Monday, December 5, 2011
Personal Learning Networks
Wow, I know I have said this over and over this semester, but I am amazed at how many different technology tools are available for use in the classroom. There are many different technologies I would use in my personal learning networks. These tools are tools we have learned to use in this course. This is because these are most of the networks I know now how to use now thanks to this course (other than Facebook of course). Some technologies I would use for personal learning networks include: Facebook; Twitter; Google Docs; Google Plus; blogs; wiki spaces; and webpages. These are all great technologies that can be used to network with other professionals for learning. Of course, there are issues of these tools that need to be considered prior to using them in education. These issues include policies, confidentiality, knowledge, and buy in just to name a few. Technology is great but these issues need to be resolved prior to their use in education. I am planning to continue to grow the use of my technology tools from what I have learned in this course. This has been awesome.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Blogging in the Classroom
Blogging would be a great tool that could be used in the classroom. Blogs could be used to discuss any topic with anybody. Blogs can also provide opportunities for collaboration between teachers, students, classrooms, parents, etc. There are endless amounts of purposes for which blogs can be used in the classroom.
An example of how a blog could be used in the classroom could be to supplement a reading lesson. Let's say a class was required to read the book "Tuck Everlasting". The teacher of this course could post questions or thought ideas related to each chapter in the book. Students would then be required to respond to the questions/thought ideas posted by the teacher. This would be a great supplemental activity to teaching this book to a class.
When my son was in first grade, I can remember his teacher telling us at parent teacher conferences about how his class was blogging with the fifth grade class about books they were reading. His blogging experience began by his teacher blogging a daily question, and required the students to respond to the daily question. Next the students blogged with students in the fifth grade class. The fifth graders would post questions about a book that the first graders would comment on. The use of this blog in my son's classroom allowed his class to collaborate with students from another classroom and with their teacher. It also supplemented curriculum material.
As a special education teacher in a self-contained classroom setting, I think it would be a little more difficult to utilize blogs. One way in which I could see using a blog in my classroom setting is to collaborate and communicate with parents. This could be done by posting activities our class has done each week and allowing parents to comment on the activities. I could also ask parents for input in planning activities in my classroom. Blogging would be a great tool to improve communication with my students' parents.
The uses for blogs in the classroom are endless. I see many wonderful benefits to using blogs in the classroom.
An example of how a blog could be used in the classroom could be to supplement a reading lesson. Let's say a class was required to read the book "Tuck Everlasting". The teacher of this course could post questions or thought ideas related to each chapter in the book. Students would then be required to respond to the questions/thought ideas posted by the teacher. This would be a great supplemental activity to teaching this book to a class.
When my son was in first grade, I can remember his teacher telling us at parent teacher conferences about how his class was blogging with the fifth grade class about books they were reading. His blogging experience began by his teacher blogging a daily question, and required the students to respond to the daily question. Next the students blogged with students in the fifth grade class. The fifth graders would post questions about a book that the first graders would comment on. The use of this blog in my son's classroom allowed his class to collaborate with students from another classroom and with their teacher. It also supplemented curriculum material.
As a special education teacher in a self-contained classroom setting, I think it would be a little more difficult to utilize blogs. One way in which I could see using a blog in my classroom setting is to collaborate and communicate with parents. This could be done by posting activities our class has done each week and allowing parents to comment on the activities. I could also ask parents for input in planning activities in my classroom. Blogging would be a great tool to improve communication with my students' parents.
The uses for blogs in the classroom are endless. I see many wonderful benefits to using blogs in the classroom.
Creating a Blog
I found creating a blog to be rather simple when following the step by step directions provided. I always am a little nervous when learning something new related to technology, but I am amazed by how simple learning new technology tools can be. I have learned so much about technology in this course.
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