Week 5-CEDO 535 Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts

This week we looked at how social networking sites can be used in the classroom. I have to say that before reading the classroom text, I was adamantly opposed to "connecting" with my students via any of these methods. My fear was exposing them to online dangers and not being able to monitor and protect them. However, I have softened this viewpoint some.

What I have learned is that there ways to secure and protect the interactions I have with my students using networks like Facebook. I also learned more about the use of Ning as an alternative to Facebook. Being able to create layers to the Facebook account created for classroom use is an attractive option. Ning, however, would give me more control over who can actually participate and how much they participate. Will I use it for my classroom? I am not sure. I already have plans for the Google class page and to expand the use of my virtual classroom on Moodle.

It would be interesting to create a Facebook site for the staff at our building and see how many of the staff would use it and participate in using it. I would this as a way encouraging them to expand and be creative in their embracing social networking as part of their personal learning.

Week 4 CEDo 535 Blogs, Wikis and Podcast

At the end of the day in school buildings across the world, teachers will gather together to debrief each other and share news of the days successes or challenges. They will plan, share ideas and collaborate on projects with a passion that emulates that of students on their way to a field trip. This is the scene in education world 19--. Fast forward to the year 20-- and the same scene plays out on the world wide web and social webbing is the forum.

The Social Web is a way for me to be connected in what seems to be an infinite way to others who share the same or at least similar interests as me. Twitter, Face book and some of the other social networking sites as something purely recreational. I viewed Google as only a tool for searching for information. Now, I can see how using these tools can help me connect to other educators or those who help educators to get ideas for what I carry out in my classroom. An example of this would be asking others if they have resources they could share for the new instructional design being implemented by my school district. Another example of this would be getting updates or providing updates for news that directly impacts our profession.

What really excited me is the new uses I am learning about for Google. Before using Google Docs in this program, I had no idea that Google would allow others to work together simultaneously on projects. The most recent discovery for me is the ability to create a classroom page to update parents and students about the news in our classroom. How will I use what I have learned? I am still counting the ways... but first I will use it as a resource for parents and students. My hope is that my colleagues will join me.

Week 3 CEDo 535 - Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts

Well, it has been a while since my last post and the time has been a whirl wind of activities. As I reflected on the tools we have learned about and discussed for this week, I wondered how they would really fit into the new curriculum and instructional design our district is currently implementing. I was hurried through what should have been possibly a week's worth of professional development in one day, then hurried to make adjustments to a new model of instruction and new textbook adoption at the same (did I mention it was only a few days before my new class arrived ready to learn and expecting me to be ready to teach?) This was hardly how I expected my new school year to begin, but like most educators, I had to do everything possible to be ready.

I survived the attack by PowerPoint with only a few injuries and bruises from the infinite amount of bullet points marking paragraphs of statistics and graphs I could barely read. I survived to find that this new textbook adoption supports the very ideologies we have been discussing in our program. To my delight, one of the teacher resources even mentions having students blog as a method of active engagement and fostering communication and collaboration between teacher, student and parents. I love that!

As I worked through this weeks assignments, I was able to make connections with the video Education 2050, as it discussed the ways the current system of education must change to support the new generations of learners. I could really identify with the concept of teachers "unlearning" what we have been doing for decades because most of my struggles to get ready for my new class of seventh and eighth graders came from my having to retrain myself on how to instruct while differentiating instruction.

The other tool which we learned about was Google sites for educators and the possiblities (also check this out). I was very impressed with the testimonials and case studies I reviewed about the successes in the elementary school setting. As the school year progresses and I find my new rhythm in my new modernized classroom, I do plan on sharing Google products with my co-workers, students and their parents. It is my hope that I can use these tools to help foster a great learning environment for my students, bridge the achievement gaps they are caught in and keep them motivated and as excited about learning as I am about teaching.