THING 6 AND 7

WHEW! I know this is good for my middle-aged brain, but what a challenge! It's information easily learned, especially with practice, and I'm thrilled to be entering into the modern world of technology! Noticing that my blog was not listed on the class roster, I searched online to verify it had been preserved. After stressing and retyping passwords, user names and code words, I finally figured out I had made one small substitution, using a slash mark instead of the number one, therefore reminding me of a basic lesson in life, write neat enough so it can be read! No modern technology in the world can save you time if you don't have the basics down. It was enlightening to read that others in the class were a little apprehensive in the beginning and also I was impressed with some blog pages designs :)

THING 5

I'm suddenly feeling as if I just stepped out of the spaceship into a new world and am wondering how I could ever orchestrate the use of the new technology available. The MP3 Player sounds familiar only because I have two college kids. I've always wanted to get one but just haven't taken the time. Maybe I'll do that soon.

After reading the information, I can see how useful the Podcasts and wiki sites can be for educators, students, parents, etc. I love the idea of having the classroom environment available for parents to participate in via the podcast. Also, having everyone involved in the student's education connected (peer to peer, teacher to teacher, teacher to administrator, librarian to school calendar) only can make learning stronger and easier.

I think that after I am comfortable with creating podcasts, blogs and whatever wiki sites are, I probably will try to take advantage to enhance communication and learning. In the past, I have put into practice new ideas (classroom webpage) once I understood them so I'm looking forward to learning more about all of this.

THING 4

My most common memory of education is of a teacher usually standing in the front of the room while the students compile page after page of notes and then later take the weekly test to see what we memorized. I can still hear the clicking of the projector as the movie reel turns around and lulls me to sleep. We spent a lot of time sitting in our desks, pulling out the next textbook and turning the pages. Normally we were encouraged to remain silent and always raise our hands with comments. Once in a while we were able to work as a group or create something spectacular using the material we were studying. We relied heavily on dictionaries and encyclopedias when looking up correct spellings or studying the countries of the world.

Teachers today realize the importance of movement being included in the curriculum and delivering materials in a diversified manner, meeting the needs of all individual learners. Students are exposed to materials using different methods of delivery and synthesizing such as hands-on manipulation, small and large groups, visually and auditory, and so on. Modern technology has enabled them to experience vast amounts of information from computer sources and utilize equipment for further learning (digital cameras, smart boards, phonic ears, cd's and dvd's, etc.). When reporting on countries around the world, students today can speak with citizens from that country, conduct speedy research, and access tons of current information.

Education has truly been enhanced with the additional modern technology, but the basic premise of education is still the same. Students need to comprehend, understand and utilize the information, they need to problem solve and be able to synthesize materials, memorize, and carry the knowledge with them for future learning.

THING 3

Okay, creating the blog up was easy. Next would be the fun challenge of composing material to place into that space. I have read blogs before and enjoyed the information presented in them. At one time, my son had a blog where he expressed his political opinions. Another teacher in my district recently constructed and maintained a blog about her tremendous weight loss.

Since I am a person who LOVES to talk, the opportunity to write down thoughts and ideas is very appealing. I would worry that I might get too comfortable and release too much information and I also consider the fact that what gets on the web, stays on the web.

Otherwise, it's an exciting adventure and I am looking forward to using it as an educational and communication tool.

Wow! Blogging is so much easier than one could imagine!!! This would be a great resource for printing child development information or parent tips.