As we begin to form our PLNs in class, and start to subscribe to blogs and other pages with RSS feeds, I found the Google Reader Aggregator to be really easy to use. I have subscribed to RSS feeds before, but never really had a reader that I liked, and I never ended up following any feeds for very long. What I like about the Google Reader is that, as we are using Blogger blogs in class, and many of the blogs I found to follow are also on Blogger, these automatically showed up in my Google Reader. In addition, Google Reader recognized some of the other sites I had been to recently that had an RSS feed, and listed them as suggestions.
As the instructional video on RSS feeds told us, an aggregator brings the news and updates to us in one step, without us having to go visit all of our classmates' blogs and our PLN blogs individually. Can't beat that!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
How should we use blogs?
The uses for blogs in LMS, teaching, and learning seem to be many and varied, from superficial informational posts, to more complex creations involving links, pictures, critical thinking skills, and more. Blogs are commonly thought about as "Look at Me!" creations on the internet, where people partake in a one-way street to share about themselves. However, when used for educational purposes, blogs can become a two-way street in which discussions and learning are present.
A basic use for teachers and LMS that I see for blogs is information sharing. Teachers can post assignments, classroom happenings, changes, or general announcements for parents and students to see and keep up to date. LMS can do the same with library happenings, new materials and resources, etc. This allows students and parents the chance to check on what they need to do, and stay connected, even when they are not in the classroom. It would be a useful way to share information about the day with students who are absent, and would not require all the extra technology skills that might go along with maintaining a full class website to share this information.
Moving from this one-way communication to two-way communication is where we help our students to develop their 21st century skills and higher level thinking abilities. A teacher can post a question prompt on a blog, and either have students respond as comments to the teacher blog, or in their own blogs. Personally, I see comments in a teacher blog lending themselves to shorter answers, with personal student blogs being more useful with "essay" type answers.
Having the students respond online gives them the time to process and reflect on their answers before sharing. This processing and reflection allows them to fully form their thoughts before sharing, which is not always possible with oral responses in class. Class time can also limit how many students are able to share on certain days. Blogs give the chance for all students to respond. It also allows them to analyze different points of their argument, think about the point that they are trying to make, and how best to make that point. Once they have shared their post, interaction and discussion with other students' posts will help them to ask questions, agree and disagree with different viewpoints, work to support their opinion, and create new opinions.
One of our readings this week discussed 21st century skills and the idea of students becoming a part of a democratic society. Last semester we read "Democratic Education" by Gutmann. Though it is a small step in the larger process, if blogs are used as a means of discussion, sharing, and learning, instead of just talking about oneself, this web 2.0 tool can be a way for students to share, learn, question, and form opinions. In a democratic society and learning environment, we do not have to agree with everyone else's opinions, but they are allowed to have them and share them, which is exactly what blogs are meant to facilitate. Exposure to new ideas is what helps us to shape, modify, and strengthen our own ideas.
Whether it be information sharing, responding to critical thinking questions, having discussions, or posting short question responses that practice grammar, vocabulary, or basic ideas, blogs are a tool that could prove very useful in a classroom. They seem to me to be a tool that would catch a student's attention and keep them engaged, and any time we, as educators, can pair student engagement and excitement with learning, the outcome will be more successful.
A basic use for teachers and LMS that I see for blogs is information sharing. Teachers can post assignments, classroom happenings, changes, or general announcements for parents and students to see and keep up to date. LMS can do the same with library happenings, new materials and resources, etc. This allows students and parents the chance to check on what they need to do, and stay connected, even when they are not in the classroom. It would be a useful way to share information about the day with students who are absent, and would not require all the extra technology skills that might go along with maintaining a full class website to share this information.
Moving from this one-way communication to two-way communication is where we help our students to develop their 21st century skills and higher level thinking abilities. A teacher can post a question prompt on a blog, and either have students respond as comments to the teacher blog, or in their own blogs. Personally, I see comments in a teacher blog lending themselves to shorter answers, with personal student blogs being more useful with "essay" type answers.
