Thing # 4

Commenting and reading comments is something that is beneficial to everyone. Ideas, thoughts, and perceptions can all be changed by another person's contribution to whatever topic. Commenting allows the writer greater insight into different scenarios or situations. It encourages and fosters individual and social growth within a community. This would be great for teachers and for students. Teachers can comment on other teachers' posts. Students can socialize and get help with different subjects if needed. If commenting were not to take place, there would be no interactivity, which would basically be like writing in a journal. Blogs are intended to be read and all ideas are to be shaped. For students, if they all collaborate, whether it be for school or social purposes, I think they would have something to talk about. I think it would really help the students form friendships as well as provide a social networking outlet. I commented on Kendra Donaldson's 23 Things. I agree with a lot of what she said about how great it is as a teacher to learn about all of the resources that the internet has to offer. I commented on Taylor Renfroe's and Tiffany Anderson's blog - last post. I agreed with what they said about being able to use all of the learned resources in future classrooms. I also commented on Tiffany Anderson's blog about creative commons. I agreed that it would be very helpful when designing different lesson plans. The last blog I commented on was Jeremy Hand-Roe's Thing 14. I agreed with what he said about graphic organizers and the use of sites like gliffy. I also added a couple of my own ideas in the comment box.

Thing # 7

I really like this website. It was really easy to use. I had some trouble getting the URL pasted to where it would appear on the blog. That was the most difficult aspect of this item, but as far as the website goes, I like how they have a share icon as a way to share all of the pictures on the site. I chose an image of a coral reef. I am doing Fifth Grade Interdependence. This image is something I could use in the classroom when teaching a lesson on symbiotic relationships between the reefs and the reef fish. Or I could describe specific organisms and their relationships. I could create a collage using different images from this website. I also like that they are not animated. This website allows individuals to refine searches. This will help with lessons. If I am talking about a specific subject, this website provides an easy way to find an appropriate illustration for whatever topic I am covering. It is less time consuming to just enter a category/subject in the search bar than to go to the library and find books to copy pictures. It will save a lot of time I think. This will enhance lessons, especially for a subject like science that demands visual representation.

Thing 2

For my posting name and my blog name, I just decided to use my real name. There was not really a thought process behind it. It was fun creating my avatar. I didn't have as much trouble with the set-up as I thought I would. I chose for my avatar to look like me. I chose my favorite colors and the features that are closest to my own. I have two brothers who create avatars for the video games that they play, and the characters created usually look pretty funny and not like my brothers at all. That's the good thing about avatars and setting up blogs- there is a lot of freedom, and it can be taken seriously or lightly as a fun thing. Overall, my experience creating the blog and the avatar was challenging but fun, and I like the outcome of it all. I really like blogging. I think this is something that can be applied to so many different things as a teacher.

Thing #3

Using the blog as a journal to record lessons and the students' reactions to the plans is one way to improve instruction. Blogging about different lesson ideas and the actual outcomes will allow me to see what went well and what needs a little more improvement. If the blog were available to other teachers, this would be a great opportunity to share and get ideas. I would also like to use this blog for parents. They can use the blog to ask questions or to talk to other parents. This will allow them to feel more involved with their child's work, projects, and overall progression in the classroom. Lastly, I think the students' would find blogging useful. If they had questions, they could ask one another using the site. I also think setting up a reading circle and/or book club would be an interesting thing for the class. I think this would unite the entire class, and it might motivate them to become more involved with the different lessons. The blog would also provide students' with the opportunity to share thoughts about daily lessons- what was interesting, what they didn't understand and what they have questions about. I would be able to look at these blogs and be able to modify instruction to strengthen any areas or concepts of weakness. In addition, I really liked the idea about contacting another class through the blog site. It reminded me of the pen pal concept. I think that would be a lot of fun and a great learning experience for the students.