My Learning Experience

So far this semester, the most valuable thing I have learned is about blogging. I had not used it with my students but have found blogs a useful tool when doing research for myself. As I have stated before, I looked at many blogs that had to do with lesson planning, trying to find better ways to teach an old concept. I have found many clever, creative ideas from teachers all over the world. Also, our school has used blogs to promote writing enjoyment during 5^th grade reading book clubs. After doing a little more digging into this area, I find that these web 2.0 tools are more popular than I had expected, especially in the K-5 classroom. I definitely plan to incorporate the use of blogs with the students on my special education case load. In my searches, I have found two interesting blog sites regarding reading and writing. I found these sites to be a useful place for students. The Kid’s blog through the National Geographic website has to do with reading. It gives students the opportunity to share books they would recommend to their peers. This naturally lends itself to working on writing summaries. Other students have the opportunity to learn what books interest others and promotes reading motivation. The second site is about learning to use blogging to increase writing skills and motivate students to become better writers. It allows students to have their peers edit their writing. As I read some of the blog entries from the students, it was clear that this form of communication was clearly motivating for young writers. My research paper is about how incorporating technology into the curriculum can motivate students in the area of writing. I will definitely use these blogging sites as a point of reference in my paper! I would have added some more interesting sites but I was truly spending too much time exploring! I hope you find these and other sites interesting and convinces you to incorporate these tools into your teaching as well!

http://kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/dogeared/

http://itc.blogs.com/thewriteweblog/2004/11/who_says_elemen.html

Cindy

Reflection: Pros & Cons

PROS: Blog usage from an educators standpoint can be used across the curriculum. Blogs provide a digital portfolio; facilitates collaborative writing; site for group organization and discussion; generate and document classroom content, activities, and reflection; instant publication for review and immediate feedback; sharing and construction of new knowledge; provide open communication that guide learners to a deeper understanding of the topic and allows bloggers to take ownership for their constructing knowledge.

CONS: Many Web 2.0 technologies are free but because of school district intiated filter, internent tools and resources can lose educational value when they are not classroom accessible (Ash, 2008). Other challenges teachers and students encounter when teaching and learning with technology include: saftey issues such as online predators, web-based bullying, and inappropriate content; restrictions on social networking and social software; online privacy and copyright infringement; lack of professional development opportunities (Christopher et al., 2009 p.84).


Isabel

Blogging : A Personal Reflection

I have had absolutely no experience setting up or using a blog. I have learned and have enjoyed learning more about blogging through this blogging exercise. In addtion, I have learned to explore and participate in various blogs that share may interests. Ihave learned that "the " moment-to-moment" publishing aspect of blogging has attracted many to this medium. In addition, the availability and simplicity of freee, ad supported, and open source blogging software has enabled huge development in the number of blogs posted on the internet (Simsek, 2009, p.32)". This computer mediated communicatios tool has captured the attention of the nation wih articles about blogging appearing in The New York Times (Selingo, 2004), The Washington Post (Kinzie, 2005, Walker, 2004). According to Zawilinski, a blog "...is an easily editable webpage with posts or entries organized in reverse chronolgical order. Many different formats for blogs are emerging (Morstensen, 2008), and the features that are used depend on both the blogger and the tools provided by the blog host (Zawilinski, 2009, p.650)". Classroom News Blogs are used to share information and news students and parents. Mirror Blogs allow bloggers to reflect on their thinking. Showcase Blogs are used to post student art projects, podcasts (audio clips), and writing. Literature Response Blogs are common in elementary classrooms.

Institutions are also supporting the use of weblogs as a tool for sharing information about the instructional uses of the technology. Blogging sites like Edublogger, http://www.edublogger.org, and Word Press, http://www.wordpress.com "...give teachers and students opportunities to generate and document classroom content, activities, experiences, and reflections. According to Wang et al. (2008), blogs provide instant Internet publication and encourage interaction between the writer(s) and readers.

