Considerations from the classroom...

Session 3 Overview

peterd — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:21:17 +0000

I don’t know about you guys, but I consider this session, and its subject matter, the most challenging. It’s just that it seems to be taking a lot of time and effort for many of us to ingest and utilize this concept of aggregators, to get to a point where we feel comfortable with it, to even feel as if we’d want to incorporate it into our daily online activities. I understand that we’re merely being exposed to these new ideas, and that’s fine, but it just doesn’t seem to be as user friendly as a lot of the new technologies out there. Reading through the forum posts I see a lot of people struggling with getting things to work… becoming more fluent with it. I’m looking forward to the upcoming sessions, actually, especially podcasts. I guess it’s that radio announcer in me.

Response to Social Bookmarking – Session 3

peterd — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:32:49 +0000

The pluses seem to outweigh the negatives with this method of sharing information between interested users. I like any system where there is a mutual exchange of information and ideas on a large scale. And with how the technology works, you get only what you want without all the added fluff. I can see how it could enhance the dissemination of information in a classroom. That whole bit on amateurs and tagging I think will be resolved quickly enough, once the art of social bookmarking is perfected. Every article I’ve read so far in this session dispels the anxiety an educator might feel when thinking about how to incorporate some of these technologies into their teaching without feeling overwhelmed. It seems teacher time was taken into consideration when developing these technologies – how can we accommodate teachers’ schedules so they won’t feel so apprehensive or anxious when considering them?

Response to RSS Feeds for Educators

peterd — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:12:00 +0000

More of the same on the topic of aggregators and such. What I especially like is the walk-through they provide once you have your Bloglines account set up. I’ll follow that once I’m active. Very clear.

Response to RSS Quick Guide – Session 3

peterd — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:00:09 +0000

Wow, reading that article only reinforces the idea that there’s much for me to digest. I get what aggregators do, and I certainly understand how they can save you a lot of time. Once you set it up to retrieve only that information which you deem interesting and important, it’s just a matter of opening your blog to find it. As either a teacher or a student, one can appreciate having this information coming to you instead of you searching for it everyday. From there you can organize it as you see fit or delete what isn’t relevant. It seems as if aggregators can simplify your research efforts, bringing to you the relevant material you need to complete assignments, etc. I’m looking forward to experimenting with these, as soon as I get through some minor technical difficulties I’m encountering with the Bloglines site.

Al Upton’s Blog Shutdown…

peterd — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:12:45 +0000

I’ve been following with fascination the shutdown of this particular blog, specifically the responses by those who have faithfully followed it, and feel it provides for us an idea of how tenuous blogging can be. What strikes me is the lack of an explanation he was given for the decison to actually shut it down. One would think he deserved an explanation, especially since he seems baffled by the decision to do so. Responses to the shutdown seem to be overwhelmingly in favor of the blog. It does illustrate how importantly we as educators have to be as overseers of an established blog; administrators are going to be diligent, and perhaps in some cases over-reactive, in their determinations as to the appropriateness of a teacher’s content and the security of the students who are participating in school-based blogs.

Sample blogs from Session 2

peterd — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:19:06 +0000

I enjoyed skimming through the blogs that were provided. Infinitely more interesting than just the typical lecturer/listener format we’re accustomed to. Blogs, in my oinion, create a community of sorts within the structure of the classroom, fostering dialogue, responding to assignments/questions provided by the teachers, etc. Students have the opportunity to read through selections and respond. Invited guests can observe what’s going on in the classroom and the school via photos, as well. Cool stuff…

My response to: Web of Connected Learning

peterd — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:47:43 +0000

Here the author initially discusses the myriad positives of blogging. To sum it up, the article talks about how the expanse of this mode of communication opens people up to others who share the same interests, but on a global scale. How posts and their subsequent responses from others grow exponentially, allowing the blogger access to information that would’ve taken much longer via email. Their is discussion about the pros and cons of commercial sites like MySpace, and how there is a need for oversight by school administrations to ensure the safety of thier students. That goes without saying. Overall, it seems like blogging can be a safe, effective tool in the classroom, allowing students to be more engaged creatively, and teaching them to be literate, compassionate responders to what it is they see and read on a blog.

My response to: To Blog or Not to Blog…

peterd — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:32:22 +0000

When an educator thinks about setting up blogs for classroom use, versus using one only as a sounding board for fellow educators, one can feel somewhat fearful when the idea is first presented. The author addresses each of these: too much work, asserting that blogs are just a passing fad that have no place in the classroom, and the safety issues. Depending on how you plan to implement them, and how many students you teach throughout the day, blogging can add considerable more work to your load. I’m sure that turns off a lot of teachers, most of whom already feel overwhelmed. Setup takes time. One has to be motivated by the possibilities blogs can provide before they’re going to put in that extra effort. The other issue is incorporating it into your classroom schedule. What’s nice about that is that students can blog after school on their own time. To consider blogging a fad is to simply dismiss the future of global communication. Blogs are here to stay; you as an educator must acknowledge this and at least be up to date on your education in this area. The safety factor can be readily addressed, as the author says, through careful setup. Blogs can be set up to allow only those with relevance to enter and respond. The teacher is ultimately responsible for the safety of his or her students.