Reflecting

When I reflect back on the past eight weeks and the course material covered, I am amazed with all the skills I have gained.  I have learned to create a blog, wiki and a podcast, and I have learned a great deal about the benefits of using technologgy in the classroom.  I also received a sense of relief to know that I am not the only teacher who is facing road blocks when it comes to gaining new technology to use in my classroom.  So many districts seem to be struggling with funding these new advances.  I am also reassured when I hear that other teachers are having trouble recriuting fellow colleagues to join in this movement, and that they are experiencing the same frustrations with finding time to integrate and explore all the technology that we want to.

I will continue to expand my knowledge of technology in the classroom in several ways.  For starters I am continuing with courses that will help me to learn all I can about using technology in the classroom.  I will continue to explore the links that my group and the other groups posted on their wiki boards.  These boards have websites that are proven to be beneficial to students and teachers both. 

One goal I am setting for myself is to try to begin a book club with my reading groups in the form of a blog.  I am starting slow with one of my reading groups, but hope to add more groups as the year progresses.   By doing this I am teaching the students and allowing them practice with those 21st Century skills that are so important for them to have.

Other goal I am setting for myself is to continue to strive to learn more about how technology with help my students.  I also feel it is important to gain as many supports both in my school and the district to help as many students as we can.   With more supports of integrating and using technology, maybe some funding can be found to provide teachers with the tools they need to help make students successful.  Also, I am hoping that many teachers will begin to see how easy it can be and not be so "scared" to branch out and try new things.  I will do this by inviting teachers in to watch lessons and offer to host workshops to show what can be done.

I am excited at the possibilities that lie ahead for both myself and my students.

Profiling Today's Students

GlogsterThe following is a podcast that I created profiling my students access and interest in technology.  There is a sound bite from a student about a wiki that will make you laugh!  Out of the mouths of babes!  Please be easy on me.  This is my first podcast ever! And my first attempt at using Audacity!  Hope you enjoy it!

Laura

Click on the Glogster link above to play the podcast

21 century teaching

After reading through the 21 century teaching website, I had mixed emotions about it.

Connecticut is not a member of the initiative.  I think it is great that businesses are willing to work with schools and districts to help prepare our students for the 21 century.  Where I disagree is states and businesses telling me how to teach and the best way to teach my students.  As an educator in Connecticut I am not aware of what skills I am required to teach my students intechnology.  We are so focused on RTI and core subject skills for our state testing, we have little time to make education fun anymore.  Our instructions are so rigid and our day is layed out for us.  I have each lesson pre-written for my science units so that anyone could teach it.  I feel like I could better reach my students if I was able to create my own ways to teach skills.  Guidelines are important but actual lessons we are mandated to teach is rediculous!  I went to school to learn how to teach and I feel like I am not doing that.  I am reading from a lesson plan.  Districts are so concerned with test scores they forget we are in the profession of teaching children.

As for businesses telling me what I should be doing in my classroom, I have a probelm with that.  They are not in the classroom to know what is best.  They want to promote their product.  It reminds me of special interest groups in government.  They want only what would benefit them and their company.  Again, this is only my opinion.  I do not believe all companies are like this but a vast majority are.  Everyone is out to make a buck.  If these companies involved were companies simply supporting schools it would be different, but they are companies who have other motives in mind.

Blog-ucation

Blogging in the classroom is so new to me but the excitement of the possibilities drives me past my fears. I am thinking and contemplating ways in which I can incorporate blogging into my classroom. I work with fourth grade students and their technological skills vary. With the start of my new social studies unit on the New England Region, I am going to try to create blog assignments for the students. This will start as a simple question for them to respond to. I will require a response to my question posted and for starters a single response to a classmate. This will first require a lesson on how to find my blog and how to properly respond. I will also create a rubric to help guide their writing. I can only imagine the number of obstacles I am going to encounter, especially since I am a blogging rookie! So I pose a question to bloggers of all levels. What do I need to think through at a deeper level before beginning this project in the upcoming month?

Comfort Level

As I explore more and more with blogging, I am becoming more excited about finding ways to use it in my classroom and with my students.  I think it will be a place where, at first, I can keep parents informed of the happenings in the class.  Although my school uses assignment agendas, parents rarely look through them.  Many, if not most, people are on the computer at some point during the day and maybe this will be an easy way for parents to check in. 

Any other ideas on how a beginner like myself can gain more of a comfort level and use this blog as a classroom tool?

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog for my classroom! I am excited to be using this as a means of communication. I will update this blog weekely, or sometimes more, depending on what I need to share. I am new to this "blogging" so please be patient with me as I learn the ropes. I loof forward to your thought and input to this new means of communication between you and the classroom!

Thanks!
Ms. Bucci