blog I added to my Google Reader came to me. As I was searching for educational blogs I got an email from The Mailbox that had a link to their blog. I like this blog because the post is about a main topic and then other teachers comment on it to share their ideas. For example here is a post on Coins for Teaching. I got to read about how other teachers are teaching all the different new coins.

My guilty pleasure is reality TV. Using the Google Blog Search again I found a blog I have heard of called Reality Steve that gives spoilers for reality TV shows. Right now the main one is The Bachelorette. I like reading what he has found out and comparing that to what happens on the show.

Thing #5

I have to be honest. Using Google Reader still seems overwhelming to me. There is so much to look at even just skimming the articles. I do not usually check any websites regularly except my email and Facebook ☺. If I find any interesting websites Google Reader would be a good way to follow them. I also find it hard to navigate Google Reader. There are so many things to click and I’m not sure what it all does.

The blog I found most interesting was the Students 2.0 blog. It is opinions about education from a student’s perspective. I feel like their writing is more understandable to me. The Don’t Save the World post stood out to me because I can relate to it. I felt like my senior year in high school and in college I was scrambling to try to join organizations and volunteer so I could build my resume and look good on paper. Sometimes I feel like I am still doing this. I volunteer myself for positions and events to make myself look like a stronger teacher. I don't necessarily think all of that is needed to be an expert teacher. I think I should be involved in what I am genuinely interested in, not just what looks good to other people.

Thing #4

After reading several examples of different kinds of blogs I have noticed that most are written in personal narrative style. Blogs are people sharing what they are thinking. Blogs are different than reading books because it is more personal. I feel like I am reading other people’s thoughts and feelings rather than an educational article. Both types of reading can inform the public about many different topics, but blogs do it in more of a personal way. Being able to comment on blogs also makes reading them more personal. In Mr. Meyer's blog Why I Don't Assign Homework many people commented with their opinion on this topic. At some point Mr. Meyer changed is mind on how he felt about assigning homework. This could have been because of what other people shared with him about homework. Also in Patrick's Update lots of people made encouraging comments on his 5th Grade blog. Comments help blogging by motivating and supporting people who share their feelings for the world.

Blogging can facilitate learning in the classroom by encouraging students to share their thoughts and opinions with others. Normally students might not feel as comfortable raising their hand to share what they think as they would online. Also, blogging can teach students to make connections to each other by reading their classmates' blogs. Commenting on each other's blogs will give the students self-confidence that what they have to say is important.

Thing #2

Web 2.0 tools could change the way I teach by catching the students’ interest and keeping them engaged. Now most children grow up with some kind of exposure to technology. Video games, computers, and cell phones are what children play with now. Instead of fighting these things in schools, we need to embrace it. Teachers have always been told to use student interest to teach. Now student interest is in technology so we need to implement it as many ways as we can.

I could use these new Web 2.0 tools to engage our “digital learners” in many ways. Computers can be used for research and word processing. My students can find information online and publish their research. Also, activities on the Promethean board are like video games where the students can manipulate objects and write things. I could use blogs with my first graders as well to keep a journal or respond to books. There are so many ways to incorporate Web 2.0 tools that I am still learning about myself. It is important that I learn what is available and how to use it so I can expose my students to what is available.

I want to use Web 2.0 tools because I want my students to learn and love learning. Students can learn the content no matter how you teach it. Using Web 2.0 tools will make learning the content more fun. When students enjoy what they are doing in school they look forward to coming and school becomes a positive experience.

Check out my post on my Whiteboard (password=student)

Thing #1

Accepting responsibility for my own learning will be the most challenging habit for me during this course. I am very bad about procrastinating. I need to stay on top of things and be proactive in order to not have the work pile up on me. In order to keep up with the timeline I need to be responsible for taking the time to work ahead of time. I usually blame my procrastinating on being busy, but really it is that I do not take the time to work when I should.

It will be easiest to use technology to my advantage because that is what this course is all about. The reason I am taking this staff development is because technology has become a major part of life. Being able to use the technology to my advantage is my goal. I want to know what technology is available so I can use it and implement it into my classroom.

The most important habit as I work through the course will be viewing problems as challenges. I am sure that as I work through the 23 things I will encounter some technical difficulties. My first reaction will be to get frustrated but I need to stay patient and work through the problem. There are many resources on the web and friends to help if I have any issues. When I solve the problem, I will be more knowledgeable about the topic and become a resource to help others.