This semester we will be exploring blogging as one way to create a learning community. Initially we will share ideas as a class. Once each of you has received your field experience placements, we will be meeting by grade bands.
The purpose of this initial blog is to make sure everyone can successfully access the blog and post an entry.
Please respond to the following:
1. Have you ever used blogging in an educational setting or seen it used by another teacher? If so, how?
2. Check out Willowdale Elementary School's (Nebraska) website: http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/
The mission of this school is to be a leader in educational technology. To explore how their students and teachers are using technology:
From the Willowdale homepage, select Special Programs, then Technology. Here you will find tabs that highlight how elementary students are using technology. Visit the blogs, willowweb, and one other tab of your choice. For a list of blogs used in other classrooms, visit the grade five tab and select class weblogs.
Choose one example of technology and share how you might use this to develop science and math concepts in your classroom within your gradeband (i.e., K-3 or 4-6).
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44 comments:
Hello! I have used blog as an educational tool (C & I 306), though use was extremely minimal. I am excited to get a better idea of it's educational benifits! pe4ace, kevin cashman
the double-den international e-pal buddies system is cool!
ok, it looks like i'm the only one leaving comments...is the joke on me, or what?
Computers are not on my top ten list of "things I love". This is my first time blogging.
I have used blog as an educational tool as well, in C&I 306. We learned how to set up our blog, and post. Hopefully I will be able to gain more knowledge in blogging over this next semester.
Well, I couldn't seem to get Willow Web open, but I will tell you that Multiplication Matho was very fun AND educational. I think that this game would help students with multipication tables and improve their speed in doing math problems.
In the lower elementary grades using the computer lab would be a great way to develop science and math concepts in my classroom. Students could use educational websites to solve math/science problems, and to further their knowledge in areas taught in the classroom, or topics they would like to expand on.
I have used a blog before in a few classes, but I hardly used it. I think I may like it more after I do it a lot.
I liked how the Willowdale school uses hand held computers. I think I would find this tool very useful in my classroom. Students could quiz one another, look up definitions, as well as use it for over all web use. I, however, really dislike technology... so I would have to become very aquainted with it before I would every hand it to my students.
1. I too have used blogs in an educational setting, although there are many advantages of using blogs in the classroom I think they're are beneficial in communicating effectively with parents. Announcements and reminders can be made quickly without wasting time and materials, as well as being able to avoid the risk of being lost. Also blogs allow parents that otherwise might not have time to visit the school to ask the teacher questions or leave comments/suggestions.
2. My band is K-2 so a lot of these seem quite complicated for the age group, however I believe that emails would be a good way for the teacher to communicate with the students outside of class. For example, the teacher could send students links to math/science learning sites in order to offer an effective learning supplement. The only barrier for whether this could be effective is whether or not the child's parents are willing to assist them.
I used blogging as an educational tool in C&I 306 with Jeff Crews. I hope to enhance my blogging skills this semester.
Handheld computers are an excellent tool for teaching upper elementary. Most kids love technology and these handheld computers seem fun and interactive.
In C & I 306 Jeff Crews introduced us to the wide world of blogging. It seems like a great way to share ideas and communicate with other classmates about in-class topics.
The Willowdale Elementary website is fantastic. It is very easy to navigate through and offers the parents, kids, and teachers seperate sections to share their personal thoughts. I plan on being in the K-2 range so alot of this technology may be a little complicated for them but this website would be a great way to create relationships with parents.
I like most others have used blogging in C&I 306. I think we only used it once though so I am excited to get a better understanding of blogging so that I can use it in my classes when I'm a teacher. I think the students will have fun being able to chat with eachother. expecially younger kids because they want to be able to get on chat rooms and such and our class blog will be a safe environment for them to do this. :)
I have only used a blog once and that was in C&I 306. I had a hard time with it and am not very good at this computer stuff
I also looked at the Willow Web and thought that it was interesting to see how much the school has used technology and how much the students enjoy doing those projects.
I was also introduced to blogging in 306, though I personally haven't used it since then. I do, however, think it's a great educational tool, and I like how Willowdale incorporated it into their website. It's a great way for students to share their work, and it's also a great tool for teachers to help keep parents informed. I also really liked the digital video "news" the kids made--what a great way to make oral reports more interesting for kids, while working on important writing and speaking skills. Some teachers seemed to not have updated their blogs very recently, so that makes me wonder if it's tough for busy teachers to keep the classroom blog current.
I too was introduced to blogging in 306. It is a great way for students and teachers to communicate outside of the classroom setting.
