Bloglines

Using bloglines is so convenient and reading blogs that I am subscribed to are easy to read. I want to comment on the blog Moving at the Speed of Creativity. and the article Numeracy and Reading Development with the iPhone Weather App posted by Westley Fryer. He writes about motivation and how his daughter, who is 5 and is fascinated with his iPhone. She likes to use the weather application and she announces the weather in their city and cities that they have family in.

Fryer explains how it is important to be a good teachers at home, as well as school. His daughter is in kindergarten and he uses the example for morning circle time. He thought it would be very interesting if the teacher had an iPhone and a student can give the forecast for their city and other places all over the world. I think this is such a fun activity and a great way to use technology at a young age. As educator we need to be creative, Not everyone carries an iPhone but we do have computers in school where we can have the students look up the weather or news and share it with the class. Finding creative ways to teach basic things is important. But most of all, finding ways to motivate your students to learn is the challenge.

I did enjoy this blog and the blogs that I have saved on my blogline.

Social Networking

I was trying to find a group that can help me balance being a mom and becoming a teacher. I found that many women balance parenthood and a professional career. The group I thought that was interesting to me was Hybrid Mom. I can pick up tips and join different groups with mothers that share common similarities and I won't feel like the only women on earth carrying a load.

Hybrid Mom offers many discussion boards and blogs. They have many different groups and you can create your own page. They feature a different hybrid mom every week and they have their own magazine. I find this social network worth joining.

Connectivism

A learner is like a quilt, the more pattern blocks added, and the different fabric it holds is like the mind.

The more we learn and the different ways we learn, builds a beautiful display of knowledge. No one can stop the quilt maker from adding as much patterns to the quilt and us as learners don’t need to stop adding information to our minds. As we learn, we are gaining an unlimited amount of data and we can store as much as we want. As the quilt grows, it becomes an amazing work of art and as the information needed changes, so can the pattern of our quilt.

According to George Siemens “the likelihood that a concept of learning will be linked depends on how well it is currently linked” (2005, January). The way we link our quilt together depends on how well we understand the concept of learning. Also with our quilt we can add different patterns to fit the times. As Siemens explains in his video “The Network is the Learning”, he said “what we know today is not as important as our ability to stay current”. So the information today is not as vital as what the information need to be known for tomorrow. When we add new patterns to our quilt, it is important that are patterns are current, so we can build with the trends.

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning

The Network is the Learning

Three Ways I Can Use Blogs In My Classroom

Creating my own blog and reading the textbook has made me want to know so much about blogs. I find that using blogs can be a great reinforcement for learning in the classroom. Blogs are a great way to be a connection portal for your students and be a guide for learning.

1) Posting classroom materials such as calenders, syllables, homework assignments, examples of previous students assignments for students to use as a guide, and reminders for students that assignments are due. These posts can be a great time saver, students can go to the blog, find their answers or ask questions about assignments and we don't have to use classroom time.

2) I love the idea of having a portfolio, I find it so important for students to look back at their work to see their progress, and for me as the teacher to have an easy access to see progression is a portfolio for me as well. Having students post certain writing assignments or projects online can help the student really consider their work, knowing that their work is seen by their classmate, parents, other teachers and so many people can feel like an accomplishment. This also can get students to really put time in their assignments.

3) Creating a book club.... move over Oprah. What a great idea... really connecting thoughts about reading with your students or students from the entire school can be a great learning essential. How hard is it to get thoughts from your students in your classroom about readings (do we have all the time in the world... most likely no). But a Blog... what a time saver once again. It is so important to get students to read these days but linking them with students that have the same interest in books, having them post their own reviews, and sharing their opinions, can open up a world of ideas.

Coming from me.. I thought I would never start a blog, or the thought of using blogs in my classroom but it is an amazing change in the educational field. It can be so helpful and it has got me sold. Can't wait to learn so much more.

Hissen