Thing 4: Uses of Blogs in Education
It was fun to explore some of the blogs and to think about the many ways blogs can be used in education. I started by reading Why I Don’t Assign Homework by Dan. Reading this blog brought back memories from Mr. Horrell’s 5th grade math class. I remember thinking, “Can’t he tell that I understand this from doing 10 problems or even 15 problems? Do I have to do 25 or 30 to show that I get this?” Math was not my favorite subject at that time, so I really should have asked, “Can’t he see that I am completely confused in only 10 problems?” It is true that the kids that faithfully do their homework are usually the kids that are doing well in class. I’m sure the parents that constantly hear, “But that isn’t the way we do it anymore. The teacher said I have to do it a different way!” would be thrilled to have a little less homework. Dan’s ideas are worth reflection. I think there is a happy medium in the homework department.
I was so excited to read McCuller’s A Final Goodbye! Ms. McCuller’s class had a funeral for overused words. My class actually did this in October, and we created a Powerpoint presentation. The overused words were on gravestones, and flowers popped up with synonyms that would be better to use. I loved reading the comments from the kids about the activity!
Another blog I enjoyed was Mark’s Is This SSR, 2.0? Independent reading (also called SSR - Sustained Silent Reading) is an important part of each day in my class. Mark has found that his kids are extremely motivated by reading blogs during their SSR time on some days. Mark decided to provide the choice of reading books or blogs, and he found that it was very successful. This grew into a podcast, in which his students shared their thoughts about reading blogs during SSR time. I think the idea of allowing a choice is great. What I find is that the more my students read their classmates’ blogs, the more interested they become in the books and topics that are mentioned in the blogs. We have waiting lists for books now, if you can believe that! I love the fact that Mark’s idea grew into a podcast. I am thinking of doing more podcasting with my class this year. Right now, we are having class council speeches and elections. The kids have mentioned that they would like the speeches to be put on our blog as podcasts.
I learned a lot from reading Anne Davis’ blog, Rationale for Educational Blogging. She mentions new literacies that children have to be exposed to in order to succeed. I think she gets to the heart of a lot of things that I have been considering. I really want to teach my students to consider their audience and help them learn to participate in a community of learners. She mentions students discovering their “distinctive voices.” I completely see that happening in my classroom. I rarely hear, “I don’t know,” when I ask students to think about something and write about it on our blog. I hear lots of ideas coming from students who are gaining confidence in having opinions. I think I can learn a lot from Anne Davis. She has a great deal of experience in using blogs with students, and I look forward to reading more of what she has to say.
On a lighter note, I giggled reading the “duck diaries” of second graders on Duck with a Blog. I thought it was great that the teacher took the experience of a feathered visitor on the playground and made it into an assignment on the blog. The fact that the children used invented spellings made the posts more fun to read. I hope that the duck didn’t actually get a “concooshen” (concussion).
By reading all of these blogs, I really got to see the variety of ways educators use blogs. I also got some great ideas from all that reading. 
Things 2/3: Thoughts about Web 2.0
Web 2.0 – Hooray!
Web 2.0 is changing the way I think about my teaching. While I have always had a classroom abounding with active learning, now I have the opportunity to take that to a new level.
I know that my students are very different learners than I was at their age. Through exposure to a variety of technologies, students have an even greater need to interact with what they are learning. They have grown up with cell phones, email, video games, and Google. They will grow up with opportunities to communicate easily with people around the globe, to create news, and to publish their own work. Students have really become more active in their learning, and this is very exciting for me. By tapping into their interests, I can provide exciting educational experiences and inspire them to take ownership over their learning. In addition, I can help my students to learn the valuable tools they will need to succeed in the future.
My teaching has already changed as a result of Web 2.0. I realize that the definition of literacy and what it means to be literate is changing. To be literate, my students must be able to communicate using a variety of methods related to Web 2.0. My students have experimented with Skyping, and they have many suggestions of ways we can use this to enhance our learning. My students are enthusiastic bloggers. They have shared art work, book reviews, and podcasts. We have written to authors to invite them to blog with us about their books. My students’ conversations through the blog demonstrate their comprehension, their higher level thinking skills, and their understanding of their audience. Blogging accomplishes curriculum goals and gets my students excited about writing and sharing ideas. I used to remind students, “You are authors, too!” Now, my students are the first to say that they are authors. Blogging makes the world a much smaller place. We eagerly look at the ClustrMap to see the new dots pop up! My students will never be satisfied until the entire map is covered in polka dots!
I know that I will have to continue to learn and grow in order to provide the best education for my students, but I am excited about that prospect. I believe that everyone should be open to life-long learning. While I am familiar with some Web 2.0 tools, I can’t wait to learn more. I love this stuff!
Thing 1: Reflections on Life Long Learning
Lifelong learning is a priority for me. I’ve always been someone who is very curious, and I can’t wait to see how new ideas might impact my teaching and my life. Because our world is changing at an amazing rate, it is important to continue to expand my knowledge.
I would love to say that I always view problems as challenges, but I’m not always great at this. When I am on my way to accomplishing a goal, and everything goes wrong, I sometimes allow the “challenge” part of the equation to go out the window. This is something that I’m really working to improve. I am trying to change my view by modeling this habit for my students. I have to say that blogging and podcasting with my students has helped me in this area. When something doesn’t work, we all look at it on the SmartBoard and talk about what we could try next. Third graders love a challenge!
I think that the “play” aspect of this course will be the easiest part for me. I am so much like my students when it comes to learning. I love to jump in and explore new ways of accomplishing goals. I feel more engaged in my learning when I can problem-solve from a relaxed perspective. The element of play takes away some of the anxiety about trying something new. This is my favorite way to learn; however, it will be very important for me to stay focused on my goals. Sometimes I get lost in having fun and forget what I’m trying to accomplish in the first place!
One of the most important aspects of this course will be for me to teach and mentor others. That’s when the teacher in me comes out! I know that if I teach someone else what I’ve learned, I will be invested in it. This will help me to expand my community of lifelong learners. We can each hold each other accountable for applying what we’ve learned. We can also stick together when nothing seems to be working. When my students first started blogging, I talked to every teacher I could find about how much it enhanced their learning, and I managed to get a few people excited about that. I think of knowledge the same way I thought about my chocolate Easter Bunny when I was little. My sister always saved hers for months in the refrigerator, nibbling a tiny bit of an ear at a time. I opened mine as soon as I got it, and I shared it with everyone. Maybe a silly analogy, but it works for me!
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