Three Approaches to Blogging

One of my favorite bloggers, Richard Byrne, just posted a blog, "Three Approaches to Blogging," on his famous blog Free Technology for Teachers.

image: headers on http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

In this post,  "Three Approaches to Blogging," Byrne outlines the benefits of blogging, its varied uses, and its potential for reaching a wide or varied audience. Do you believe teachers should maintain blogs? Do you have one? If you don't, would you consider having one for your students as an audience or for the parents of your students to read? With what points that Byrne makes, do you agree?

The New Digital Divide

In this recent feature article (Dec. 2012), "Bridging the New Digital Divide," from District Administration Magazine, we hear advice for school superintendents to take the lead in integrating technology into the schools. Some key points addressed include:

• Teach students with the tools they are already use
• Students in the most poverty-stricken schools need even more so to be introduced to the technology early on to level the playing field
• Teachers need more guidance in the successful use of technology tools
• Principals as well need to take on leadership roles in pushing for technology integration
• The digital divide separates the world of education from the world of business, with the world of education behind the times

One image in the article speaks to the very last bullet point:

Read the article in full. What is your response to the assertions found in the article? With which to you agree? Which do you believe need further analysis? Where do school systems with which you are familiar fall in terms of the "new digital divide"?

Help Desk

This video, Medieval Help Desk, produced in 2007 is still worth watching today. Its message remains relevant through the ages, but particularly as a parody of our adaptation to technology. Take a look, and leave your reactions. What does this video say to you? Why do you think it was produced? Why is it a good spoof?

More About Author Will Richardson

Given Will Richardosn is the author Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the classroom, to learn more about his perspective, here is a slide show presentation he recently delivered at an educational professional development event. After viewing the slides, project the themes of the presentation and add comments about your perspective on those themes.

The 4Cs in the 21st C from willrich45

Megan's Popplet

Megan designed this Popplet that shows how the tool works as a graphic organizer. Thought I would share her Popplet here to make others aware of the site and its capabilities. Looks like a good site to use in class also with a group of students to brainstorm and cluster ideas, or in other stages of the learning process, even for reviewing concepts covered in a unit of study or relating a piece of literature to one's life. In what ways can you see Popplet or other graphic organizers used in the classroom or by students outside the classroom? Have you used any graphic organizers? If so, which ones?

Anne Marie's Bitstrip Reflection on EDUC 584

Use the arrows to scroll through the story. In this moving comic strip, AnneMarie offers her thoughts on EDUC 548. Enjoy.

Baby Thinks a Magazine is a Broken iPad

In case you have not seen this video that has gone viral, now you should. What does this video say to you about the students who will be in your future classrooms?

What I Learned

Students taking a course, ECMP 355, at the University of Regina, create at the end of the course a reflection piece on their learning. At the end of the semester, I check on a few. Some are posted here.


















Here is one done with GoAnimate--enjoy!! This one is really funny and clever!



Well, I could post some more, but the point is that technology has allowed us to cross borders. Each semester, I check in with Alec's students to see what they are learning, and I learn from them. I even follow some of them on Twitter and follow their blogs using Google Reader.

Well, Alec, just posted another one to Twitter, so I am adding it because it is a bit different than the others. You need to see it through to the end to really appreciate it! To learn more about why the student, Matt, used stop-motion movie techniques, check his blog post: Summary of Learning




Okay, so I tweeted out to Alec that I posted his students' videos, and he tweeted back to check out this one, so here is another one:




Most of all, through technology, I don't need to move to Alberta, Canada, where University of Regina is, to learn what the students there are doing with tech. I just need to go to Tweeter and follow through. Even more so, I can now share with you what I discover. If you're on Twitter follow Alec @courosa

Let me know what you think of the students' testimonials.

Meghan's Students' Literacy Project

Here is the video of Meghan's students reading their stories.

Another Example of a Creative Presentation via Prezis

John D. McCarty's Digital Resume on Prezi

This one illustrates how a teacher used Prezi to create a digital resume.

Outstanding Prezi

I found this Prezi on the Ning Integrating Technology.  The Prezi was created to capture the teaching philosophy of an award-winning University of Pittsburgh's Professor, Katie Phelp.  I'm posting the display because it is one of the best examples of a Prezi that I found. Most of the Prezi displays I have seen are bits of text and pictures zooming in and out with an occasional YouTube video embedded.

This example takes full advantage of the tool to communicate a vital message about how one professor approaches teaching. Although she did not create it--a student in the tech area did--the final presentation exemplifies that a powerful Prezi is a labor-intensive project.

Leave some comments after going through the display. What do you think of Professor Phelps' teaching approach? What was your response to the techniques used in the Prezi? View the display in full screen to see all the features!

Katie Phelps: Teaching Connections on Prezi

Empowering Students with Google Docs

The Ning Classroom 2.0 featured a video of an 8th grade language arts class using Web 2.0 tools to engage and empower students and promote literacy skills.

I have embedded the video because it offers firsthand experience of what the students are doing in the classroom and in particular how they use Google Docs to enhance their literacy skills.

What is your response to the video?

Find more videos like this on Classroom 2.0