The willowdale site was great! It was very easy to navigate, and would serve as an easy way to keep parents informed as to what their children are learning about. I will be working in the K-3 range and I think some of the technology on this site could be very useful. I think that the handheld computers would be a great tool for developing math and science skills. They can be used for practicing adding and subtracting, looking up definitions, and with word processing students could even keep their own learning logs.
Unlike most of my classmates, I have never blogged before. (I don't think). I haven't taken C&I 306...I believe graduate students take C&I 515, which I haven't done yet. However, this blogging business seems like it's basically similar to a discussion forum on Blackboard.
Well, I am also one of the cool kids who made a blog in C&I 306 but I never kept up with it because I don't really have any reason to. But, I think that once I become a teacher, a blog could be a very good way to communicate to parents as well as students different things that are going on in the classroom.
I really like the Willowdale website and I hope that one day I can teach at a school that has innovations with technology. I am just a huge nerd at heart and I enjoy to do stuff that has technology involved with it. I know that one program that would be pretty cool to use in the classroom would be Google Earth. An example of using it could be showing where in the world a topic is that you are discussing.
Hey hey! The only time I have every seen or let alone heard of blogging being used as an educational tool was in C&I 306. We discussed it in a class session when 4th graders came on a field trip from I want say Drumond. I believe the teacher used it to post comments as well as student achievements in her class in order for parents to see how his or her child was doing in the class. We also learned how to set up our own blog.
Wow! I absolutely loved the Willowdale Elementary School's website! I really enjoyed reading and admiring all of their accomplishments with the use of technology in their classrooms and the entire school. I thought the robotics was really interesting and fun for kids to play and learn with. Technology is very important in this day and age. It is everywhere and I think it's great that kids are learning how to use it and interact with it at a young age.
I would most definitely use blogging as an education tool as a future teacher. I plan on using it for the benefits of the families of my students. I think it's a great and easy way for families to stay interested and active in their child's school life. I would post accomplishments of class as a whole, future plans for the class, important events, field trips, etc. I also saw a 1st grade class blog that showed the students artwork online and I thought that was awesome!
Raenelle Dayton
Although I don't have a burning desire (or a knack) for technology, the student blogs on the Willowdale website are cute and a nice way for the kids to practice a different way of communicating within their classrooms. Like Sage, I also wasn't able to access the Willow Web tab. A couple of the tabs I clicked on froze my computer...two different times. But, I liked the robotics tab. In my 8th grade science class, we had to construct a Rube Goldberg device...it would be neat to incorporate math and science in the construction of a robotic Rube Goldberg device!
P.S. "Technology" can be very frustrating. Especially when one is having problems accessing an important syllabus from an online source. There's something to be said for those good old-fashioned hard copies.
I just realized that maybe the Rube Goldberg device in a robotic form might be a little advanced for the little kids. However, a simpler device would be appropriate for the 3rd-6th grade classes. I think it's a great way to combine math, science, and technology into a school project.
I have used blog twice in the past few years. I used it in C&I 306, as well as in an online course I took a few years ago. I think it's easy to use, and is an extremely effiecient way to communicate with a large group of people.
The Willowdale school site provided several wonderful examples of why we should each incorporate the use of technology into our classrooms. It prepares students for their futures in a technological world, and it opens so many doors for us as teachers. I think by having a classroom website or blog, each child feels special, and like a member of a community. It's also a great way for every child to be heard whether or not they like to speak up in class. Children experience a real sense of pride seeing their photo or work displayed.
I'll be working in the 4-6 range, and could see myself using technology in so many different ways. In SCI 225 last semester we used computers to explore the solar systems and galaxies. I think kids would love to do that! I also really like the idea of having a class camera or video camera so the kids can act like historians and make a record of their class over the course of the year.
1.)In my Instructional Technology class we used blogging a few times. We set up our own blog and posted comments occasionally.
2.) The handheld computers would be great devices to use in the classroom, especially with grades 4-6. You could have the students conduct a science experiment outside and use the handheld computers to collect and store their data in.
1. I am also new to the “blogging” world, while I had 306 we only discussed what a blog was, but never created or used one. I have never actually witnessed a teacher using a blog in his/her classroom, but I have seen lots of various samples of classroom blogs and they seem to be beneficial to the students.
2. Although there is a multitude of technology out there and available for use, I would really like to try and use blogging in my classroom. Since my gradeband is K-3 this semester, I would use this blog more as a place for students to get information and direct access to other complimenting online activities versus a place for the students to publish their work, discuss, or collaborate. This blog would be a place where parents and students could keep updated on what is going on in the class, and more importantly, as a place for direct links to different exciting science and math websites.
