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.