Great Education Blog Idea

I was just wandering around the blogger website and found an area called "Blogger Buzz" at the bottom of my dashboard. That is where I found a link to a site called Plinky. Plinky professes to have a cure for Blogger's Block and I think they are right. But forget the blogger's block for a minute. This would be a great way to use blogs in a language arts classroom. Just think, a teacher could post a writing prompt and the responses to the prompt could come from the students in the form of a "comment" to that post. Plus, this offers an introduction to blogging for students, who them could create theier own blog for class. Hey! That blog could be a wriging portfolio and other students could comment on the work. The ideas are endless.

Moving at the Speed of Technology

An Extension of an Earlier Post

A few weeks ago I wrote a post called A School Using Web 2.0. This posting had two sections "A Dream" and "There's Always a Downside." In the "A Dream" section, I listed a make-shift timeline regarding the evolution of technology.

"I was born in 1980, which may or may not be after you were (and that is neither here or there), and since then we have gone from toys that don’t make noise, to toys that make noise, to electronic toys, to cassette tapes, to walkmans, to dicsmans, to i-Pods and MP3s."

My reader offered an extension of this idea from another blog, that is discussing a portion of the CBS Sunday Morning Show. The Blog posting "Dealing with Data Rot - From CBS," (found on the Free Technology for Teachers Blog) uses a great video exerpt of the show to example the evolution of technology and the downsides of technology evolving. The blog posting states:

"There is a lesson in this video for all of us and it's, back up your data in a modern format."

I think there is more than just one lesson to be learned from this. Yes, we need to back up our older data in a more modern format. Also, we need to be cognizant of the speed at which our technology is changing. The video actually shows a time line of technological change and if you notice as time progresses the time span between each invention decreases. This emphasizes how important and urgent it is that we, as teachers, just on the technology bandwagon and start introducing as much technology to our students. The longer we wait, the more our students miss out.

Another point that must not be missed is how much we have accomplished over the past decades. Technology across the world has advanced so much, and this is something of which we should all be very proud. Not only does that mean that we as a society are learning, but that we as a society are not afraid of expanding our learning. The process of inventing these technologies is a learning process. I've always heard that, "If you don't succeed, try, try again," (I don't know who first said it, so please forgive me for not giving them credit....I'm not the one who said it.) You try to make something new. It does not work. You learn from your mistakes, and then improve your design. Learning at it's best.

Finally, a personal note:

My father, a very unique and "old-school" person, always took a lot of pictures. The problem is that he didn't get them developed like "normal" people do; he had them made into slides. I'm talking about the old type of slides. They are about 1 square inch in sizes with cardboard around them. Essentially a negative of the picture that could only been seen using a slide viewer. This has always driven my mother nuts, but had never bothered me so much. Probably, because I just know that it is another example of my father's personality. Recently it has provided me with a dilemma...I want to see those pictures. When my father was recently diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil, I began really appreciating all of the pictures I had of us. What I didn't have is a good way to see them. Now, I'm constantly looking for something to use to convert the slides to something more update. I haven't found anything to help with this yet, so if anyone knows of something...please let me know.

Thing 5

I have really enjoyed finding this new way to get so much information. I never new there was such a thing as an RSS. I have even found stuff and shared them with other teachers around our school. For instance, next week is Read Across America for Dr. Seuss's birthday and one of the blogs entered into my reader sent me essentially a version of Read Across the Planet. So, I sent that to our librarian because she does a lot with Read Across America. Then, my reader found a Young Scientist Challenge and I emailed that to two science teachers who I thought would use it.

My favorite blog that I have found using my reader is Kim's Ventures in Educational Technology. I don't think it is so much how she writes, but what her topic choices are. Her topics that I have read include:

• What is your six word inagural address? - I thought this would be a great assignment to see what stuents would write. I would have them write their 6 word address and then write an essay about why they chose those words.
• Teacher Uses Webcam to Deliver Lessons - This is something I would love to be able to do. Plus, our county has been planning in case of an flu epidemic. Using a Webcam would be a great way to deliver the lessons.
  

Thing 4

Up To My Eyeballs in Feeds!!!

I've been working on Thing 4 and Thing 5 a little at a time over the past two weeks or so, and boy do I have feeds. This "Thing" is so cool!!! Love it! I get the news I want and not the news I don't want. Since I currently have 25 subscriptions, I'll probably wind up getting rid of some. This is still so neet.

I don't have a "reading habit;" I have a reading addiction and it has almost decimated my previous addiction to World of Warcraft.

Cure for Energetic/Figity Students

Ben Garvin for The New York Times

I heard this story on World New Tonight a few days ago and just loved it. I wanted to put something about it on my blog and couldn't find it on the internet until my reader found it for me. There was an article on one of my subscriptions about the story. I think most all teachers have at one time placed an energetic student with what I call "tigger disease," on the back row so they could stand up and do their work. This teacher on the story has taken it a gigantic step further. Pictured is a version of student desk that she designed. It is so cool. They can sit. They can stand. They can fidgit. They can put their feet on the foot ledge and it swings. If I could have a never ending supply of graphite spray, I would love these desks!!!

Thing 3

2009 Student Blogging Challenge

I don't know much about it yet or how I'm even going to use it in my classroom, but I signed up for it anyway. Apparently, there was a 2008 Blogging Challenge created (I think) by a teacher in Tasmania, Australia and the 2009 Blogging Challenge is an extension of that. The 2009 Blogging Challenge connects students and teachers from all over the world. Each teacher has their own blog and then each student can have their own blog or they can use a "class blog," which is basically a blog that multiple students in the class uses.

The Student Blogging Challenge strives to:

• Connect students from around the world,
• Give students a network of internet pen pals,
• Integrate technology into the curriculum
• Share customs from around the world
• Discuss curriculum topics and tips,
• and much, much more.

Each week an "Activity" will be posted. A pre-challenge activity has already been added.

Spies Like Us

Spies Like Us by CoolCatTeacher (Vicki Davis) was an almost scarey posting to read. I already knew about some of the problems that misuse of technology could cause, but now I have a whole list going through my mind. I personally have had a student, or somebody, get my cell phone number and leave threatening voice messages and text messages. The scarest part is that someone can block their cell number and then you have to get a court order to find out who it is.

We have also had students create web pages as if they are a teacher and make that web page inappropriate to get the teacher in trouble. I think that is the real downfall of technology progressing so quickly. Someone can take your name, make a website or blog about whatever they want and no one can stop them. I honestly don't think there will be a way to stop them because they will be protected under freedom of speech.

The best way, if not the only way, to protect yourself is to google yourself every couple of months or so.