There are several different interactive science websites available, (such as NASA’s student website) as well as various math activities and games that I could locate and post for my students that compliment what we are learning in class. Another idea for the older students(3rd grade) is to select one student each week to find and post a math problem solving riddle or brain teaser that all of the other students could try to solve. By giving students a different and enjoyable outlet to practice and use their newly acquired knowledge or skills only solidifies and enhances their understanding of the material.
Even though it may be more difficult for the younger students to access the blog without parental help, I think even the youngest of students sometimes have an easier time “picking up” technology than we do. I do not know if these ideas would actually work the way I intend, but in theory they sound good to me!
I have a few friends that live abroad and maintain blogs to keep friends and family updated on their current happenings. I on the other hand, haven’t had much of an experience (with the exception of C&I 306) with blogging on my own. I do think, from what I know about them, that they can be very beneficial. They promote literacy in the classroom as well as build a safe community that provides a place for students to have an equal opportunity to express themselves. I would like to use blogging in my future classroom as a way of building community and keeping families and their students connected and informed about all the great things going on in the classroom.
So here it is I am making my C&I blog debut, I know it's pretty exciting. I, like everyone else, used blogs in 306. I also have had various different friends that are avid bloggers so I feel that I am an experienced blogger myself. I went and checked out the Willowdale school web page and thought it was fun way for parents to get some insight into what goes on in the class and get access to other resources that are available for them. It is great for other teachers who can look at what goes on and use the ideas to use in their own classrooms. It's always a good idea to get children started on computer skills early now, because of the always increasing use of technology in the schools. If nothing else the website seemed to have a lot of fun activities available for students.
I think I put my blog in the wrong place...
Got it! This is my first time blogging, or even seeing a blog for that matter. I really enjoyed reading some of the 5th grade blogs which described what they were doing each day, like an online journal. However, I was very disappointed that I was not able to play the math, or any games set out for each grade. Math Mayhem was the game that I, oh so badly wanted to play. As a student I always enjoyed games where we were competing against our classmates. This is a great way to do such a thing without the potential for students to feel embarrassed or hurt if they lose in front of their peers. It would be nice to someday have access to online games like this in my own classroom, to keep my students working on their math (or science) skills outside the classroom with a competitive drive.
This is my first time blogging, and as of now, I've never witnessed another teacher blogging, although I'm sure I will. I've always thought it was something people did in secret, like that woman on Capitol Hill who was dishing dirt on politicians. In any case, it seems like something that could be very useful in a classroom. It could be used for Math and Science in a bunch of ways. You could post math problems on the blog, and students could try solving them, or offer tips to those who might be having trouble, etc. It would also be a great discussion forum for students, and would give parents an opportunity to see what their kids are up to.
Well, I think I'm about the 32 person to say that I created a blog in 306, but never actually used it. So here I am trying to figure this whole blogging business out. So far so good.
As far as Willowdale, Love it! As I was reading various teacher blogs I came across this:
3. Several of the students have been ordering double lunches. Of course that is perfectly fine with me, but you are the ones that have to pay for them. I sometimes ask the children if their parents care if they are getting double lunches. If you do NOT want them to, please let them know. I hate to see your lunch account dwindle if you don't want your child ordering a double lunch.
Lets be honest here the teacher parent communication must be strong if double lunches are even being talked about. HA
I think that I could use email in my classroom. What a great way for students to easily communicate with other students across the country. Or even professionals in the community. Students could pose questions, experiments, or problems to other students. Or gain information from professionals. It is a quick hastle free way of communicating.
1. No, I have not seen blogging used in an educational setting.
2. I think that GoogleEarth is an amazing tool for the classroom. Though it is a little above the lower elementary grade band that I will be working with, it would be a great project to have students plan a trip around the world (including math, science, social studies, and reading lessons) using different components of the GoogleEarth Technology. Perhaps the upper elementary students could make an interactive PowerPoint presentation of their trip and present it to the younger students.
Erin Barr
1. I am also one of the many students who were introduced to blogging in C&I 306. I learned what blogs were and viewed a couple of examples, however this is the first time I have participated in a blog myself. As I said I have seen examples of educational blogs, but I have not actually seen another teacher use one. I am excited to learn more about blogging and ways to incorporating them into a classroom setting!
2. The Willowdale Elementary website is amazing! I really liked the class blog. I think having a class blog could be a wonderful resource and helpful tool for parents, students, and teachers. I will be teaching in the K-3 gradeband, so some of the tools on the website may be a little too complex, but many of them could be very helpful. I think I would use a class blog to help open communication with my students and parents. I might post reminders, special events, newsletters, student work, homework, etc. I would also have a space available so my students could post comments and class work that they would like to share.
I have explored blogs a little bit in the C&I 306 class as well. I never actually have experienced being part of a blog but it seems like a great communication tool.
