I'm taking a class called "Using the Internet in the Classroom". Believe it or not, I'm having a hard time keeping up. My friends joked that I should ace this class.
It's not the class that's hard...it's this stupid Internet connection I have. It should be fixed tomorrow but until then, I'll trudge along.
This post, in fact, is one of my assignments. I'd already typed in my answer to the assignment but as I hit "Publish Post", the wireless went down and took my assignment with it. I walked away so upset and tired, kicking myself for not putting it into Word and then pasting it in. (Hold on, let me open up Word and I'll be right back!)
I’ve visited many blogs pertaining to education and technology so I already knew they were out there. During this blogging assignment, I found even more. As a fairly new teacher, I’ve found useful (and very helpful) blogs on classroom management as well as Computer Lab activities. In my field of technology, I have found blogs on how to organize your school network as well as dealing with difficult people.
Twitter has been a wealth of information as well. I typed in the keyword ‘technology’ and found many tweeters who are more than happy to submit helpful tidbits on technology. Unfortunately, it was as someone once said, like “trying to drink from a firehose” so I whittled it down to a specific technology like Joomla which is a website software that I’m in the process of learning. From there I was able to pick and choose from the tweeters that looked professional and as if they knew what they were talking about.
Among the 38 tweeters I follow (and the 35 that follow me – I don’t just allow anyone to follow me), the Curriculum Director and the Technology Coordinator at Central Catholic High are my favorites because my schools collaborate with theirs. Those two folks are a great help to my staff in education as well as working with me on training our staff in technology.
This assignment hasn’t changed my mind about educational blogging or tweeting. It’s only reinforced the fact that, done correctly, blogging and tweeting about education subjects can be a lifeline for new teachers and older teachers new to technology. I’m a huge fan!
I do see that "I'm having a hard time keeping up" is a term that is being used alot in this class, lol. All I can say it that I too is forsure is having a hard time keeping up, I think I am just now getting there, my aim is to complete everything today that I have missed today and begin a fresh start on monday with the new assignment. You said your friends joked about you ace-ing this class and i agree with you about the class not being hard; but really it is as hard as we as teacher and administrators make it out to be. I can always see my students in this possition. Im thinking it's not hard and they think its very hard. I have learned from this class to examing all materials and expectations that I may have for and from my students so that I know that it will be something that they are able to complete. I had trouble at first with my programs and my internet connection too. Man, I have also lost so many comments and typing that I have done. I did a few of the assignments 2 times or 3 and I was really patient and completed them again; and because of your comment on putting it into word first, I began doing that. I do, however, believe that it is defeatting the purpose of learning how to blog, twitter, and wikki. That was cute when you said, "oh waite let me go open a word document". I have enjoyed reading your bloggs and will coment on the rest later. Take care, Rah
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