Thing 3 -- Other Educators' Blogs

It seems as if there are many uses for blogs in the classroom. I could definitely post assingments and classroom activities on a blog for students to view when they've been absent (or have gotten home and forgotten the homework assignment). It would also be a great, green way to distribute a class newsletter (probably a little more elementary than secondary).

I spent quite a bit of time looking at some of the "sample" blogs and thought of some really interesting ideas for slideshows. As an English teacher, I'm always trying to find ways to SHOW students items, places, etc. from different time periods. For example, when we read The Catcher in the Rye, there are places in NYC and items (like a Gladstone bag and Holden's hunting hat) that students often can't imagine. I could create slideshows with these places/items to help them imagine the time period better. This could be done for any book that I teach.

My biggest concern is the time that it would take to put this together. I already use Moodle to manage my classroom; I post daily assignments/activities for students and their parents, download documents for student use (which I don't think I could do on a blog), etc. I'm wondering how many students will actually use these resources -- It seems with Moodle that some students use it effectively and often, but others rarely access the site. How do I encourage student use. I also still wonder about the students' access to this technology at home. There are students who don't have computer access at home. What about them?

Thing 1 and Thing 2 -- Web 2.0 & Creating MY Blog

23 Things came highly recommended by one of the media specialists (and tech savvy educators) at my school. That recommendation, along with the promise of 2.0 CEU's, was enough to motivate me to sign-up for the fun.

Finding interesting ways to engage my students using technology is essential as the world (and our students) become more technology driven. I know that I need to become more knowledgeable in this area in order to develop better lessons.

After completing Thing 1, I couldn't help but realize how many areas technology could be integrated in my classroom community, collaboration group, school, district, etc. Methods of communicating have evolved and I'm starting to become the dinosaur after only 15 years of teaching. Is that possible? Teacher blogs, student wikis, and podcasting have a place in education and in my classroom. I still have concerns about the reliability of the technology (especially in a classroom with only one, 8-year-old computer), protecting the security of my students on the Internet, and grading work online (which may be a strain on my already old eyes). Hopefully, this will be just the push I need to get started on this new adventure!

As a lover of writing and language, I enjoy the fact the many people may choose to read my thoughts. Afterall, it is quite similar to publishing -- but less formal. I know that research shows that students who participate in "real world" writing experiences are more concerned about their writing quality. Whether we like it or not, we are judged by our writing ability by others who have the opportunity to see our products.