This “Thing” took me a while to figure out! I had to default to asking my teenage children to help me add a link to my post. It was also good practice to be required to add five links to the blogroll – maybe I won’t forget. I have found that it is a fun and worthwhile task to complete.

A friend of mine recommended the following website called Thinkfinity for lesson plan ideas.  This website has been very helpful in my job of continually finding resources for the teaching staff I support. I found the site very easy to use and is loaded with valuable and pertinent information.  I especially like the feature to search by topic area within a content.  Not only does the site provide a variety of lesson plans, it also references the GLCE’s for the course being taught and also gives cross curricular connections.

I wonder if I can still do this trick?

I wish I could snowboard, I think!  My son and daughter spend a significant amount of time at the Ski Bowl in Grand Haven during the winter months. How refreshing it is to see them enjoy the cold outdoors of Michigan winters instead of hybernating on the couch watching useless TV.   So, basically, I live out my desire of snowboarding by watching and listening and looking at film of teenagers that actually have the priviledge of enjoying this awesome sport!

I enjoyed viewing the following blog.  “What’s happening in Room ” as I thought it was very pleasant to look at and informative to the reader.  As a parent of a student in this classroom, I would feel like I was a part of the classroom.

I also enjoyed “Mrs. Buboltz’s Blog” as she was has a very organized presentation of her classroom.  The blog was easy to navigate and made sense to me as the reader.  I also felt she assigned worthwhile tasks for her students.  It is important the students read and then review books.

These blogs gave me ways to effectively communicate to parents and the teaching staff information and happenings in the school.  I would also like to incorporate after school programming information and student success stories for the week.

What a great way to get feedback from your students.  So often a teacher has to deal with the paper shuffle or the difficulty a child may have communicating using paper and pencil that our ability to assess a student is hindered.  While the art of formally writing can not be dismissed, blogs allows for the much needed communication that needs to occur between the student and teacher.  I appreciated the comment and have experienced first hand learning while teaching a concept as well.  I also value the idea that blogging allows the students to have a voice.  The students who still want or need to be heard in a classroom will still continue while those who are more comfortable communicating via blogging will be added.  I am hoping this generation of children begin to realize how powerful they can be, by recording, sharing, and reflecting on their own thoughts.

There were several comments that made sense to me as I read the article by David Warlick and watched the video.  First of all, I can not help but realize how powerful learning and teaching could be if we taught how students live, using their technology.  What do we do about not knowing how to use this technology?  How about the need for technology in the schools?  These stumbling blocks continue to be bumps in the road.  As an administrator, I constantly encourage teachers to use this technology but sometimes cannot support them financially, frustrating.

Entering into this class I asked several people what the purpose of a blog could serve for a person in my role.  I did gain a clearer picture of how I can use this blog in my work after reading and listening.  First of all, I have been attempting to communicate to all staff members in the building the teachings going on in the other subject areas.  The idea presented in the article is a great solution to my dilemma.  I could now see posting a daily blog that includes what content areas are being covered would be useful.  Part of my job is to facilitate the International Baccalaureate program in the building which requires cross curricular instruction and also creating a real meaning for learning.  The technology suggested in this article will help me out a great deal.  It is a shame that as students enter the education arena, their schools, they need to mentally “power down” in their efforts to learn.  Hopefully, school districts will be equipped with the technology and those able to teach the technology in the near future and get us up to date to prepare our students for their future.