I had alot of difficulty with this thing! I could not get the bloglines into my tool bar using the method described in the tutorial. I think it may be a problem with Internet Explorer 8 that I just installed. I did manage it get it into the tool bar but it closes the blog window I am in everytime I click on the bloglines. It seems to very frustrating tool to me. I will probably explore Google reader because I hear it is so much easier.
I even had difficulty finding blogs that would pertain to me. It could be that I am just tired so I will try again - tomorrow. How will I use this with my students - not yet - if it is confusing to me I am sure it will be confusing to them.
The only thing I tried to do once I found a good blog was to look at the blogs they subscribed to to see if any looked good to me.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thing 4
Well I had been meaning to get to the google reader to figure out how it works. It seems like the Bloglines will be a great tool to streamline the jumping between websites to see what is new. Saving time is the name of the game. Hopefully I can also teach my students how to efficiently use a reader to streamline their time on the Internet as well. So much about teaching is not about the actual content but about teaching study strategies that will take students into the future.
I think it would be easy to become addicted to reading blogs instead of actually trying some of the ideas you see in the blogs. I do not want to get bogged down in reading all the time. I want to do! Hopefully by streamlining to a few essential and useful blogs I will find tips and strategies that will work for both myself and my students.
Small steps - I feel the need to remind myself every time I read a new idea or read a whole blogs of ideas. Take what I can and use it! That is my goal this year.
I think it would be easy to become addicted to reading blogs instead of actually trying some of the ideas you see in the blogs. I do not want to get bogged down in reading all the time. I want to do! Hopefully by streamlining to a few essential and useful blogs I will find tips and strategies that will work for both myself and my students.
Small steps - I feel the need to remind myself every time I read a new idea or read a whole blogs of ideas. Take what I can and use it! That is my goal this year.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thing 3
How might I use a blog with students?
I plan on using a blog with my AP chemistry students next year in an attempt to create a learning community online. We will not have time in class to answer all questions so I am hoping students will be able to use the blog as a way to help each other on homework, to prepare for tests and compare data in labs. My creating posts as the teacher for each unit or lab - student comments will be organized underneath and can easily be retrieved when needed. The other goal I have is for students to be able to communicate with me in a nonthreatening environment when they are having difficulty with the material. I want the blog to be a place where students feel safe. We will do some blog etiquette training early in the school year to ensure students comfort using the blog for educational instead of personal reasons. I plan on using the approval of comments feature before comments are left on the blog as a way to monitor student input. My most important goal is to be sure the "blog" is not just another assignment students have o complete but instead a place of meaningful information.
I plan on using a blog with my AP chemistry students next year in an attempt to create a learning community online. We will not have time in class to answer all questions so I am hoping students will be able to use the blog as a way to help each other on homework, to prepare for tests and compare data in labs. My creating posts as the teacher for each unit or lab - student comments will be organized underneath and can easily be retrieved when needed. The other goal I have is for students to be able to communicate with me in a nonthreatening environment when they are having difficulty with the material. I want the blog to be a place where students feel safe. We will do some blog etiquette training early in the school year to ensure students comfort using the blog for educational instead of personal reasons. I plan on using the approval of comments feature before comments are left on the blog as a way to monitor student input. My most important goal is to be sure the "blog" is not just another assignment students have o complete but instead a place of meaningful information.
Thing 1 and Thing 2
What a great video clip - it is so good we already used it in a presentation at Michigan summer institute (with credit give of course) We do seem sorely behind as teachers trying to keep up with curriculum demands as well as technology demands. Such is the nature of the beast. If we were in the "business" world we would be expected to do the same or most likely lose a job.
After completing the blended learning class a few months ago I feel I am ready to go - to try to start incorporating it into my classroom not as "another thing to do" but instead as a way to more efficiently connect with my students and their parents. I keep reminding myself that even small steps has the potential to have immediate benefits for my students and that most likely they will be my best teachers for what works and what doesn't, for what is useful and what is not useful, what they like and what they hate.
I am hoping that by taking this class with a colleague we will be able to be a support system for each other, learning together, trying the different skills in very different classroom and brainstorming together for new and unique ways to bring "richness" to our lessons.
After completing the blended learning class a few months ago I feel I am ready to go - to try to start incorporating it into my classroom not as "another thing to do" but instead as a way to more efficiently connect with my students and their parents. I keep reminding myself that even small steps has the potential to have immediate benefits for my students and that most likely they will be my best teachers for what works and what doesn't, for what is useful and what is not useful, what they like and what they hate.
I am hoping that by taking this class with a colleague we will be able to be a support system for each other, learning together, trying the different skills in very different classroom and brainstorming together for new and unique ways to bring "richness" to our lessons.
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