RSS feeds are an appetizing way for me to manage students blogs efficiently and certainly warrants further study. I think the biggest issue with student blogging, other than online safety, is how in the world I will be able to follow all of the activity. With RSS feeds, it would appear that this question will be answered. In general, I like the fact that information comes to me at one source, so hopefully I will be able to better manage my time.
But as the issue of time rears its ugly head again, I am still uncertain as to a course of action with using all of the new tools we are learning. I could easily spend every waking moment grading essays, and now I am being taken further outside my comfort zone and challenged to be even more connected. The beauty of this graduate program is that it introduces me to many new tools that can be used in the classroom, and although a seemingly daunting task, I know enough to be patient with myself and not try to do everything at once. I will spend time learning how to use these tools, and hopefully will be able to incorporate many of them in my classroom over time.
The photo sharing assignment is one that has me most befuddled. I know in one sense I should store my photos online in case of a catastrophic computer failure, but I have difficulty thinking of ways to use photo sharing in my classroom. This thinking stems from the fact that my photos are personal in nature, so I might be a bit close minded when it comes to creating assignments for my students using photo sharing. Perhaps as I struggle through the process of using online photo sharing classroom ideas will present themselves, but it is too early to determine whether or not that will be true.
I am still struggling with the microblogging idea. I was on the verge of creating my first online posting, but I recanted before saving. I am not one to share personal thoughts outside of my immediate family, and although I know that microblogging can be a great way to share educational ideas, I still can't wrap my mind around why it will be a benefit for my classroom.
I loved the debate on the video we watched, and it addressed what I have been thinking for a long time. We don't know what the future will bring, so it is difficult to get individuals on the same page concerning how to plan for its arrival. I love the fact the educators need to change, or at least challenge, personal teaching methodologies, but this dialogue is a challenge due to stubbornness on our parts. We may acknowledge the need for change, but no one is standing in line to relive the process of reinventing our curriculum. Student teaching was difficult enough the when we didn't know anything, so asking teachers to revamp what they do puts them in the vulnerable position that they were in while they learned their craft.
But as we continue to develop our craft, we should look for new ways to engage out students. RSS feeds and photo sharing might be two avenues to reach our students, and allow them the ability to not only receive relevant information, but to unleash their creative potential.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
CEdO 535 Post#2
The first order of business is to discuss the idea of Wikipedia in the classroom. I know that I have shied away from allowing students to cite Wikipedia during the research process, but have suggested students use the site as a starting point. According to Richardson, this is a popular approach for many teachers. After having a chance to really investigate Wikipedia, I might be changing my stance concerning students citing this source during the research process. As Richardson states, and I loosely paraphrase, we together can do more than any individual alone. Many of the topics in Wikipedia have extensive research from multiple resources. The culture of Wikipedia seems to police itself and seems to strive for accuracy. What I have found with Wikipedia is that for general topics it is a great resource. As we look at very specific topics, the success rate seems to wane, but that doesn't mean that Wikipedia isn't useful. It is still a great starting point for research, and I think it has become a source worthy to be cited in research.
For my purposes, asking what is microblogging could easily be changed to why microblog. I might be too old fashioned to handle the idea of Twitter and Plurk, but hopefully I will be able to find some value in these services. As a tool to have students connect with each other and give quick responses concerning ideas in the classroom sounds good to me. I could have students use either Twitter or Plurk to share ideas related to topics discussed in the classroom. So I have reluctantly joined both sites in order to fulfill the requirement of this class, and to hopefully open my eyes as to the value for my classroom. But if I am supposed to be interested in following the random musings of people that I don't really know (or even people that I do know) I think that I am the wrong person for the job. People who use both services claim that they are wonderful, but I am solitary by nature, and don't feel the need to spend more time that I don't have following people that I don't know talk about things that don't matter to me. That sounds really brutal of me to say, and I don't mean to bash anyone who loves microblogging, but for me, the idea doesn't blow my hair back.
My positive vibes concerning blogging are increasing the more we study the variety of uses for blogs. As I have said in previous posts, my biggest concern would be student safety. But I like the fact that students would be able to learn from others that I teach. I think the discussions could be much more valuable between 140 students than simply 25 students in a class. Whether I ever move towards having students contribute to a worldwide audience is something that will need to be addressed down the road. I also like the fact that blogging can help students deal with conflict. I am sure that many students will simply say things that won't hurt any feelings, but I think that being honest with each other will encourage further discussions about specific issues. But to do this, we have to move beyond a comment being construed as a personal attack. By keeping control of what is allowed to be posted, I think that I can help with conflict resolution and keep the fragile world of personal feelings a bit more stable.
For my purposes, asking what is microblogging could easily be changed to why microblog. I might be too old fashioned to handle the idea of Twitter and Plurk, but hopefully I will be able to find some value in these services. As a tool to have students connect with each other and give quick responses concerning ideas in the classroom sounds good to me. I could have students use either Twitter or Plurk to share ideas related to topics discussed in the classroom. So I have reluctantly joined both sites in order to fulfill the requirement of this class, and to hopefully open my eyes as to the value for my classroom. But if I am supposed to be interested in following the random musings of people that I don't really know (or even people that I do know) I think that I am the wrong person for the job. People who use both services claim that they are wonderful, but I am solitary by nature, and don't feel the need to spend more time that I don't have following people that I don't know talk about things that don't matter to me. That sounds really brutal of me to say, and I don't mean to bash anyone who loves microblogging, but for me, the idea doesn't blow my hair back.
