Reflections on blogging Thing #4 take 2

Alright, I’ve already spent quite a bit of time on this post and then lost it. Aggh, the blunders of a rookie.  Here we go again!

I am very impressed with the conversation about water conservation on the extreme biology blog. The teacher has given me some great ideas. It seems blog writing allows for a much more in-depth discourse than we have time for in a typical class discussion. It also allows for students to reflect a bit longer before responding instead of coming up with an “on the spot” answer. I’ve always found that stream of consciousness writing promotes “epiphanies” I’ll bet I would learn a lot more about my students, especially the quiet ones, by employing this method. 

Some blogs seem to be just a typical editorial but others seem to be more reflective and direct. Blog writing is different in that it requires you to take responsibility for what you’ve said. You’ve announced it to the world! Some of the responses could be quite harsh. I find that it would have been much harder to say these things to someone’s face. Is that okay? It depends. While this can definitely promote learning and a healthy debate, teachers will have to be mindful of any possible bullying etc. taking place on the blog.

The style does seem to be more casual than what a student would generally turn into me. While I’m a stickler for grammatical errors, this free flow of ideas should be more casual.

Commenting on a particular thread keeps the conversation dynamic. Without the back and forth, the student may as well be writing in their journal. Speaking of, the blog from high school students wasn’t certainly insightful! Teacher directed commenting can lead students into a Socratic-style learning.

I’m not sure about blogging literacy yet. I’ll have to address that question later on in the course. My initial reaction is learning acronyms may take some time! I’m sure it has changed the way some students read and write because they’re now more accustomed to quick back/forth responses and constantly switching gears and topics with the amount of information and # of blogs out there.

Blogging can definitely facilitate learning! I’m quite sure that I haven’t even thought of all of the ways this could change my teaching. I really liked what was said in “The Ripe Environment” How can we get beyond all of the talk and create the environment he describes?

Thing # 2: Thoughts about Web 2.0

Wow! I guess my initial response after watching the video clips and reading the Warlick article is that I have a long way to go. I was proud b/c I already blog, use a smartboard and play podcasts (most of the teachers on my hall don’t do either) but now I feel I’ve really been put in my place! I have a lot of catch-up work to do.

I do wholeheartedly believe that education needs to be relevant to today’s learner. I guess we as educators have been blind to what today’s learner is capable of doing.

My first thought is about all the students at Campbell who aren’t connected at home and who rarely get on the computer. They and many like them are getting left behind! I do feel the technology gap will only exacerbate the disparity in education.

I see this course changing my teaching tremendously over time. I loved the idea of having students collaborate on test reviews and gaining more access to the wikis through a competition. I also love the idea of incorporating podcasts more into my curriculum. I also hope to teach online someday soon and know this course is essential to success there.

I guess the main point is that I could learn some of the technology with them. They’re not all tech saavy… And help add to their educational toolbox to be competitive in today’s world.

Thing #1 Reflections on Lifelong Learning

Alright, off and blogging!

The habit most challenging for me is  #3 to “view problems as challenges” While it can be stimulating to solve a problem in my personal life, I have found that it can complicate matters in the classroom. What I mean is that if I’m not confident a particular technological tool is up and running, I’d prefer to teach the old fashioned way. I know, I shouldn’t admit that but it’s true. Hopefully, this course will empower me to “fix” those challenges.

The habit that is easiest for me would be to teach or mentor others (#7). My explanation is pretty simple; that’s what I do all day long and it comes quite naturally.

Finally, the most important habit as I work through this course would have to be #5 or create your own toolbox. If I spend some real time getting organized, have some sort of system AND put into practice these new skills; I’m much more likely to start incorporating them into my reptoire naturally.

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