I think that blogs facilitate continuity in the learnng and sharing process between the reader and the writer. It is a great medium for collaboration and reflection.

Isabel

How Blogging can be applied to Business Education

Blogging is a fun experience by which students can learn to use the computer and web-based tools to improve their learning. While students write blogs for educational purposes, such as for practicing communication skills, they should also be concerned with about their intended audience. Depending on the type of assignment there may also be the need to make certain that the content is beneficial, meaningful, and free of typing and grammatical errors. These are important features of all business documents which the students of a Business Education class will be required to develop eventually. For instance, in presenting business proposals, the students will be required to construct business letters which will demand the utilization of dynamic and concise use of words to explain and put forward their ideas to other business entities. It is also essential that the students learn to form and maintain connection in the expression of their thoughts and use business related terms appropriately, in clear and definite terms to persuade their intended business partners. All these qualities and communication skills can be vastly developed by actively involving students in rigorous practice through the use of blogging in the Business Education classroom.

In the Business Education classroom, blogs can be used to conveniently to present sections of business documents, such as letters and informal reports, prepared by the students. The preparation and display of the real documents creates a lasting impression in the students mind, allowing them to better appreciate the concepts being taught. A viewing of the actual documents to be used in a class assignment can be shared with the students before they attend class by way of blogs. If Internet is not available for the classroom session, the students may print copies of the document before class and have it available for the class session. This gives students a sense of involvement in the class activities beforehand and reduces the need for the teacher to make numerous copies for the class.

Student to student and student to teacher communication can be conveniently extended beyond the walls of the classroom as teacher and students share blogs. This web-based communication method can also permit the sharing of information and ideas to improve both writing and thinking skills while being freed from structured syntax rules. Students are can be allowed the chance to use the writing format they can comfortably manage to express themselves in various topic of discussion. Due to the fact that blogs can incorporate videos, text, images and audio information, they can be creatively used to present the views and thoughts of its users with others. A practical aspect of blogging in the classroom could include having students publishing their daily work.

Teachers from different locations or schools can share lessons and class activities using blogs. This collaboration could be used to make more resources available to each teacher and hence, to the students. Parents can also be included in the class blogs to share comments and posts that may be very essential in helping the student to learn more. Many parents, professionals and others could provide such great reservoir of information and focus on real world application of lessons being taught. Teachers can provide quick feedback on assignment done and post necessary information for parents and students. Teachers can put up a blog post on a specific issue and invite students to contribute comments on the issue. Since comments can be adjusted repeatedly before posting, this makes it a simple and safe way to blog.

Rules for Blogging

Clearly, blogging can be a beneficial tool for our students/teachers/parents. However, it is important to have rules to follow when setting up and monitoring a blog.

1.) Begin simply. It can be overwhelming to try to do too many things at once. A lot of classroom blogs in the classroom began with the instructor using blogs to post class information such as lists of readings and assignment deadlines. Using a blog for something as simple as this gives teachers a chance to become familiar with the technology and gets students into the habit of regularly checking the online resource.

2.) Lead by example. Starting a blog and having students regularly check a blog will take time. Before requiring students to blog, teachers should lead by example, creating their own blogs and adding links to interesting resources and reflecting on class topics and discussion. This produces a useful source of additional information for students, and it creates a pattern and sets expectations for when students begin their own blogging.

3.) Read. Before we began our blog, we browsed through educational blogs and discussed what we liked and what we didn't. Before having students begin their blogging career, have them read other blogs. This can help demonstrate how other people use blogs to support learning and it also helps with critical thinking and reading skills. Besides posting a new entry, it is important for students to see how they should appropriately respond to blog posts. Depending on the type blog set up in your class, responding can be just as important as creating blog posts.

4.) Create a context. Some students have no problem free writing, but some students struggle without a prompt. Give students something specific to write about, at least in the beginning. Have students blog about a current issue, about a specific piece of writing, or some question that comes up in the course.

5.) Encourage interaction. Encourage students to read each others posts and to comment on them. Teachers should also offer comments, again setting an example of the expected practice.

