Thing #4--Blogs in the Classroom

It boggles the mind to think of all the ways classroom/student blogs could be used, not to mention the benefits of doing so. Helping students to read to learn and to see knowledge as it connects to the "big picture", collaborative learning, creating enthusiasm to communicate through writing and giving them the support tools to successfully do so are just a few examples. Having students blog their assignments not only eliminates "lost" papers, but also allows students to expand their understanding through reading their classmates blogs.

I had never thought of allowing students to read blogs as part of their SSR time. Most of my students are reluctant readers and I can easily see how this would eliminate many of the motivational issues with reading independently.Through Patrick's 5th grade blog entry, my kids could see that there are others with similar struggles who, instead of giving up on themselves, choose to persevere and prove their "doubting Thomas(s)" wrong. In addition, there were several links that would be interesting to my kids. If only we could direct more of our "stubborn" students to this productive use of that quality.

Another student's blog on brevity points out that limiting the length of a written response often forces greater thought, discrimination, prioritization and concise word choice than requiring several paragraphs or pages. These two student blogs prove that students reading other students' blogs can very often be both interesting and productive for the student.

The suggestion from Cool Cat Teacher to act as if we, as teachers, are being recorded at all times was somewhat sobering. With editing, almost anything can be made to look questionable or inappropriate. I would suggest reviewing this blog more for the information of how to effectively use a blog in the classroom.

Thing #4--Blogs in the Classroom

It boggles the mind to think of all the ways classroom/student blogs could be used, not to mention the benefits of doing so. Helping students to read to learn and to see knowledge as it connects to the "big picture", collaborative learning, creating enthusiasm to communicate through writing and giving them the support tools to successfully do so are just a few examples. Having students blog their assignments not only eliminates "lost" papers, but also allows students to expand their understanding through reading their classmates blogs.

I had never thought of allowing students to read blogs as part of their SSR time. Most of my students are reluctant readers and I can easily see how this would eliminate many of the motivational issues with reading independently.

Through Patrick's 5th grade blog entry, my kids could see that there are others with similar struggles who, instead of giving up on themselves, choose to persevere and prove their "doubting Thomas(s)" wrong. In addition, there were several links that would be interesting to my kids. If only we could direct more of our "stubborn" students to this productive use of that quality.

Another student's blog on brevity points out that limiting the length of a written response often forces greater thought, discrimination, prioritization and concise word choice than requiring several paragraphs or pages. These two student blogs prove that students reading other students' blogs can very often be both interesting and productive for the student.

The suggestion from Cool Cat Teacher to act as if we, as teachers, are being recorded at all times was somewhat sobering. With editing, almost anything can be made to look questionable or inappropriate. I would suggest reviewing this blog more for the information of how to effectively use a blog in the classroom.

Reflections Module 6

I can best help my students become more independent, self-directed learners by giving them the tools do so--such as graphic organizers, rubrics and checklists. I think I do a good job of supporting the needs of diverse learners as far as their weaknesses are concerned, but need to work more on differentiation.

Module 5 Reflections

I still don't feel as if I know how to help a student be more involved in self-assessment. I'd like to see some other examples--definitely relating to peer assessment, various roles/responsibilities within the group.

Reflections Module 4

I think the first requirement for helping students utilize technology to support and assess learning is to make sure their teachers are both familiar and comfortable enough with the technologies to more automatically use them personally. Only then can teachers more effectively integrate technology (on a day to day basis) into their lessons and presentations, assign meaningful learning projects involving technology to their students and help them accomplish both the learning and technological goals of those projects.

Students can probably more easily learn to communicate and work productively with others, using blogs and wikis, regardless of personality issues--simply because of the physical separation involved when working on a computer. Students who normally might not get along are removed from those interpersonal issues and timid students might be more encouraged to actively participate and contribute. Over time, those students might then be able to resolve their issues with face-to-face contact.

Reflections Module 2

I can certainly see how the CFQ's will help students to acquire a more in depth understanding of the material and to connect this learning to their own lives, as well as helping them to gain an appreciation for "the bigger picture". Considering the TEKS, the assessment process & the CFQ's simultaneously, while more challenging for the teacher, also forces us to provide a more organized higher level/more profound learning experience . The focus on 21st century skills assists in this area as well.

Reflections Module 1

I suspect that my ability to follow along in this class and get the most benefit would be drastically improved with a higher level of basic computer skills. I was concerned about this before signing up, but was told that the ability to type, create a document in word would be sufficient. I believe a list of specific pre-requisite skills would be helpful in making sure participants will be able to follow along with a minimum of frustration.