I've spent the past few weeks exploring various blogs and revising my own. I've found that there are millions of them out there- on every single subject possible in the world. I found some great ones about news, literature, history and education. I also found some terrible ones on the same subjects. I learned some interesting facts about the personal details of the lives of people that I will never meet. I realize that blogging can be a freeing experience for many people and that's a positive even I think it's a bit much.
Overall, I'd say it is pretty difficult to sort through the many blogs on what I would consider pointless information to get to one that has some meat to it. But, I have found sites linked to other blogs and this is how I found many of the ones that I now find interest in. And I still am convinced in their power for educational purposes and I plan on using one in the future for this purpose. So, all in all, I'd say I had a positive experience with blogging and will return to it again.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Technology thoughts....
I just read Dana Petrouski's blog and it got me thinking...
What is too much technology? I talked with some current teachers and they had different responses. Some think there is already too much. Some think there can never be enough. Most are somewhere in the middle. I think I fall into that category myself.
One teacher said that she is totally comfortable with the current level of technology that she has in her classroom. She then went on to say that years ago, she would've thought her current level would be too much and that as time goes on, she realizes the need for more and more technology. She doesn't know where it will ever stop either.
My local school district had cyber summer school for the first time this year. This surprised me. Since the students already were struggling with the material (and potentially with putting in the appropriate number of hours needed), how is this a good idea? I would think that these students need more attention than students in the regular classroom rather than less. But, then I thought about students that have behavioral problems in the classroom. Perhaps without the distractions of the classroom, they may be more apt to achieve. And allowing the students to take breaks when necessary and work when the time is right for them could also be positives. Finally, students that do not want to appear smart and "nerdy" to their friends may work closer to their full potential if their friends aren't there to mock them. Who knows? Not everyone benefits from the same teaching style or method.
I'd like to talk to the principal or a few of the teachers that conducted these classes and see how it went for them. Maybe it will be in my next post...
What is too much technology? I talked with some current teachers and they had different responses. Some think there is already too much. Some think there can never be enough. Most are somewhere in the middle. I think I fall into that category myself.
One teacher said that she is totally comfortable with the current level of technology that she has in her classroom. She then went on to say that years ago, she would've thought her current level would be too much and that as time goes on, she realizes the need for more and more technology. She doesn't know where it will ever stop either.
My local school district had cyber summer school for the first time this year. This surprised me. Since the students already were struggling with the material (and potentially with putting in the appropriate number of hours needed), how is this a good idea? I would think that these students need more attention than students in the regular classroom rather than less. But, then I thought about students that have behavioral problems in the classroom. Perhaps without the distractions of the classroom, they may be more apt to achieve. And allowing the students to take breaks when necessary and work when the time is right for them could also be positives. Finally, students that do not want to appear smart and "nerdy" to their friends may work closer to their full potential if their friends aren't there to mock them. Who knows? Not everyone benefits from the same teaching style or method.
I'd like to talk to the principal or a few of the teachers that conducted these classes and see how it went for them. Maybe it will be in my next post...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Overwhelmed...
Well, I am still very excited about the possibilities that blogging can have for my own personal development and for my students. However, searching through the endless blogs (mainly of them pointless) I realize that there is a whole world out there that I never knew existed. It's a bit overwhelming and scary to know that children have their lives posted on the internet for anyone to see. And I knew about myspace and that stuff, but I didn't realize how personal it all got.
Now I not only see how useful blogs can be for professionals, but how important it is for kids to be taught about the ramifications of technology in addition to the benefits. And while safeguarding children against the dangers of the internet (oooo....scary....) should mainly be the responsibility of the parents, it should also be taken up by teachers as well. If parents don't take the time to learn what their kids are doing by learning the technology, then teachers could step in. And allowing parents to learn blogging through a teacher-initiated website could be a great resource in helping parents learn exactly what blogging is and what their children are doing exactly....
On a more positive note, I decided to give new life to a website that I ran through Penn State. The site is no longer active because I'm no longer a student, but I'm going to start transferring the information to a blog (which is much easier than a website.) I'll post the site if I get it up in time...
Now I not only see how useful blogs can be for professionals, but how important it is for kids to be taught about the ramifications of technology in addition to the benefits. And while safeguarding children against the dangers of the internet (oooo....scary....) should mainly be the responsibility of the parents, it should also be taken up by teachers as well. If parents don't take the time to learn what their kids are doing by learning the technology, then teachers could step in. And allowing parents to learn blogging through a teacher-initiated website could be a great resource in helping parents learn exactly what blogging is and what their children are doing exactly....
On a more positive note, I decided to give new life to a website that I ran through Penn State. The site is no longer active because I'm no longer a student, but I'm going to start transferring the information to a blog (which is much easier than a website.) I'll post the site if I get it up in time...
Thursday, July 19, 2007
My first blog
I, like many others in the class, am personally experiencing the blogging phenomenon for the first time ever. I'm excited to finally join the rest of the world and begin to understand this new technology. I think it's so important that we, as either current or future teachers, stay up to date on the technology that our students are using. How can we expect to relate to them if they seem to be talking another language? Hopefully I can use blogging to reach out to my students on a medium that they are comfortable with instead of only in the more rigid constraints of the classroom. They may feel more willing to discuss ideas or questions in a more casual setting- not to mention it's a setting that they spend countless hours on in their spare time anyways...
However, technology changes so rapidly and kids change their ideas on what they like seemingly from day to day. So, does anyone have any ideas on how teachers can stay more up to date on what their students are doing this week, technology wise, socially, etc?
However, technology changes so rapidly and kids change their ideas on what they like seemingly from day to day. So, does anyone have any ideas on how teachers can stay more up to date on what their students are doing this week, technology wise, socially, etc?
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