Agents of Change...

http://www.edutopia.org/what-teachers-can-do-0

This link is to an article about how teachers can become change agents in their school communities...

I hope everyone has a happy holiday season! ~Michelle

:-) Is 25!

Ok all, I am 100% guilty of re-posting this blog entry, but I feel like we never really had much discussion regarding this issue. I was reminded of my own questions a few months ago when I read this: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/09/18/emoticon.anniversary.ap/index.html

Actually, after reading the rationale behind the :-) emoticon, I found myself relaxing my stance a lot. According to the CNN.com article cited above, this was not the lazy shortcut I'd assumed it was; it was created as an honest attempt to add a bit of personal communication to an otherwise faceless format. Still, I'm re-posting this entry because I'm still interested in a discussion about the use of Internet shorthand.


pls print 2 copies as my wrk machine is down. thks! Ok, all, I have to preface this post with the fact that I personally hate emoticons (those little sideways smiley faces, etc. :) ). I don't believe that many electronic shortcuts can replace the joys of personal communication. I personally loathe the fact that many students have been using "IM-speak" as a tool for writing. But then I realized that I do just the same! Gasp! Yes! I, too, am guilty of taking shortcuts in my daily communications. As I noticed that, I started to wonder if my loathing of grammatical shortcuts was somewhat misinformed. I mean, it seems that I use shortcuts on a daily basis, but I am still able to employ formal English grammar when the situation warrants it. I am rethinking my judgment of students who use similar shortcuts.

For example, they might write, "ur joke was so funny im rol. ttly!" (Your joke was so funny, I am rolling on the floor laughing. Talk to you later.) But truth be told, I remember that when I was in college, a few students who had pagers (hello, old school!) used abbreviations like that too. I know some English teachers bemoan this slang, but lately I've reconsidered it. Maybe students can, and will, differentiate between the types of grammar appropriate to each situation. I am wondering if you teachers of older students have noticed this sort of code-switching going on. Or perhaps you've noticed students' grammar getting progressively worse over the years. What is it, do you think?

Question...

So are we not using our other blog site at all? And if not then will someone show me how to create a blog on wordpress so that it would be an option for the students in Art class to use as well? Thanks!

USA mapping fun

In third grade we have been learning the 50 states and where they are on the map. To facilitate this we have been using a great website that gives a tutorial and then lets them play map games similar to completing a puzzle of the U.S. If you are interested here is the web site. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm

A cool idea for teams...

I have spread the fun of blogging to Molly Doyle... she is in the process of creating blogs to help guide reading with the 5th and 6th grades.

More than likely she will be using wordpress as well, that way when the kids sign into their wordpress account, they will see mulitple blogs that are established for them... And they won't have a like a bahgillion accounts...

6th Grade Blogging

Michelle,

I am curious if a student is asked to present a current event on the blog or if they are taking the initiative and contributing on their own. The topics are very diverse and it appears that a number of students regularly visit the blog and respond. Sanjay's blog caught my eye with the evil monkeys of India and I decided to visit the other stories after reading his. I can't wait to see what they come up with next. Thanks!

Update...

Hey! Molly is awesome and has set up a link in the 6th grade websites for our blog if you would like to check it out... The purpose of our blog in geography is discuss current events. Enjoy!

Another blogging option...

Hello fellow bloggers! I have a classroom blog through wordpress.com. I used blogger last year and because of the google account situation, found it to be hard to keep middle schoolers off google talk (sneaky, sneaky). Anyway, so far, so good! I am using it in geography class as a current events discussion... and the kids have grabbed the ball and ran with it. If you would like to view it you have to have a wordpress account and be invited, so let me know!

I love blogging! :)

You're Right Mya

Probably my biggest fear would be dropping the ball and failing to respond to the parents in a timely manner. My time is so limited and I'm not sure if I would become neglectful of the blog. I wouldn't want to disappoint anyone needless to say myself as well. If I can't figure out how to get past my time constraints, I feel the web page seems easier to manage. Most Kindergarten blogs were for parents only. The children didn't even figure into the equation. I will keep an open mind. But I can guarantee you, I NEED HELP!!!

Hey all,

I agree with both Janet and Molly's assessments...needlessly (or heedlessly, if I'm working to incorporate my students' vocab lessons) complicated things is not what we're after. That being said, I do think blogs can have many practical uses, and I've found that typepad and blogger offer free applications that can work within the classroom. Perhaps they can work better than the Schoolblogs program--the jury's out on that one.

I'm going to try to make the Schoolblogs account current and relevant to the parents and students in class. I guess my fear is that I may drop the ball on this one--my students and their families usually do a great job of embracing whatever tech challenge I give them.

The relevance of the dog picture? None.

Check www.typepad.com and www.blogger.com for easier applications.

Schoolblog

Molly,

I think that part of the problem with trying to learn the school blog program was that listening to the woman on the phone tended to be quite distracting for me. I am such a visual learner and I need to see the progression step by step, possibly taking notes throughout. There was way to much information to absorb in a short period of time. I'm not so sure that blogging in kindergarten is the way to go or if we would be better off with a web page, we can discuss that at a later time. Thanks for setting up this blog.

JT

Hi there,

As Mya so eloquently put it last year in her C.T.I G reflection article:

"We've found some [tools] that worked for us, and some that didn't. Isn't that what life is about? " Those words perfectly sum up the essence of the C.T.I.G- exploration, reflection and assessment. So....with that said...you may have noticed that this blog is not created on SchoolBlog and that is because I have officially give SchoolBlog the raspberry!

However, just because that particular application failed to deliver, does not mean that the concept of using blogs with your students for teaching and learning is out. Actually, SchoolBlog has a lot of neat tools but the interface is just way too complicated. I will share a list of other blog sites with you soon so that you can begin your exploration of using blogs for teaching, learning and communication with students and parents. We will be using this blog to communicate our thoughts, feelings, rants and raves as we dive into the wacky wild world of technology integration. Thanks for wanting to be a part of the C.T.I.G ~ without educators like you all this technology would be useless! :-)