Reflection 3

I began this class hoping to learn more about blogs and how to use them in a classroom. Blogs were just the icing on the cake of the class. Wiki’s, Delicious, podcasts and the future of technology in our world are the filling. I think that a classroom blog that the kids put together with podcasts of the work they are doing as well as the direction of the course would be beneficial for teachers, students and parents. School 2.0 is hopefully in the near future because technology is here to stay and we all need to keep up with it or be left behind. I anticipate using my blog and delicious account more effectively in the future after my son’s senior year. I enjoyed the class but think that I spend more then thirty hours working on it.

Web 2.0 World

This looks like the ideal school setting that would engage every student. It all looked great but there were a few things that I thought should definitely be kept such as the frog dissections. Virtual dissections would probably save money as well as be extremely interesting as well as informative to watch without the formaldehyde smell. The online access to grades and permission slips would make life easier for both parents and teachers. The computer classes for students and parents that was presented would open doors for some parents who don’t have access to the technology. One of the obstacles would be getting everyone on board with the program, community, parents, teachers and students.

Thoughts on Dr. Zhoa's podcast

What struck me most about Dr. Zhao’s podcast was the point he made that the United States is so far behind other countries. He compared our education system to a communist government. Schools definitely need to integrate technology more into the classroom. Dr. Zhao’s idea of visiting schools in other cultures is a great one. Financially districts probably can’t afford to physically send teachers to schools in other countries but with today’s technology there has to be another way. I wonder if it would be possible to visit other classrooms through the use of webcams. I know kids are very into the virtual world and if it were to be part of a class curriculum students would become more engaged. Another way to engage and motivate students I thought was on-line courses for high school students. I would be interested to see how Michigan uses those on-line course

Lesson 9 Collaborative Project

Kevin Honeycutt is a very engaging speaker to listen to, probably even more so to see as well. I think that podcasts are very useful they are missing something for the visual learner. He brought up a good point in how are kids “wired” today. I am not sure we as adults can fully understand. I am not sure with his statement that we should “expect them to make bad decisions” is one I can agree with. Should we expect them to make bad decisions so we won’t be upset or disappointed? I can understand a 4 year old making a bad decision but not a 15 year old. Even if the 15 year old has had no exposure at home as to how to make good decisions they have certainly been taught in school.

As far as a lesson to collaborate on I agree that the kids today are very tech savvy and they could probably teach me. I think it would be interesting to see what they would come up with. Not being a classroom teacher I am having a hard time coming up with a particular project. I know that in English I see students struggle with theme when they read novels. In the 9th and 10th grade literature there are universal themes. I think it would be interesting to explore theme in a collaborative way. They could work as a team to explore theme and find facts to support it. It would be interesting to see if students from other countries would find the same universal themes as we do.

Lesson 8 Time for Reflection 2

I could get lost in the technology we have available to us today. The Wiki's and the Delicious accounts are very useful and interesting sites. The wiki could be a fun way to get the class or multiple classes involved in a project. The Delicious site looks like an excellent way to network and collaborate with other professionals. For me personally the blog is probably my tool of choice. As a Teaching Assistant I am not involved in much planning with classroom teachers. I may be in four or more different content areas in one day so to help plan for those classes is just not feasible.
A blog would be a way for me to connect with friends and family that live out of state. I could add my delicious link to my blog for them to explore.
If I was responsible for creating lessons and finding engaging activities for students I think that the Delicious account would be most beneficial because like Lori has stated "the collective knowledge of many is equal to so much more than the single knowledge of one."

Wikis in Education

Websites and Blogs can contain useful information from one author. Generally a blog is biased because it's that one person's ideas and thoughts. Although it can be functional in a classroom. A wiki on the other hand can have many authors and could be used as a project assignment that involves group work.. This could not only be used for one classroom but for several classes and or schools to collaborate on. It could also be expanded on from year to year.

Free Online Video Resources

These video sharing sites provide quite a range of information and resources. There is so many resources available, these sites help sort it out for the busy teacher.
The ideas behind Next Vista are admirable; the free online library is a great concept. The site was easy to navigate but unless I missed something it seems quite limited. I did find some information pertinent to a project one of my summer school kids is working on. I am working with 7th and 8th grade students and the video on communism would be a great resource for their research.
TeacherTube has a multitude of great videos. Navigating the sight was easy enough. It would however be helpful if they were broken up into categories according to subject and grade level. Back to my summer school class, we have a student who is reluctant to participate in some of our activities and these videos might engage him. I think I will try teacher tube when we have the computer lab tomorrow, I’ll let you know how it goes.
I am not a big fan of YouTube only because there are so many inappropriate videos on it and it takes me forever to find the videos that apply to the subject I am working on. There are however pertinent videos and I have seen them used in a global and science classroom setting.
Clipblast is another good site which has videos categorized well and is easily navigable. The best part about Clipblast is that it has videos from the other sites just easier to find. Clipblast would be a great way to find current events and a given topic. The one annoying glitch is that you have to watch commercials before your clips, but they are free.
My two favorite sites are Clipblast and TeacherTube.

Lesson 4 Reflection

Some co-workers took the blogging class that was offered in the spring and found it challenging. I have been curious about blogging for awhile. So as soon as I saw this blogging class offered I knew I wanted to take it. Blogging seems like an on-line diary that can be a window into you as a person as well as into your classroom. The internet offers so much information that it can seem overwhelming at times, but it is here to stay and the more we use it in the classroom the more engaged the students will be, because they are intrigued with technology. Blogging can be used in the classroom in various ways. In a resource room blogging may be used so the students and parents can connect with the teacher and other classmates. Assignments would be accessible as well as questions answered not only from the teacher but by the students. I am anxious to learn more about blogs.

Hi, Welcome to my Blog

This is my first time blogging for a summer class but I hope to continue after the class is done.