Blogging

So today I'm blogging about blogging, just wanted to type that because it seemed odd...Anyway to the point, so far I like this part of the class and its opened my eyes to entire world I knew very little about. I thought at first it would be a hassle not only to write my own blog to keep up with and comment on others. But I think, especially with the Webquest, it was almost reassuring to find out others were having the same difficulties I was.

Now that I have had some practice with this, albeit very limited, I have been looking for ways to include this in some way to my classroom. I would like at some point to launch a history blog, to get my students using the internet and get them using it the right way, at least in terms of history assignments. I would also envision it as a place to re-cap a week of lessons and provide a place for a student who may have missed classes to get assignments and important information.

I think the blog can be used extremely effectively to help reinforce class instruction. It really does give you an open forum for opinion and response beyond the classroom.

Webquest 2

I have been working for what seems like weeks on the Webquest project and I think I've gotten the idea. Several times during this I began to wonder if the planning of this project is more trouble then its worth. There are definitely more conventional ways to get across the point of the lesson I am working on and while I do understand the need for integration of the Internet, I am not sure this is the best way to go about it. I have never used or planned a Webquest before and would assume that like anything, you simply need to practice at it, and eventually you will get the hang of it. As I posted earlier the hardest part of all of this has been trying to figure out what kind of assignments are actually useful in the Webquest format. Again, the toughest lesson I have had to learn is that not everything can be a Webquest. In many ways this has become rather frustrating as I did not expect to have as much trouble as I did with this just getting started. Once the assignment was setup however, the project did move rather freely and easily. I think the real key is moving beyond what is normally expected to be learned in a classroom about a given subject. It is easy to forget what is available on the internet, and really there is nothing that is not available.

Webquest

I have begun to develop a web quest for the first time. I like the idea of sending students to the Internet and hope they will be able to use it properly and learn something outside of the classroom. I also think it can be an effective tool because not only are they going to hopefully pick up something about the content assigned, but may also learn some things about the Internet as well. The biggest problem I have encountered up to this point is the ability to decide exactly what students will do. I have learned very quickly that not everything can be converted into a web quest assignment. Through some trial error it has become apparent that developing a proper web quest will have to include more then just producing an essay at the end. As a result, I think the web quest will force teachers to begin thinking outside the box (I have at least) and force educators to begin applying some non-traditional methods of instruction, which can be more effective to learning.

Internet Safety

When I think of internet safety I generally think in terms of my own safety, that is to say I have been more worried about identity theft or credit card fraud, then about meeting people or coming across objectionable material.

That being said, I was always aware that many dangers existed on the internet beyond these simple ones. Having now watched and read the materials assigned I am fearful for young people. I teach in a high school and am aware of just how naive and gullible teenagers can be. I tend to use assignments that include some internet research and now am a bit concerned. I would like to think that I am pointing my students in the right direction, but in all honesty how can I really know? The internet has apparently become a scary place. Considering the fact that it started as a place to simply share research among universities, it is amazing that it has turned into what it is. However because of what it is, it tends to encourage wrong doing on some levels. The bottom line then becomes that our kids need to have access restricted somehow and adults need to act as watchdogs. I realize my position on this is bordering on "gloom and doom" but for something this valuable, to be dangerous at all, is something I can not get past.

NJCCS/NETS

I was unaware until recently that technology standards existed. I think the move in the classroom towards technology based lessons and assignments is really the only way for our students to stay on the cutting edge of tomorrow's technology. I would personally like to see certain aspects of these technologies extended to our students at younger ages. Given the current job market and the economic climate we are facing, it is important that our students excel in as many skills as can be made available to them. Furthermore, our students really need to understand where technology is headed. In the last twenty years we have made advances beyond what most thought impossible only a generation ago, and as cliche as it sounds, we really have no limit when it come to educational tools and the future.

First Post

Welcome to my brand new blog, which I am creating for a graduate class.