Setting up the Delicious Account was very easy. All I did was find some suitable websites for my classroom content. I copied and pasted them to the account. I like this added feature for my blog. I think my viewers would benefit from this, it will be another resource they could use.
Tagging would be useful way to organize resources for your community of viewers. In a school setting, this would give them information they would need for content in the classroom. I like the idea of tagging them with keywords for a topic search. I’m sure this added resources for students and parents would be helpful in gaining more success on content expectations from class, that they may need more clarification on. The only glitch would be to make sure your tags are correct and that the key words categorize information correctly. I’m excited to give this a try.
I don’t mind posting comments. However, I probably tend not to leave long comments. I seem to be very blunt and to the point. Just like my personality I guess. I’m not long winded about anything really. 
I can see how this tool of leaving comments is a way of communication and a way to build on ideas people have about different topics. When I received my first comment it didn’t even make sense. I know it wasn’t any of my classmates for sure because I think it was written in German? So that made me a little confused about who could leave replies. Going through the comments and only posting appropriate comments would be imperative. Otherwise that would be a reflection of me that I wouldn’t want.
A community on line would be important because it would be informative to the viewers. People could contribute to a discussion and give ideas or personal beliefs on a topic. Basically, we can learn from each other as teachers, students, and community.
I was a part of Facebook for a while. However, I took myself off the online community. I honestly couldn’t stand it. It felt like it was a job to let people know what I was up to. It did bring people I haven’t seen since high school and college, but I felt like I was being stalked in a way. It made me feel uncomfortable to know that so many people knew everything about me and what I was doing on a daily basis. I feel technology can replace the face to face community in a negative way too. Nope…It wasn’t for me at all.
The History of Europe This presentation that is on Google Docs can be another tool for educators to collaborate ideas on content. It could also be used to brainstorm ideas by adding to teachers thoughts on documents, presentations, or spreadsheets. I can see how this might be a good tool for students as well, as a way to brainstorm issues for class, etc. The issue again would be that not all students may have access to the Internet at home, so using it during class would be more of an advantage. And, the availability of technology labs would determine the usage. Schools would need to open up more labs to use this tool the way it is intended to be.
Google Maps could be very useful for my subject area. Teaching Geography, students could get a closer look at areas around the world. The maps seemed accurate and the area of concern would be that anyone in the world could probably find you. Which could be scary in the world we live in. I found it fun to explore however.
This is a picture of my daughter Joelle and her new puppy. She was so excited when we took her home for her birthday. This is just an example of how much she loves animals.
This link www.whitehouse.gov is very educational and useful in my subject area. I’m sure it would be a good site for anyone who would want to keep up on current events.
Thing 3 was easy for me because I am not new to blogging. So I’m going to attempt the Extension Activity.
History is Elementary historyiselementary.blogspot.com
The KinderKids’ Classroom blog.php?blogger_id=51141
These two blogs stood out to me because they had many visual items to attract the reader. They also had many educational links that would be helpful to the user. I also found it great to involve the students in class in blogging instead of using the blog as just an informational piece. Students would write reflections on the blogs from class experiences and/or questions concerning content in the classroom.
Some new ideas I would like to incorporate on my blog would be sharing work done in class. For example, taking a picture of a project and posting it on the blog for all to see. I would like to use more video clips and possibily slide shows using flicker so students can experience places they have never seen before, or may never see. Washington D.C. for example would make social studies come alive in the classroom.
A blog is short for weblog. A blog is generally used for journal-like postings, or thoughts on a website for others to review or respond to. For schools, blogs are more about communicating and learning content from class in a different way. It also generates dialogue between students, and helps them develop critical thinking skills through responding to thought provoking questions from their teachers. I’m leery about the student blogs. Wondering how that would work with middle school students. I’m not sure if they are mature enough to handle what goes into that? However, to me, the teacher blogs would be the most beneficial for students. Blogging for students gives them a voice, creates more excitement for writing, engages students in communication and learning, and empowers students to grow in writing skills.
Using technology can improve teaching and learning in many ways. One way would be through Podcasts. Podcasts present auditory content to students in a way to help them make connections to learning, or as a way to reteach what was taught in class. Blogs can also help students. A blog is like a journal of notes from teachers about what took place during the week(s )of learning. Blogs can also be a way for students to communicate and use critical thinking skills. The interaction between students can engage students working with content. Technology can be good for educators and district leaders too. Librarians can use teacher blogs by giving technological support. They can help by giving teachers resources and strategies related to what they are teaching. This communication is a type of collaboration that would improve not only student learning, but also develop a district improvement plan, and improve the communication between parents, educators, district leaders and other parts of the community and country. Teachers of today need to pay attention to the digital learners. That means, engaging current students through technology. The use of the internet, webcams, podcasts etc. are just a few ways you can involve technology in the classroom. Currently I am using technology through video clips. Students have improved there learning in the content area because of these. I also use a blog. Students can find information regarding weekly agenda’s, practice tests, games etc. I get the most compliments from parents on my blog, they seem to appreciate the communication of what is expected by students in the 7th grade social studies content area. I plan to use more technology in the classroom. It is inevitable, technology is not going away, so we need to adjust to the times.
