Thing Six

I have been a member of Classroom 2.0, but I need to get on there and read the discussions and contribute more often. I did just join the Classroom 2.0 beginner group because I thought the discussions looked very interesting. I think one would blog in a Ning and not on Blogger because on Ning you are part of a collaborative community, and you would blog about your passion or your interest in that online community. I like Nings for educators because you are reading and discussing current issues in education. On Classroom 2.0, you are learning new Web 2.0 tools for the classroom.

I thing a Ning is great for students and especially students in middle and upper school. It is a great place for students to collaoborate and find people online with their same interests. You could have a Ning that is a book club or a science club. It really could be anything. I think it would be very engaging for the students. Of course you would have to educate your students about being safe and responsible in a Ning.

Thing Five

I do think that LinkedIn could be a valuable resource for teachers if they make some good connections with other teachers with their same interests. It could be a great place to share ideas, articles, and other things that you find interesting. I think it is not being used by teachers because it seems to be more like a social networking for businesses. Personally it appears to be a place to recruit for people with business backgrounds. I may be wrong, and I will give it a try. I also belong to Facebook. That is a great place to keep in touch with current friends and contact old friends from college, high school, etc. Facebook is more social than professional.

Reading others Blogs (Thing 3)

I noticed I am a little out of order. I am sorry about that. I started the reading over the weekend and the answering tonight.

I really enjoyed Mrs. Edmison's classroom blog. I am also a third grade teacher, so I can totally relate to what her students are writing about. I especially enjoyed her Q and A session with Grace Lin. She is also one of my students favorite authors. Mrs. Edmison writing is very easy to read and follow. She writes to the point, which is how I think a blog should be written. I read the comments that were left on her blog, and they were very helpful to me because they contained suggestions and ideas of what those teachers were doing in the classroom. I began to brainstorm about some things I could do in my classroom as well. That is how blogging can facilitate learning. We learn from one another when we share the great things we are doing in our classrooms and schools.

Thing Four

There are times when I leave comments on other people's blogs I am wondering why they even want to hear from me, but I realize they do. I have created a classroom blog, and I love hearing from each and every student. I think that is how blog owners are. They want to hear from the people who are reading their blog. I think it is important to comment on other blogs because you are giving feedback to the other people that are participating. It is a give and take community and one that you can hopefully learn from. I have not yet shared my students' writing on our class blog, but I will soon. I think they will love to hear from their fellow classmates. It will validate what they have written. I am a member of some online communities, and I realize that is how you get to know one another is through communication. It is like any other relationship. It is a give and share.

"23 Things" Project

I am participating in the "23 things" project because I feel like the Web 2.0 tools are the future of teaching. That is the way we are headed. I want to make sure that I am learning everything I need to be learning. I have been teaching for 20 years, and this is something I have become interested in. It is a whole new mind set that is not easy, but the more I am involved I see the wonderful benefits because that is the way our world is headed. Why are you involved in the "23 things" project?

Having Fun Teahing!

What do you think are the most valuable Web 2.0 tools to use in the classroom? I mean the ones that really add to the lesson and not just to use for the sake of using technology.