Having the students respond online gives them the time to process and reflect on their answers before sharing. This processing and reflection allows them to fully form their thoughts before sharing, which is not always possible with oral responses in class. Class time can also limit how many students are able to share on certain days. Blogs give the chance for all students to respond. It also allows them to analyze different points of their argument, think about the point that they are trying to make, and how best to make that point. Once they have shared their post, interaction and discussion with other students' posts will help them to ask questions, agree and disagree with different viewpoints, work to support their opinion, and create new opinions.
One of our readings this week discussed 21st century skills and the idea of students becoming a part of a democratic society. Last semester we read "Democratic Education" by Gutmann. Though it is a small step in the larger process, if blogs are used as a means of discussion, sharing, and learning, instead of just talking about oneself, this web 2.0 tool can be a way for students to share, learn, question, and form opinions. In a democratic society and learning environment, we do not have to agree with everyone else's opinions, but they are allowed to have them and share them, which is exactly what blogs are meant to facilitate. Exposure to new ideas is what helps us to shape, modify, and strengthen our own ideas.
Whether it be information sharing, responding to critical thinking questions, having discussions, or posting short question responses that practice grammar, vocabulary, or basic ideas, blogs are a tool that could prove very useful in a classroom. They seem to me to be a tool that would catch a student's attention and keep them engaged, and any time we, as educators, can pair student engagement and excitement with learning, the outcome will be more successful.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Why use a blog as a teacher?
When thinking about the value in using a blog as a teacher, both as an individual and with my students, the biggest use that springs to mind is much of what we are doing in this class. We are using our blogs as a tool for reflection. As we think about, learn about, and explore web 2.0 tools and ways to grow our Personal Learning Networks, we are writing about how we can use these tools and what we are learning and gaining from our PLNs. I would even say that this may be one of the biggest uses for blogs in general, people voicing their personal opinions by reflecting on their day, their thoughts on a current news topic, or reflecting on an academic topic.
As teachers, one of the ways we improve is to reflect upon our teaching and learning, so that we can keep what went well, and change or improve what didn't. We should be passing that same skill along to our students, and a blog would help them do that.
I also see a blog as a way to have a discussion around a central topic. If each student had an account, or anonymous commenting were enabled (where then, of course, they would still be required to sign their post with their name), a teacher could put up a question for class response, and students could have to either post one answer showcasing their knowledge, or have a discussion with other students based upon their classmates' responses.
If each student had their own blog, it would be a great way for them all to share their opinion or take a position on a topic, and then have the class respond to them. The benefit of this would be that students have an opportunity to think about and process their statements before sharing with the class, instead of the more on-the-spot thinking in a class discussion, and then everyone would have an opportunity to share and respond, something that might be hindered by in-class time restraints.
As teachers, one of the ways we improve is to reflect upon our teaching and learning, so that we can keep what went well, and change or improve what didn't. We should be passing that same skill along to our students, and a blog would help them do that.
I also see a blog as a way to have a discussion around a central topic. If each student had an account, or anonymous commenting were enabled (where then, of course, they would still be required to sign their post with their name), a teacher could put up a question for class response, and students could have to either post one answer showcasing their knowledge, or have a discussion with other students based upon their classmates' responses.
If each student had their own blog, it would be a great way for them all to share their opinion or take a position on a topic, and then have the class respond to them. The benefit of this would be that students have an opportunity to think about and process their statements before sharing with the class, instead of the more on-the-spot thinking in a class discussion, and then everyone would have an opportunity to share and respond, something that might be hindered by in-class time restraints.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Blogs to follow
When I was looking for blogs to follow, I had a few interests in mind. First, were there blogs that pertain to my specific classroom content? And, are there blogs that might lend themselves to content in this graduate class that we are taking? Well, I was able to find both.
First, I looked for blog relating to Foreign Language and Spanish teaching. I was disappointed when I found a few that looked very promising in content, but had not been updated in over a year. I am going to continue looking for blogs relating specifically to Foreign Language/Spanish teaching, but I was able to find two that I think will be useful.
The Teaching & Learning Spanish blog is maintained by a woman who has been learning Spanish since high school, has also taught the language, and is encouraging her children to learn Spanish. In addition, she has links to resources and videos on her blog.
The Foreign Language Fun blog is similar in providing links, ideas, lessons, and resources. The difference is that the woman is a French teacher, but is learning Spanish with her children, and is sharing resources for both languages. However, methods and ideas can work well between languages.
