Classroom 2.0

I just joined NING, a social network. It was new to me and I did search for a group that would interest me. Right now I am trying to improve my technology knowledge as a teacher so I checked out Classroom 2.0. I liked that this site welcomed "beginners".

Current forum topics talked about one site that had a rubric for blogs. As we are creating blogs for my class and discussing using blogs with our students, it will be important to consider if we are assessing the blogs.

I have also been looking into doing a study with SMART Boards after some reading in that area. There is a discussion going on right now about how teachers on this group are using them in their classrooms.

This looks like an active group that where teachers discusse current topics in technology. As a beginner, I could learn a lot from joining in.

Textbook!

My textbook has arrived and I am going to get started on more assignments.

The top three ways I can use blogs to increase student learning as a college professor are:

1. reflect on my own teaching in my blog- I have always put notes in plan books and tried to reflect on daily lessons but have not always been successful in documenting my experiences. Keeping a blog would give me an area to be reflective and keep all of my ideas in one place. Using technology to reflect makes sense as I spend a lot of time on my laptop right now. It is more practical than a traditional journal. I learn a lot for determinign what went well in a lesson and what I would change if doing the same lesson again. Sometimes I realize that my sequencing should be modified, that a different assessment tool would have been more appropriate, or that my lesson objectives need to be changed if I teach that lesson again. My own blog could be used as an example for my students to encourage them to also become reflective teachers.

2. have student discuss classroom activities and how to apply strategies in their own teaching - I have done this using Blackboard and it has been a wonderful forum for students to discuss their learning. The drawback of Blackboard is that that discussion board is not accessable to students after the semester is over. A blog would allow students a more permanent discussion forum. It would also allow people outside of the class to participate in discussions.

3. having students learn how to set up their own blogs to determine if they are a resource they want to use as future teachers - I like to expose my students to different instructional strategies. This is a great way to integrate technology into both my class and to show my students ways they can utilize this as a way that benefits their students. I believe that having my own blog will show them more than just tell them. Good role models show examples and use a hands-on approach to teaching. I want my students to see my own use of what I am teaching and have the opportunity to experience it themselves. That is effective teaching.