Thing 5

I like the Tech Learning site. I especially liked the post by Dr. Jim Taylor,  Stop Blaming the Teachers. I agree that teachers in our day in age are looked at as, "the bad guys" and not the good guys.  In years past, teaching was looked at as an honorable profession.  Yes, sometimes I do wonder if the government (and others)  think that teachers just sit around and twiddle our thumbs all day long.  I cannot tell you the number of times I have stayed up at school late (without "overtime pay") to get things done in order to help the kids in my classroom. To be a teacher, you certainly are not doing it for the monetary value, but for building the future and touching lives.  Teaching should be a more highly regarded profession.  Teachers put sweat, blood, and yes tears into their job in the classrooms almost every day.  Yes, just like in any profession, there are the bad apples, but if you took a look into any school, you would find more high quality and dedicated teachers than low quality ones.  America needs to step back and reevaluate the job that teachers do and really begin to think about what is important and what jobs truly help mold and shape lives.

Thing 4

Once I start reading blogs, it is hard for me to stop!  Blogging is addicting- it is like reality TV.  I have used blogging with my students in my classroom and I really enjoy it. I think the students enjoy it also.  It is a different form of communication and one that students today feel very comfortable using.  When setting up blogs in the classroom, I found out that almost all of my students have actual blogs of their own that they use for personal use.  I had them set up a seperate blog account for school instead of using their personal blog.

One way that we used blogs in the classroom was with vocabulary.  I had each student post a question on their blog using a vocabulary word. Each student then had to go through and reply to 5 classmates question about their vocabulary word.  It was easy for me to see if they were understanding and using the word correctly.  I think that this sticks with them much better than for example, writing down the definition five times, or something along those lines. 

Reading a blog is kind of like reading a magazine to me- nothing too heavy, just light, enjoyable reading.  One of the blogs that I enjoyed reading in this activity was the Duck with a blog http://duckdiaries.edublogs.org/2nd-grade-duck-theories/. I really liked the different stories that the kids came up with about the duck.  That activity could actually work for any age group- not just second graders. 

Thing #2 - Thoughts about Web 2.0

Complete a blog post reflecting on your initial thoughts about Web 2.0 and its role in 21st Century teaching and learning. Consider the ways in which Web 2.0 tools might change (or have already changed) your professional practice. How might you be able to use these new tools to engage today's "digital learners?" Why would you want to? How might you be able to use these tools to support your own learning?

I find it amazing how much Web 2.0 tools have changed in my 10 years of teaching.  When I first began teaching, I did not have any Web 2.0 tools avaliable in my classroom. All I had was a teacher computer. Now I have student laptops, infoucs projector, elmo, and a smartboard all in my classroom.  This past year is when I received most of these technological tools. There are so many things that I want to do with my students, but so many things that I need to learn about so that we can utilize these tools.  Students now are definitely "digital learners." My AT class maintained online portfolios in google aps for essays and work and they really enjoyed engaging in these. I am going to do this next year with both my AT and regular classes.  I liked that I could just go to each students sight and see what they have been working on.  I would like to use the sights more and more to where basically most of their work could be accessed online.

Thing 1: Reflections on Lifelong Learning

Which habit(s) may be most challenging for you to employ as part of your Learning 2.0 experience?

     I found the most challenging habit to me would be to begin with the end in mind. I usually don't do that, I just follow each step and see how things turn out.  When completing lesson plans, I do begin with the end in mind, but in life situations, I just take things as they come, day by day, and step by step.  I always know what the goal is in the end, but it not a huge focus to me when I am following the steps. My husband begins with the end in mind and works backwards. My mind just does not work that way.

Which habit(s) will be easiest, or are most resonant for you as a lifelong learner?

     I think that the easiest habit for my will be accepting responsiblity for my own learning. I have learned in life that you can really only depend on yourself.  I have been in situations where I really thought that I could depend on someone to do something or be there for me, and they did not or were not there.  I know that I am responsible for my own learning; that just like any life situation, you are ultimately the only one that can do it for yourself. 

*  Which habit do you think will be most important for you as you work through this course, and why?
     I think that the most important habit for me as I work through this course is habit 7 1/2, Play! The reason why this is most important to me is because as an adult, I have gotten so used to "work" and doing everything because I have to and not because I want to.  I just want to sit down and get it done, instead of "playing" around with things. It will be nice to begin to "play" throughout this course.