Thing # 9: Wiki's - what a beast!

Whew! I am so glad to be done with that! This was the most intense "thing" so far. Maybe because of all the different instruction pages or maybe just because there was sooo many steps!

Anyhow, I feel accomplished and like I actually learned something I could use! And I have to admit...it was a little fun :-) I am looking foward to adding more stuff to my sandbox page.

Thing #8 - What in the world is a wiki?

Wiki's seem very fun and useful for teachers and students! The majority of them seemed the same, but one feature I really liked was the fact that you could put your lesson plans and PowerPoints online for students to view, especially absent students. On the Dr. Reich's Chemistry Wiki, he had all his lesson plans and Powerpoints available. This resource could really eliminate the excuse of being absent or "I lost my notes."

One thing I have learned throughout the last few years of teaching is that kids LOVE to see their work exhibited regardless of their age! On the Salute to Seuss wiki there was an abundance of student work shown and there was even a link called "student gallery." This could be a wonderful way to encourage students to do their best because their work would be published for hundreds of people to see!

The Room 15 Wiki was by far the coolest wiki listed!! This wiki is pretty much A-MAZING! If I were to ever make a wiki this is how I would want mine to be! I am such a neat-freak and love lists and organization, and this wiki is very organized and simple to maneuver through. I think my favorite part of this wiki was the "student blogs." It's always interesting to see what students are writing about - they are so funny and some are really good writers! I mean this wiki is full of tools! I only wonder how long it took this teacher to do this and how much time is spent updating it? And where in the world does this teacher get the time to do it?? I mean this wiki is freakin' awesome, but there is no way I would have the time for it! I guess I could always start small and add a little each six weeks...or maybe have one project every six weeks that requires my students to add to the wiki. It would be a work in progress, but I could definitely see it being incorporated to my classroom.

Thing #7 - Commenting

To me comments are sometimes the most informational part of the blog! It's like teaching - you teach a tough topic and Susie has a blank stare. Well then little Johnny explains it to Susie and she is like "ohhhh - I get it!" Blogs are usually pretty easy to read through but the comments back up the information and break it down a little more. After reading through the comments on a blog I usually feel a little better about what it is talking about.

I like getting comments on my page! :-) So I will try to post comments on my classmates page...there is nothing like a little pick me up!

Thing #6 - Feed your reader!

I ran across one blog where the author discussed her trip to Qatar and her experience and new knowledge! Her blog reminded me of my own trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I think the sad thing is many of our students will never experience what I and this girl experienced, and that was life outside of our own "world". You find out so much about yourself and life when you travel to another country. Words cannot explain the feeling and emotions. Although some of our students may not be able to ever travel out of the country, I think they can learn a great deal just by volunteering their time in the community. Even if it is a trip to a nursing home...when you help others you really learn about "life", and that is knowledge you cannot always receive within the walls of a classroom!

One of my "fun" feeds is connected to a NBA blog-site. This year's all-star weekend was interesting! Dwight Howard is pretty much awesome! He is talented and hilarious. I guess I never realized how funny he was, but he got many laughs out of me this weekend! Watch a you-tube video of his dunks from this weekend if you have time - HILARIOUS and the boy has mad skills! :-)

Thing #4 - Read, Read, Read!

Many blogs are casual, sarcastic and funny! Some are serious, but I would say the majority are very similar to a conversation you would have on the phone. I think commenting is important because it extends on ones ideas and generates more thoughts. I know it helps me think of new ideas.

I agreed with the no homework blog whole-heartedly! When I first started teaching I loved grading papers with all my different colored pens, but soon realized it was not so fun! The sad thing is I could already tell you who was going to make an A, B or D before grading a single paper! The author is completely right - your A and B kids are going to do the homework when they don't really need the extra practice and your C and D kids are not going to do the homework when they are the ones who need it! I think the important thing is to find some other way to get those less-motivated kids involved during class, rather than out of class.

I also enjoyed reading the PowerPoint blog. I had my students complete a six weeks project last six weeks and a number of them created Power Points. A few of them did an excellent job, but many of them had slides full of words, little color and no images! BORING! The suggestions this author made were great, and I appreciated the links which lead to images, etc. to use in Power Points.

Thing #5 - Making decisions...

A blog that I found interesting was about an 18 year old who thinks it's crazy for someone her age to be able to tell you what they are going to do for the rest of their lives! I agree! I am 24, have my bachelors and masters, have taught for 3 years and still have no idea what I am going to do for the rest of my life. I do think you have to at least know what your interests are so that you can have an idea of what you want to major in, but even then, your major does not decide what you are going to do for the rest of your life! This student in particular is very sarcastic and pretty funny! :-)

Thing #2 - Thoughts about Web 2.0

Technology is so important these days, and we as teachers have to be on board with technology or our students are going to run off into the "techno" world without us! Teenagers are hooked on technology now more than ever. We live in a world of iPods, cell phones, and computers. I mean for goodness sake, just watch the next teenager at a restaurant and see how many times they look at their phone? Better yet, see if any of them are wearing their iPods?

I feel like I know a lot about technology, but there is still so much to learn! I am excited about what this class has to offer and learning new strategies to take back to my classroom. I just recently did a survey with my students and 98% of them strongly agreed that they preferred using technology in class more than paper and pen. Our kids are begging us to incorporate these "fun" activities into our curriculum and I am hoping this class will help me do just that!

On a personal level, it's fun to keep up with friends and family through technology, and extremely convenient!