Final Blog Posting

This course has helped me to develop my own technology skills as a professional teacher in many ways. I never had done blogging before nor did I even know how to set one up. A google reader, that was the thing that I had the most difficulty with. I couldn't figure out what was supposed to be linked and how to set it up. But I have to say that since I have done this, it is amazing how easy it is.

I have learned that the teaching and learning process goes together. As the students learn in new ways and with new tools, the teachers also have to come up with new innovative ways to keep the students attention. Another thing that I have learned to accept is "if you can't beat them, join them." Yes, I know that we cannot give into everything that they do and is into, but I do think we could find a way to involve them through technology with the resources that they already use!!

There were many ways that my perspective from teacher-centered to learner-centered has changed in that before I do anything in the classroom right now, I think, "is this going to benefit the children?" I want to make sure that the students can get the most out of it that they can so that the impact of learning is top priority. Then I also am finding myself thinking "can all children learn through this?" Our learning can expand by continuing our education and keeping up on the up and coming technology. By taking master's classes like we are, that will keep our technology awareness and skills up to date.

I have two goals of transforming my class. My first goal is to start a "blog" for my class with a variation of different subjects that the parents could participate in it also. I would like to create a blog of all different subjects and content areas. It'll take a while to set up and train the kids as well as the parents on it. I would also love it if our school started up a blog for parents as a communication tool. I also would like for my students to be responsible for setting up a website for our class. It would also take sometime, but I think it is possible!!! I would have to slowly introduce the children to blogging, and setting up wiki's and/or a website. There are a lot of avenues that can be traveled through this, and I am willing to try each one until I get success! Really none of my answers changed from my original list. I feel I have gained a knowledge in order to try and attempt many things.

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Evaluating 21st Century Skills

The Partnership or 21st Century Skills is the leading advocacy organization (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php) focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. My reaction is still that of amazement that this is what is going on and I was unclear of all the ins and outs of this. It was a user friendly website and did give quite a few snap shots of how these particular things work, just not as detailed as I would like.

Just as students can deepen their knowledge when teamed with their peers in the classroom, students can broaden their prospective of the world through relationships with international counterparts. (http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=164) This will allow them to navigate globally later in life.

The thing that I disagreed with was the states that were associated with this and that only 11 states were on this list. Looking at this for the first time, and reading all the emphasis they are doing to coordinate government and schools and get everyone together, one would assume that all 50 states would be applicable to this. Once these 11 get with the program what will happen to the other 41 states? Who will catch them up while the first 11 get ahead?

Georgia is not on the list of 11 states, but there is no reason why I cannot go ahead and start implementing these strategies in my classroom. Once Georgia gets on the list, I would like to think that because I advocated being a contemporary educator, my students (regardless of what grade they were in) would be a step above the learning curve of technology wherever it may fall at that moment. The ICT/Global awareness is something that will be implemented in my class next year; it can be achieved at different levels and made age appropriate. My students will benefit greatly from these new skills and I feel as they go to middle school, highschool and college, they will feel more confident in themselves and the amount of technology they have been taught to better them for their future.

Utilizing Blogs in the Classroom

This would be my first time blogging or even posting! I think that starting a blog for students can open up to a world of opportunities. I would probably start off by having the students blog about what interests them and how they learn best. I would show them examples of what are proper and improper ways of "answering blogs." Something that has had an impact on my previous students is showing them the wrong and right ways of doing something (it doesn't matter what subject is being taught).

When children blog all in the same area, this could be available for the parents to see their work firsthand. I think that blogging enhances the lesson because if there are children that do not want to raise their hands and "speak" in class, would most likely write more in depth and share more on the blog vs in the classroom. I was one of those children. I would much prefer to write something than to publicly speak in front of anyone! Since then, I have overcome my fear of raising my hand, but it might ease children into it!

The grade I would use it in would be 4th grade, and I would give the children a writing prompt. Starting with something easy to get them used to the blogging atmosphere like what they would like to be when they grow up and why. I would then have them respond to a certain number of classmates, commenting on their career choice. I feel this would be something that each child could relate to each other about. I think every child has thought at one time or another about what they want to be "when they grow up." My rubric would consist of how well they made comments on each others post and how well their writing was. I have always had children that could explain themselves better with writing, than have to answer multiple choice. This is where the future is going, and I believe that the sooner they are exposed to it the better.