February 1st 2011

Google Reader

            For the longest time I have been wondering what RSS stood for and what it did. Many of my favorite websites offered this feature and I never took advantage of it. To start off Kyle and I spent some time watching videos that explained to us that RSS stood for Real Simple Syndication.  The videos also explained to us how to navigate Google Reader, which is one of the websites that uses RSS technology. This website allows you to view all of the articles/posts that were placed on all of your favorite websites, all from one location.

As I began subscribing to all of my favorite websites on Google reader, I realized that I had been missing out on an awesome tool. In the past I would have had to search through ESPN’s website in order to find articles that weren’t on their main page. Now all I have to do u is sign into Google Reader and it finds the articles for me. The best parts about this tool are the ease at which information can be accessed and all of the information that comes up can be individualized, it’s what you want to read or learn about. Since last class when I set up my Google Reader page, I have checked or read article that it found, at least once a day. I am really happy to have started using this tool.

I feel that this tool can be used in the classroom in various ways. In my High School government class each student had to present three current topics articles, throughout the entire semester. Google Reader could have been very useful for helping me to find these articles. This tool would also be use full if you wanted all of the students to make blog posts, and then comment on their classmates. The students could use Google reader to subscribe to their classmates blogs, so they could easily access all of the posts from one single page.

I have really grown to enjoy this tool, and would recommend it to anyone.

January 25th Post

            Learning occurs all of the time outside of school, whether it’s through experiences, friends, family, and even mistakes. I have learned many skills from my father, because whenever he was doing work around the house or in our yard, I would help him. By listening, watching, and trying for myself I learned how to many skills that are necessary for up keeping a home. I feel people can learn a lot from their mistakes. This past semester, I tutored four 8^th grade students from South Mountain Middle School in Pre-Algebra. One of my lessons was a traditional style review, where students would work on several problems and I would help them when they were stuck, and eventually review the questions. Suffice it say that this lesson was not very successful, so I knew that I need to do something differently. The following week I had the students pair up and each grab a dry erase board and marker. During the review I gave them problems to solve and when everyone was finished I reviewed their answers and helped anyone who was stuck. I then awarded each team two points for each correct answer, and one point for finding their mistakes, and then correcting them. I wanted the students to learn from their mistakes, like I did with the first review lesson. Thankfully this lesson went much better than the first one, and the students, performed well on their test.

            Technology plays a large role in everyday life, and it especially affects how people learn. “Of all the writing that the Stanford students did, a stunning 38 percent of it took place out of the classroom—life writing, as Lunsford calls it. Those Twitter updates and lists of 25 things about yourself add up.” This quote from the New Literacy Article is a perfect example of the tremendous role that technology plays in everyday life. This quote show that the Stanford students are writing on their own free time. This is really important because I feel that the best way to become a better writer is through writing, and these students are in a sense using technology to become better writers. Teaching needs to continuously change to meet the needs of students whose lives are intertwined with technology. I feel that it will be important for teachers and schools to use technology in ways that make the students excited, and motivated to learn. 

 

January 20th

            I consider great teaching and learning to be when a classroom works a cohesive unit, in order to better benefit all of its members. I feel that teachers and students should work together as new understandings and meanings are created. I also believe the teacher should be open to learning from the students. To me great teaching and learning is the sharing of knowledge between the teacher and students. My most memorable learning experience is with my 9^th grade biology teacher. He presented the course material in fun and charismatic way. He took a subject matter that is intimidating to many students, and made it accessible to everyone. Many of the students laughed with him during his lectures. I admire his ability to lighten the class mood and still keep the students focused and on task. His room was really well decorated and created an open and welcoming environment.

            There are several challenges that teachers are currently facing. School districts and the general public are always pushing to get new technologies in place in classrooms, but many teachers don’t know how use them in their classes. Some teacher even feel that some of the technological devices are just more work for teachers. I feel that if teachers are educated about new technological aids, they will reap many benefits in their classrooms. During one of my field experiences I had the students come up one by one to the SmartBoard, and select answers during a review game. The students really enjoyed interacting with this piece of technology, and it helped them fully engage the material. Current generations of school age students possess a very high level of technological proficiency. Therefore I feel that it is very important for teachers to keep up with their students, to better meet the students’ needs.

First Class Post

So this is how you create a blog.