Today... Why blogging is important.. I can see!

Today was exciting with my 8th graders. They are writing scripts so we can video them on Thursday. We are kicked out of our labs for 9 days while we do the 3rd round of NEWA testing. So, "think outside the box" and teach computers without computers. This was the next best thing I had going for me. 4 video cameras, 4 digital cameras and off we will go. Oh yeah, a few tripods. The kids will be making a short introduction of themselves as well as an overall reflection to add to their completed website. Sort of a video podcast of sorts, but to only keep inside of the classroom. We do not publish our work to the outside world. Yet.. I know, I said yet. I am working on that. 6th and 7th graders will begin their MediaSmarts lessons. We have a new curriculum to integrate media and how it affects children through advertising, violence, and digital enhancements to sell products. All outside of the classroom.

So, of course, I got home and sat right down at the computer to read my emails, and catch up.

I can see......

Here is how it went:
1. Opened up my email and I found out I was added as a friend by Julie Lindsay on ning. I have volunteered to judge one of the groups in the Horizon2008 project.
2. This then prompted me to look for Julie's blog. I found her blog and read today's post : A Day in the Life which then took me to the next place I went.
3. I found Jabiz and his Intrepid Teacher Blog. Which I read his article, Bloggers Must First Be Writers.
4. I got one paragraph into the post and clicked on Leila... Letter to a Young Writer, was the title.
5. I also opened up my google reader, went to the Learning Is Messy Blog, by Brian Crosby, because I watched the video from the K12 Online Conference 2007 that Sherry had put in her blog post. I wanted to see what he had to say today on his blog. I loved what he had to say through his video. That is where I came upon the blog - Ed Tech.. Is it Just Too Cool ... Or Not? I opened a link about the other 12 teachers involved in a project and there I was, at a classroom wiki talking about the Mysteries of Harris Burdick. At the bottom of the wiki, was how to use Ed.Voicethread. So now I know, and I added it to my blog on the front page!

Phew.. reading this again has made me mentally exhausted. No wonder how I can get lost in the computer for hours, although this all took place within about 30 minutes!!

Back to the post that Jabiz wrote. This is why I can see! I would never have read this beautiful post had it not been for blogs, twitter, ning, wiki's, and incredible people willing to share! Can you feel the power??

Reading this post brought me to tears. How beautiful and well said. How true is it for today's youth to want to be heard. Who doesn't want to be heard? I am 39 years old and I constantly ask myself if ANYONE is listening to me? Can't they hear me? Don't they think what I have to say is important? Is anyone there?

This is the reason why the internet and blogs are so important. This is why when writing a good blog, there are lots of links to other places. It is endless. Imagine if we followed links through other people's blogs. Would we ever stop? Where would it end? Infinity?? Or in a newbie blog possibly. One who has not learned the in's and out's of blogging etiquette? (According to Drape's Takes) Hee -Hee! (I am sure I am still considered a newbie here!)

Jabiz's response post to his student is hopeful. It is wonderful. It shows the true power of the web2.0 world. It goes to show that without writing first, there would not even be blogs to read. I did continue on to read the entire post, and I can see how he struggled with blogs in the classroom. The student's I teach, are not passionate about writing. Yet... Some may be, but for the most part, through reading their journals each day, most are not! (Read this tonight, so I thought I would add it.. seems important to place here! From Beyond School Blog about classroom blogging)

The next challenge.. awaken the writing within ..... Oh my.. my work is never done! Yes, I know.. I am a computer teacher..... but I feel compelled to enrich, engage and motivate anyway I can. Everyone must be able to read and write!

Kids teaching the teachers???

Watch podcast by clicking here.. You can choose iTunes to watch and listen to podcast. This is a podcast from the K12 online Conference from 2007. This conference was totally held online and you can attend from the comfort of your own home! No planes, trains or automobiles required, just an internet connection, and some good speakers! :)

A must see for all teachers who complain that they are not getting enough technology professional development. This is a wonderful podcast explaining that teachers who were surveyed, did receive enough training, but were very uncomfortable to bring it back into the classroom and experiment with what they had learned.

I would love to show part of this video to my the teachers at my school. I think if they were using their students more, they would feel more comfortable when teaching with the technology in the classroom. The video showed the students consulting with teachers and explaining what technology options they knew about and how they could use them within the class during lessons.

The teachers in the video were open to having the students teach them the technology. They were thrilled to listen to the children and were more happy with the kids teaching them collaboratively rather than the adult technology trainers they had previously worked with in professional development lessons.

I know I hear a lot of the time that technology is not a priority right now with teachers because they are trying to save their jobs and help the students pass the "TEST". If they are working in a school in need of improvement, how can technology help to bring up the test scores?? If the teachers had heard of the constructivism theory of working together, giving the students more choice and working in groups to construct an outcome, they might consider changing their minds when it comes to technology and improving test scores.

(11:55 on podcast)
The Attributes of a Constructivist classroom mentioned in the podcast are as follows:
Collaborative, Actively Student Centered, Choice, Democratic, Reflective and Risk Taking.

(14:05 professional development paradigm shift)
From secret to open, from shame to celebrate mistakes, from individual to collaborative, etc..

(15:32 GenYES video)
This is the video that I would like to share with my staff. It shows how students are working with teachers in over 40 states throughout the country.

If we (teachers) can embrace technology in the classroom and then feel comfortable enough to admit we do not know everything, we can begin to learn with the kids. They can start teaching us and the other kids in our classes. This would really shift the power and hopefully give the kids the feeling they can do anything they set their minds to... even pass the TEST!

wiki explaining podcast
Creator of podcast - Sylvia Martinez