6.) Address issues immediately. The most significant danger to students online is posed by other students. In particular, bullying is a significant problem. It is important to spot instances of bullying as soon as they occur and to take steps to prevent further incidents. Teachers should be monitoring blogs to make sure issues of bullying are not occurring.

Using Blogging to Integrate Technology In Your Classroom

I was doing some more research today about blogging and how it can be used in the classroom. I found some great links and a very interesting article. The links provide examples of different ways that blogs can be used while in class. The article discusses how blogs can be used to help communicate with parents and keep the up to date with what is going on in the classroom.

www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial037print.shtml

http://futureofmath.misterteacher.com/blogs2.html

www.adrianbruce.com/blogging/blogging.htm

www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/weblogs/

www.sptimes.com/2005/08/09/Tampabay/Blogging_classroom_co.shtml

KEY PERSONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE

The key things learned during this course so far has been the many resources available to students and teachers and how to become a effective technology advocate for the students. Knowing what is available in the form of technology is so important and then being able to convey that information to school district that you teach in is equally important. Most of which is learned from classmates that are currently teaching. During the conference discussion I have gained a host of valuable information. Most of which is based on their experience in the classrooms. My only experience in the classroom has been through volunteer work and some class assignments. Not being able to have first hand knowledge puts me at a disadvantage in some of the conference discussions. Most of the knowledge that I lend to that forum is from the assigned readings and any extra research I do.

Despite the fact that I am not currently teaching I feel as though this class has given me so far a sense of direction as I make choices about my future as a teacher. I have a great desire to be a good teacher and if that is to happen I will need all of what I have learned here in this class. The variety of operating systems available in schools are overwhelming and this class has enabled me the knowledge to choose what would be effective for my class. Getting to know my students seems like common sense practices but it seems easy to just follow along with what the school has in place. Being an advocate for student learning encourage you to research what your class is in need of and choosing the right technology resources is vital to student success.

As it relates to the blogging I am sold, it is important however to pick the correct posting procedures so that it won't be a drag to the students. Making sure students understand what is expected on them during the blogging experience is also important. Choosing a topic of interest and assigning time frames in which each student must post keeps things organized. The parent participation in this process is also a plus, all of the class information can be provided on a blog. This way parents can always know what their child is doing in the class.

Also I have enjoyed working in group, there is a lot of questions that can be answered by a classmate. Sometimes they are in need of the same information which lets you know you are not the only one confused on a topic. So far in this course I have learned some basic components of the computer system that I did not know. The importance of computer security and the importance of making parents and students aware. Gaining a new level of learning of the functions and capabilities of software tools. All of which will make me a better teacher in the future.

Blogging as a Tool for Reflection and Learning

When researching more information about blogs and how they can be used as learning tools, I found this great video lecture (approx. 15 minutes) www.virclass.net/eped/index.php?action=static&id=29

The video discusses some best practices used for teaching blogging, which the speaker describes in detail. In her experience in teaching blogging, she has found that the best way to teach blogging is to first model it to your students and have discussions on what makes a good blog. She also said that she has had most of her success using blogging in the classroom instead of leaving it as an open ended assignement outside of the classroom. Her suggestions for using it in the class include:

-Using the last ten minutes of class to write/post about the most important thing you learned
- Google a new term being used/learned and post a link to the best definition you can find
- Read another students post and comment on it
- Write a post discussion another students post

She discusses how these blogging assignments foster networking with in the class and help students with thier individual writing skills.

Overall, I found the video to be quite good and feel that it is worth taking a look at.

Stacy

Pros and Cons of Blogging

So far, I see that there are may pros to using blogs. However, I find that I have so little time (teaching full time and part time after school, taking 2 graduate classes, trying to keep up with house work and make time for my husband and dog, and to top it off I am in my third trimester of my first pregnancy which makes me feel exhausted all the time) to devote to keeping a blog and writing somehting actually valuable that someone else would feel the need to read.

