Cool Cat Teacher Blog
The Subject:
Vicki Davis has been working on a lot of blogs this last month. Some of the topics that she has written about are digital citizenship, copyright infringement laws in Ireland and Flat Classrooms. This is a blog that I will continue to follow after this class has completed as Davis provides information and insight on several aspects of technology that may not be as commonplace to those who are new to the education but are useful nonetheless.
My participation:
The blog post "What is the deal with this Ning thing? (Reflections on the End of Free Networks)" caught my attention because it sounded like a Seinfeld joke. I had never heard of Ning, but after some research, I found out that this website builds social networks, and it is heavily used amongst educators. There is a separate section specifically for educators to gather and and share information. The reason for this blog is that Ning is removing access to free services, which directly affects educators who use this website as apart of their classroom teaching, the school who uses the website to keep parents updates and the students, who have access to other students and their teachers outside of the classroom in case issues arise with homework, etc. My comment on this topic was one from a unique perspective in that I see both sides of the argument as I currently work in advertising and and I also am studying to be a teacher. I feel that companies who are profit based are entitled to earn that profit, especially in the economic times that we have been facing. However, I feel that these companies should have "piggy banks" set aside from pro bono work, especially when it comes to education, to help offset costs.
My Learning:
The first thing I learned is that there are several free services available to educators that can enhance their work with the students while keeping them in touch with other educators to share ideas, etc. My company does pro bono work and sometimes it gets put on the back burner in order to accommodate a paying client. I do think that companies should be conscious of usage based on educational purposes since schools most often do not have the funds to provide services that aren't free. Communities, and social network sites such as Ning fall into that category, have an obligation to the students to help teachers in anyway that they can. I think that future educators such as myself need to take advantage of the free services that are available on the internet in order to make the classroom experience more valuable to the students.
Hope Foundation
The Subject:
The blog that I enjoy following the most is the Hope Foundation. They are focused on the student and the teacher as individuals and discuss topics that are more personal than other sites.
My Participation:
I initially started to comment on another post done a few weeks ago on gender wars, but then Mark Stock, the site's resident blogger, posted a topic yesterday that I think was very important to future educators, as well as educators who have been in the field for a long time. The blog, titled "Why do we go to work when times are tough", looks into what motivates the educators to get up every day and walk onto what some would call a battlefield, especially when it feels like the battle is being lost. My comment is, again, one from a unique position as I have been in the corporate world since I graduated college 8 years ago. I feel that what will keep me going is the same thing that is driving me to make this career change: the ability to make a difference in the life of a student. I get up every day for my current job because I am thankful to have a job. However, I am choosing a new career path into the education world because I am tired of not making a difference that matters. Children, especially those who have the desire to learn but maybe not the means, are the ones that I will get up for every day.
My Learning:
My father has been a high school math teacher for over 30 years, and I sometimes wonder what makes him get up every day, to do the familiar drive to his school, to walk to the familiar classroom that he has been teaching in, and how he manages to deal with teenage boys without killing them. This last part being the most important HAHA. I am confident in my motivation to change careers and to be an educator. I feel that I have much to bring to the classroom and I am eager to begin. I think that my fellow classmates and I need to keep our focus and constantly remind ourselves of the reasons why we chose the path of education after starting a career in another field, especially when times get tough. We need to keep the faith in our abilities and in the abilities of our students.
Bionic Teaching
The Subject:
Bionic Teaching is a fun blog that brings technology to the masses from the tried and tested perspective of Tom, the sites resident blogger. His posting are more sporadic than most other blogs (only 4 in the last month), but they feature topics such as 21st Century teaching technology and how to get on board to elementary math.
My Participation:
The blog titled "BattleDecks (Queensland Rules)" piqued my interest- I've never heard of BattleDecks before and it sounded like it could be both entertaining and educational in one. After some research, I found out that BattleDecks is like karoke but with Power Point. A person or a team has to present Power Point presentations to an audience without having seen the slides first. Tom incorperated this into the classroom setting, giving the students 30 minutes to prepare a 2-3 minute presentation on a predetermined topic using 20 photos and only 10 words total. My comment on the idea was that even though I was new to the interactive world in the education realm, this would be a great way to get students thinking outside the box and creatively. It will also help them get over some social stigmas, such as speaking in public, etc.
My Learning:
Once again, as I am currently working at an advertising agency which is world renown for it's interactive trailblazing and out of the box creativity, I am in a unique position to utilize aspects of technology that normally wouldn't be incorporated in the classroom setting. Having this background knowledge of non-classroom entities allows me to present ideas and concepts in ways that most students have not seen before.
Each of these blogs has helped me grow as a future educator. I am excited for what lies ahead and I feel that I have been well armed with an arsenal of ideas that will only aid in the students learning.
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