Thing #5: RSS feeds

I have put the NCTM (National Council for Teachers of Mathematics) Illuminations page in my reader. I have found many games that spread the K-12 grade levels. What a GREAT free page to have stored on my internet! The Illuminations page isn't just games though... it is a resources page for teachers of mathematics. Not only does it have the games that I wrote about, it also contains actual lessons that teachers can use in the classroom. The RSS feeds is a fantastic way to keep up with what is new on my favorite site. I must admit that I haven't been very good at checking it yet, but hopefully in the following days, I will get better at that! ;-)

Thing #4: Exploring Blog Posts

It is apparent when looking at different blogs, that the writing style is really that of the writer. It depends on what the writer wants to reader to get out of it. For example, in Patrick's update, it is obvious that formal writing is not his objective. He is expressing his thoughts for the world to hear. He just wants to be heard. On the other hand, the Blog by School Library Journal seems to be much more professionally done. You can tell that they expect visitors, and they have adds for different products that might be used by those visitors.

I think that Blogs are very unique in that we, as readers, can find subjects to read about that interest us as individuals. They also allow us to actually talk to the author. When have we ever been able to do that before. Not only can we talk to the author of the Blog, but as seen in Questions for One of Our Favorite Authors: Grace Lin, we can also converse with authors of novels. This is an experience that few can say they've had before.

The one concern that I have about using Blogs as a form of instruction is that students might find a Blog pertaining to a certain topic and regard it as fact, when in fact it may not be. I suppose the more Blogs are used in the classroom, the more students would realize that Blogs are thoughts of a specific individual though, not necessarily the apparent truth on a subject matter. That is where web literacy comes in.

I've never had a blog before, so this is an interesting journey for me! It has been good to look at other Blogs and know what is out there.

Thing #2: Thoughts about Web 2.0

My thoughts about Web 2.0 are a little all over the place. I think that using technology in the classroom can be so beneficial in so many ways, but after reading "A Day in the Life of Web 2.0" by David Warlick, I wonder if we will ever truly be able to get there. There is always something holding us back. It could be money to buy the software, hardware or services that we need, it could be the people who are resistent to change with the times, and it could be a fear that we won't be able to do it! While I do hope that one day we will reach our goals of being a Web 2.0 classroom, school, or district, the obstacles seem to be overwhelming.

When you look at our students, we know that they deserve the opportunities that this kind of learning can provide, so now the question is... What can we do to overcome the obstacles in front of us? What other obstacles might we face that I haven't listed? Any ideas on how to overcome those obstacles? Lots to think about on this journey!

Thing #1: Reflections of Lifelong Learning

Thing #1 talking about the 7 1/2 habits of lifelong learning. In case you haven't seen the video... the habits are:
1. Setting Goals - Begin with the end in mind
2. Responsibility - My learning is in my hands
3. Think of problems as challenges that will help you grow.
4. Confidence - Have confidence in yourself as a learner.
5. Toolbox - Create a toolbox for yourself of the things you will need while learning.
6. Think of technology as an advantage.
7. Teacher others - it solidifies your learning
7 1/2. PLAY - the most important! Get out there and play to learn!

I consider myself a lifelong learner, because I will never have all of the knowledge that I could possibly have. I think that I will have a hard time with habits #1 and #5. Setting goals is hard for me because I like to just do it! The planning... not one of my favorite parts of anything. The toolbox will be difficult for me because I am not good at getting things together before I need them. I would prefer to building the toolbox as I go. If that is acceptable, then I might be good with that one.

I will have an easy time with habits #2 and #3. I do know and understand that my learning is my responsibility, so that holds me accountable to myself. The other habit... #3 will be easy for me because I almost always see problems as challenges that can be overcome.

The important habits for me are going to be #4 and #7. Having the confidence isn't a problem for me... keeping the confidence will be important to my successful completion of this course. Teaching others is also important because I know that it will solidify my learning. The problem will be the people with which I can teach. I will have to work on finding a learning partner... as that will most definitely help!

Did the 7 1/2 habits strike you in the same manner that they did me? What do you think you will struggle with? Is there an area that I can help support you in? Let me know! I'm here!