Since we have been researching blogs and sharin ghtem with each other in class, I have found that keeping a blog means tha tyou really have to have something important to say. You have to be able to write something that will resonate with others or reach others on a personal level, in order to have an audience. I believe that maintaining a blog about your profession is a great way to communicate with others, vent about work issues, and just to share important information that will be useful to others in you field. You can create relationships through blogs and find others that support you in times of need or when you may want advice about a particular situation. You can also reach a large group of people through blogging.

With that said, there are also some cons to blogging. As I mentioned before, a blog can be completely ineffective if the author does a bad job of updating it or just does not have anything great to say. For that reason, it may be difficult to find a blog that can be used as a valuable tool. Furthermore, if you are not good at updating your blog, chances are you are going to lose readers.

Overall, I believe that a blog takes a lot of time and effort to keep up. If I were to create one, I would probably start by making one that is personal, for friends and family, to update them about whats going on and share pictures, rather than to create one that is professional because I know that I do not have the time right now to keep up with one as much as I would like to for that purpose. For a blog that is "just for fun" I think it takes a little pressure off of trying to post each day or week and is more for just a social tool and to keep in touch.

Getting to Know Your Students

Before deciding what software to integrate into the curriculum, a teacher must really get to know the students as individuals in the classroom. What works for one student may not be the right software for another. Some students may need help with organization before they can write. They may benefit from a software program such as Kidspiration. Others may have a difficult time writing because they get bogged down in being able to spell words correctly or aren't able to type fast enough to avoid frustration. They may need a word prediction software such as Word Q. Perhaps they would benefit from both. Some students have difficulty even getting started on the writing assignment.

Perhaps these students would benefit from being able to dictate their story to a program such as Audacity. This program will record their voice and students can go back and listen to what they have created and do some self-editing. When the right software is being utilized for individual students and they are able to use it consistently, then these students who previously were unable to do anything on their own, become independent workers and your class becomes easier to manage. Evaluating the right software is critical to being effective software to enhance learning and teaching. Know your students' needs and what's available to you as technological resources. That's the first step in fitting your students with the most beneficial software or hardware.
Cindy

Blogging for Tips

For some reason, Cindy is not able to post to our blog. I will be posting for her.

I have not had a lot of experience with blogging but have realized the benefits of blogs. In my time as a teacher, I have relied upon technology to help me solve many problems. Whenever I have had issues with lesson plans, behavior, class management, or motivation, I have gone to the computer to do some research. Lots of those times, I have ended up in the middle of a blog where others have been having similar problems as I have. I have come away with new and creative ideas to teach an old concept, new plans to tackle a behavior problem, or fresh ideas to try and motivate my students to learn. We often become bogged down in our set ways and our teaching can become stale and lack the passion needed to stimulate our kids. There a lots of creative people out there with wonderful ideas that I had never thought of. I was delighted that they had decided to share with others.

Another way I have seen blogging benefit our students was through writing about their reading. The reading specialist and principal had created book clubs for 5th grade boys and girls that occurred after school and at lunch. These kids started to blog about what they had read and suddenly became more motivated about reading and writing. It was fascinating to see the growth in writing through the use of blogs.

Cindy

Using a Blog to Release Stress

After reading some of the different educational blogs that were provided in a previous conference area, I realized how helpful a blog must be to release some stress. Teaching is FULL of new stories every day, some funny and some stressful. With the stressful stories, it is helpful to share the story with someone else. Posting it to a blog is just as helpful as sharing it with a friend/family member. With posting it to a blog, it is likely that other teachers will respond with either feedback or a similar story. Just having someone else respond can be a great way to release the stress that teachers build up on a daily basis. It is also a good way to get others to share strategies for how to deal with certain somewhat stressful situations. Teachers all have a box of tricks that they use to manage difficult students and it is great that most teachers are willing to share. As great as blogging is for releasing the stress of a hard day, it is also a great way to share the funny stories to give others a good laugh. After reading some of the educational blogs that were shared, I am looking forward to visiting them on a regular basis.