Thing 7A Wonderful Wiki's

I think I'm getting the concept of Wiki ---- My daughter is participating as a student in one of her classes. I like the example of the camping trip used in the introduction of the WIKI -- part of what made it understandable for me it the finality of it. It doesn't just keep going and going indefinitely. I like closure... set a goal and complete the mission. I'm interested in pursuing the Horizon Project
to find out more about incorporating technology into wiki's. I also enjoyed viewing the content related to the Presidential Election What a great way to share ideas and insights about classmates' opinions in a constructive way. The quizzes and plethora of information probably became informative to many students; keeping the election more purposeful instead of just a popularity contest. The wiki my daughter is participating in through her AP History Class has also been resourceful for me as a parent to view the opinions of the her classmates, and to allow me to keep up with the content being discussed in class.

Thing 5a

WOW! I feel ADHD -- I keep hopping from one good article to the next. This will take some getting used to! I love the fact that we have the world at our fingertips -- but I tend to like to keep things simple to enable myself to not get so involved that I can't get my arms around my world. This will definitely be a process. I love learning -- but I need to be able to categorize my information in order to make it accessible when it becomes relevent to life for me. My reader doesn't seem to be acquiring much new information -- I hope I've done it properly. Gotta go check out more info....

RSSing Thing 3

WOW! After adding the websites to my Google Reader, I browsed through the plethora of information! It's overwhelming! I will have to get used to the idea of being okay with not being able to keep up. One thing that I love about Barrow County newspaper is that it comes only twice a week. It is easier for me to be successful at keeping up with reading the newspaper when it is less frequent like that. This will be challenging for me to be satisfied with my inability to keep up with the news gravitating to my reader!

As for the tech news I was reading -- I'm also very interested in the future of education from a technical standpoint. I realize the desire for students to spend time on the internet to keep up through social networking. I am encouraged by the shift in thinking that encourages students towards the new area of academic networking (as is stated in the article, "What are the pros, cons, and safety aspects of social networking? By Terry Freedman". The article supports the need for teaching "netiquette" to students - giving them parameters for utilizing the web in an educational setting.

I am looking forward to using my google reader to continue to be up on the news of the day - even if there is more news than I can possibly keep up with.

Thing 2: To blog or not to blog?!

Due to the relaxed, conversational genre blogging provides, students will most likely be more open to reading and writing in the context of blogs than textbooks and workbooks. Students already utilize the facebook/myspace quizzes constantly and maybe this could easily transition them into a more purposeful internet experience like blogging.

While reading blogs, it is crucial to remember that the content is not usually fact, but instead is the writer's opinion created through their passion about the subject at hand. The reader should critically engage in the article so as not to become indoctrinated.

Blogs are most useful when readers contribute to the blog by responding in a meaningful way. This interactive aspect of blogging engages the readers in learning. This causes the readers to turn into writers as they inquire for more clarification and also converse with others who are posting. This ability to collaborate empowers all readers/writers to take ownership and develop their own resolve about the subject as is supported by the following blog: http://anne.teachesme.com/2007/01/17/rationale-for-educational-blogging/

This type of learning is much more beneficial to the students than the traditional rote-memory type learning because it fosters critical thinking and individual response. Therefore, I agree with the Fisch in his blog regarding the need for teachers to become technologically minded; hence my participation in this class. http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/09/is-it-okay-to-be-technologically.html And I am impressed with his school's list of class websites!