As far as more educational/technology blogs, I was able to find three that seem to be a mix of talking about life as an education, educational news, and using technology in the classroom. Because of this, they will be useful to read in general as an educator, and may provide some interesting insight for this class. They are Weblogg-ed, Brave New World, and The Power of Educational Technology.
With any luck, all five of these blogs will be worth continuing to follow. If not, I hope that two of them will be interesting and worth the shared resources.
First, I looked for blog relating to Foreign Language and Spanish teaching. I was disappointed when I found a few that looked very promising in content, but had not been updated in over a year. I am going to continue looking for blogs relating specifically to Foreign Language/Spanish teaching, but I was able to find two that I think will be useful.
The Teaching & Learning Spanish blog is maintained by a woman who has been learning Spanish since high school, has also taught the language, and is encouraging her children to learn Spanish. In addition, she has links to resources and videos on her blog.
The Foreign Language Fun blog is similar in providing links, ideas, lessons, and resources. The difference is that the woman is a French teacher, but is learning Spanish with her children, and is sharing resources for both languages. However, methods and ideas can work well between languages.
As far as more educational/technology blogs, I was able to find three that seem to be a mix of talking about life as an education, educational news, and using technology in the classroom. Because of this, they will be useful to read in general as an educator, and may provide some interesting insight for this class. They are Weblogg-ed, Brave New World, and The Power of Educational Technology.
With any luck, all five of these blogs will be worth continuing to follow. If not, I hope that two of them will be interesting and worth the shared resources.
Goals for this Technology class
The focus of this class is on technology, and I would generally say that I am interested in using and learning about technology. Looking over the syllabus and the first few activities and readings for this class, I would like to do two things over the next eights weeks.
As we building our Personal Learning Networks, I hope to become more familiar with the programs that we are using, and to accumulate a list of sites, blogs, and groups, etc that I feel comfortable with and excited enough about to continue visiting after this class is over.
Also, I would like to find at least a few of the programs and web 2.0 tools that we are going to be using that I can incorporate into my classroom. Unfortunately, the trick in doing this is the filtering and blocking system that we have on our internet access at school. To make this successful, I would need to be able to have the students guaranteed of access to the tools. There are some that do not have internet at home, so they would need to be able to work at school. While it is not overly difficult to get websites unblocked on a teacher's personal computer, there would need to be more justification and proven uses to get the site unblocked school-wide. As we learn about these tools and their applications, my goal is to be able to find applications for them in my classroom, that will help to engage my students.
On a much more superficial layer, there are some web 2.0 tools like Niing and Delicious that I have either not heard about, or have never used. In these cases, I would just like to gain some familiarity with them.
As we building our Personal Learning Networks, I hope to become more familiar with the programs that we are using, and to accumulate a list of sites, blogs, and groups, etc that I feel comfortable with and excited enough about to continue visiting after this class is over.
Also, I would like to find at least a few of the programs and web 2.0 tools that we are going to be using that I can incorporate into my classroom. Unfortunately, the trick in doing this is the filtering and blocking system that we have on our internet access at school. To make this successful, I would need to be able to have the students guaranteed of access to the tools. There are some that do not have internet at home, so they would need to be able to work at school. While it is not overly difficult to get websites unblocked on a teacher's personal computer, there would need to be more justification and proven uses to get the site unblocked school-wide. As we learn about these tools and their applications, my goal is to be able to find applications for them in my classroom, that will help to engage my students.
On a much more superficial layer, there are some web 2.0 tools like Niing and Delicious that I have either not heard about, or have never used. In these cases, I would just like to gain some familiarity with them.
Who Am I?
My name is Jennifer and I am a middle/high school Spanish teacher. My school is 7-12, so we have many shared staff between levels. I typically have just high school level classes, but taught 8th grade for two consecutive years two and three years ago, did not have them this year, and will have them again next year. Our high school is on a block schedule (though it is modified, we do have some skinny classes), and my 8th grade class will be a 9-week exploratory.
I am interested to see how we use the different technologies here in class, and to explore the different ways I may be able to use some of them in my own classroom.
I am interested to see how we use the different technologies here in class, and to explore the different ways I may be able to use some of them in my own classroom.
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