Blogs are a great way for the teacher to keep the parents of their students up to date on what the class is learning.
The Willowdale site seems very benneficial. The teacher could have chidren use hand held computers and they could explore various science and math websites while broadening their technology knowledge.
The only time I have experienced blogging was in C&I 306. I remember thinking the idea was innovative and interesting but have not blogged since. While looking around on the Willowdale Website I was very impressed. It's a great way for teachers to communicate with parents and save paper at the same time. One example of students using technology includes the use of digital cameras to capture pictures and short videos of eachother creating science and math projects. At the end of the year a DVD can be made allowing parents to see the students' progress in a new way.
Like most everyone else, I had a brief encounter with blogging in C&I 306. Other than that, I have never seen this technology used in an educational setting.
The Willow Web site is really amazing. I think that is a great way to bring students, teachers, and parents together in the education process. I really liked the video clips made by the first graders. Since I hope to teach K-3 in the future, this technology could be a great supplement for a lesson. I also thought it was really neat that the teachers and students have e-mail relationships. That is a great way for students to build personal relationships with their teachers and to develop their writing skills.
The only time I have used a blog for educational purposes was in C&I 306, however I have seen many other blogs for personal use.
One of my favorite things I saw on the Willowdale website was a 4th grade blog in which each student posted a vocab word with its definition and a picture of the student acting out the word. I thought this was very unique and could give the students access to technology such as digital cameras and online dictionaries as well as the blog. I think blogs could also be useful for teachers to post assignments and comments for the class.
1. I know people who have personal blogs and also keep blogs for work, so I have spent time reading blogs and am familiar with how they work. I have never actually participated in a blog though.
2. I really enjoy technology and think it's important to include in the classroom. K-3rd graders are not too young to use computers as learning tools and ways of sharing their work. I especially liked the public service announcement videos that one class made. I think these could be a collaborative project for an entire school where the older students work on the editing and the younger students come up with the ideas and learn the basics of making a movie.
I am with Sage, this stuff scares and intimidates the heck out of me. There are just too many passwords to remember these days!
I used was introduced to blogging in C&I 306 but I have never seen it used in any classroom settings.
I checked out the digital video tab under technology and I really liked the videos that the students made. I haven't worked with any grade except kindergarten so it is hard for me to know what the older kids are capable of doing, but I think it would be interesting to use the same concept but with science. So, have the students make a video about a science and or math principle that they have been studying and turn it into a short video that they could then share with the class.
I know this is late, so I wasn't sure if I should post or not. I was having some difficulties with my computer (no excuse, I know.)
So once again it is the beginning of the semester and I think I got it all covered but in actuality I do not. I am a few days late on posting a comment (please don't hold it against me).
So Ive only encountered a blog in my C&I 306 class. There was no internet in my elementary/high schools so it is all fairly intimidating to me.
I enjoyed reading the WillowWeb blog. It is great that you are able to choose from various grades and teachers from one single site. My favorite quote was by a 5th grade girl... "Mrs. Kelley had a discussion with the whole school about how people look and that we shouldn't make fun of them."
I love the "CSI" program that Ms. Hove's class is involved in! This is definately a project that I plan on implementing in my classroom, as it is practical, fun, educational, and easy!
The math and science standards have a handful of similiarites and differences. To re-state what eveyone else has already talked about, one similarity between the two is that they both put a great deal of emphasis on teaching strategies like problem solving, reasoning, analyzing, and developing questions. Next, another similarity that these two standards share is that both of them are split into grade bands and (From Kevin). However, the math bands are split to be much smaller and very specific. The science standards are cut into larger sections and are very broad and open to your imagination. Another similarity between the two is that they both put a large emphasis on individual problem solving. Both subjects encourage hands on activities that are geared away from a teacher centered lesson plan.
I'm really not sure why the math standard doesn't mention anything about teaching the history of mathematics. In my opinion I think it would be a great idea to introduce students to this type of history because it will give them a greater appreciation for what they are doing. I also think if a child knows where a question or idea came from they will understand it better. As Sarah stated, the history of science is an ever changing development that can change in a blink of an eye and is incredibly important to incorporate in a classroom. However, the history of mathematics could be used in the same way I feel. During my Math 130 course we learned about the hisory of pie and it really helped me understand it better.
My question is... Because the science and math standards seem to be quite long how are teachers suppose to cover all of these without doing injustice to other subjects? Throughout college we have taken ART, DANCE, DRAMA, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, MUSIC and every teacher keeps saying that we have to incorporate these into the classroom or else the kids are getting the shaft. It just seems that there are not enough hours in the day
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