Slow and Easy Wins the Race?

As we work more with wikis and learn about the versatility of blogging, I am finding myself more interested in the potential to use this technology in my classroom. Of course, we will need to iron out the kinks - how do we avoid some of the pitfalls of students doing things on the blog that will come back to "haunt" them? How do we prevent them from writing things that will cause problems with their peers? And, how will we help those whose writing skills leave them behind the eightball?

I would like to find subjects that can be investigated through my blog. Perhaps, for instance, rather than struggling through the processes to create a lovely and personal blog site, one of my peers might be able to offer some support. I am doing some of the reading and researching on my own, but having a peer to guide me makes learning even more fun.

I am struggling with the technology and learning the language. I can imagine how my students must feel as they go through the learning process in my classroom. But, I can remember when the other work associated with this cohort was also difficult for me albeit second nature to many of my peers.

I will continue to read... continue to learn... and hope to enjoy the process!

Growing in the name of blogging...

As I received my Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts book in the mail I felt obligated to dig in and begin reading. Unfortunately, the holiday weekend is very much needed and I haven't had as much time available to devote to my reading as I would have liked. But, the reading that I have done has started me thinking about blogging in a different way. I currently have been blogging in a kind of diary way... putting my thoughts on paper. What I feel that I will eventually hope to be able to do is to blog for the purpose of sharing information and growing with others in discussing the information.

I have experienced reflections journals (where I write what I feel about what I am studying and submit the journal to my professor). But, the reflective process was a little lost as the reflections were collected. I am hoping that blogging will give me more immediate feedback. Hopefully, I will grow to where I can include links and serious thought to my required blog. I am actually thinking about starting a family blog so that I can be in touch with my children. They can even help me by including pictures and things - they are truly technically saavy!

I think about many situations where blogs would be helpful and even maybe fun... I had a colleague share her powerpoint on slang... I will share it with others... maybe it will grow and become something that other English teachers will share with their students. Hence, the blogosphere!

Should young people be committed to a medium that might be used later in life to harm them? When one is young, one may write things that they would rather forget about once they have matured. The internet would be unforgiving, holding this electronic memory forever! Shouldn't we be teaching our students in an environment where they are safe from public viewing? Shouldn't we help the student to learn in a place where they can feel safe and secure experimenting?

I want to run to my children's myspace and facebook pages and warn them that someday, someone might pull up the page from May 27th 2007 and it may have a hedious picture of you on the beach with some wild-eyed bunch of your best buddies acting in a way that you don't want the selection committee at the State department to see ;o) ... I have taught my children to be cautious crossing the street, be careful with fire, and so on. Now, how do I teach them about something that is foreign to me?

Ramblings...

One of the things that I like most about blogging is that I can talk about anything that I want and no one, not anyone at all interrupts me. I could really get involved in some sort of rambling and find myself talking endlessly, never really saying anything of importance.

But, as a teacher, this is fun because most of the time so many people (my students) are listening to me and I have to be sure that what I am saying is right and that they are understanding me and that it is clear enough for them to go off and do it on their own... SOL

feel stress? ... just BLOG.

My Welcoming Entry

This blog promises to be a place where my many insights about what I am learning this semester will fall. I look forward to learning about blogging, wikis, and podcasting and hope to become a new expert user. I can imagine that blogging will help me to reflect on my experiences as I learn new things and I expect great things this summer. I must admit that I am worried that I will have difficulty keeping up with my more experienced colleagues who are already on board with much of this technology. I imagine that I will be like a child, investigating the new and enjoying the exploration...