My positive vibes concerning blogging are increasing the more we study the variety of uses for blogs. As I have said in previous posts, my biggest concern would be student safety. But I like the fact that students would be able to learn from others that I teach. I think the discussions could be much more valuable between 140 students than simply 25 students in a class. Whether I ever move towards having students contribute to a worldwide audience is something that will need to be addressed down the road. I also like the fact that blogging can help students deal with conflict. I am sure that many students will simply say things that won't hurt any feelings, but I think that being honest with each other will encourage further discussions about specific issues. But to do this, we have to move beyond a comment being construed as a personal attack. By keeping control of what is allowed to be posted, I think that I can help with conflict resolution and keep the fragile world of personal feelings a bit more stable.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
CEdO535 Post #1
I had the unique experience this weekend to hear a speaker discuss the importance of 21st century skills in the classroom. I have to admit that after reading Presentation Zen I have evaluated PowerPoint presentations based on what we read. This speaker reminded me of Reynolds, and his presentation seemed to include quite a few principles that we studied. At the end of the conference, I introduced myself to the speaker, and it occurred to me that I was speaking to the author of our current book. Will Richardson did a great job sharing his thoughts concerning technology in the 21st century classroom, and he emphasized what he wants schools to teach his children. I was impressed with how down to earth Richardson was, and I reflected on the conference during my 120 mile drive home.
I was excited to read the first three chapters of Richardson's book, because I felt that by meeting him, I had a better understanding about his viewpoints. Suffice to say, his writings did not disappoint. Richardson has a comfortable writing style, and although he is a proponent of web tools in the classroom, he doesn't beat people over the head with his ideas
One of the ideas that I like is the implementation of blogs in the classroom. Richardson gives helpful hints on how to get started with that process, and also addresses pitfalls that can occur. I have been working with the LMC director at my school, and I will be using a blog for at least one of my classes during the second semester. My school district only allows the use of EduBlogs, and now the school wants to pilot a program where the blog is hosted on our server. I am one of the participants of this plan, and I think that the experiment will be rewarding. Blogs are intriguing because they can allow for a global audience. Perhaps students will take ownership in their work if they know that anyone can view their work, including parents. I also like the ability to address some of the dangers concerning posting online, and the controls that can be set by an administrator. I am currently researching and getting feedback concerning how best to create my blog under the guidelines of the school district.
RSS feeds is another interesting topic for this week, and I am sure we will be learning more about them throughout the class. My year has gotten significantly more busy, so it will be important to be efficient with my time. By using RSS feeds for my personal and professional life, I will hopefully be able to save time because: the information comes to me, and I can read the information in one spot. Recently, I spoke to my students about Google Alerts, and there seemed to be some interest in further investigating all that it had to offer. Students can similarly use RSS feeds to have relevant information sent to them without spending significant time trying to separate the wheat from the chaff by using Internet searches.
Overall, I am excited to immerse myself into this class, and that is probably due to the success I had in the last class. We are starting to get to the meat of the issues concerning the use of technology in the classroom. It is essential to make educated decision concerning students using blogs to post information. Have student information on the web cannot be taken lightly with an attitude of do now apologize later. Although my role might change by allowing students to interact with the world online, it is paramount that I keep them safe. The students in my classroom are my kids, and I will protect them in the same way that I protect my kids at home. We must have honest discussions about technology in the classroom, and be willing to address our concerns, as well as the impact it will have on our children.
I was excited to read the first three chapters of Richardson's book, because I felt that by meeting him, I had a better understanding about his viewpoints. Suffice to say, his writings did not disappoint. Richardson has a comfortable writing style, and although he is a proponent of web tools in the classroom, he doesn't beat people over the head with his ideas
One of the ideas that I like is the implementation of blogs in the classroom. Richardson gives helpful hints on how to get started with that process, and also addresses pitfalls that can occur. I have been working with the LMC director at my school, and I will be using a blog for at least one of my classes during the second semester. My school district only allows the use of EduBlogs, and now the school wants to pilot a program where the blog is hosted on our server. I am one of the participants of this plan, and I think that the experiment will be rewarding. Blogs are intriguing because they can allow for a global audience. Perhaps students will take ownership in their work if they know that anyone can view their work, including parents. I also like the ability to address some of the dangers concerning posting online, and the controls that can be set by an administrator. I am currently researching and getting feedback concerning how best to create my blog under the guidelines of the school district.
RSS feeds is another interesting topic for this week, and I am sure we will be learning more about them throughout the class. My year has gotten significantly more busy, so it will be important to be efficient with my time. By using RSS feeds for my personal and professional life, I will hopefully be able to save time because: the information comes to me, and I can read the information in one spot. Recently, I spoke to my students about Google Alerts, and there seemed to be some interest in further investigating all that it had to offer. Students can similarly use RSS feeds to have relevant information sent to them without spending significant time trying to separate the wheat from the chaff by using Internet searches.
Overall, I am excited to immerse myself into this class, and that is probably due to the success I had in the last class. We are starting to get to the meat of the issues concerning the use of technology in the classroom. It is essential to make educated decision concerning students using blogs to post information. Have student information on the web cannot be taken lightly with an attitude of do now apologize later. Although my role might change by allowing students to interact with the world online, it is paramount that I keep them safe. The students in my classroom are my kids, and I will protect them in the same way that I protect my kids at home. We must have honest discussions about technology in the classroom, and be willing to address our concerns, as well as the impact it will have on our children.
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