Looks like we're at the end of this course. I'm so glad to know more about what blogging is and can be. The reality is much more simple than I imagined. Though not ready to branch out into a permanent one, I can see that it will be an idea for further down the road. I"m very anxious to help kids who don't have technology at their fingertips learn in school how to use all of it so they don't feel overwhelmed by it in the future. So, I'm pretty sure I will try a blog for a class at some point in the future.
Thanks, everyone, for all of your comments and examples! So much creativity out there!
Looking forward to continuing this journey with some of you in CSE 697!
jan
Weather
Weather
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Answering some questions: weather links, blogs in a specific subject area
This is one more issue of this type of blog. You can't easily answer a comment, so that the questioner knows your are responding to them. I know some blogs will show posts in an outline form, but I can't figure that out. So here go answers to a couple of the comments further down.
I can't seem to get a local weather report on my blog without signing into some site, without registering or giving out personal information. I notice Sheryl has McMinnville-specific weather on her site, but I just haven't been able to figure out how to do that. . .
And, Bryndle, all I did to find history-specific blogs was google "U.S. History teacher blogs". I had to spend a little time finding some that were useful to me personally, but the two I found, I'm using now for lesson plan ideas. It was worth the time for me.
thanks for the comments, guys,
jan
I can't seem to get a local weather report on my blog without signing into some site, without registering or giving out personal information. I notice Sheryl has McMinnville-specific weather on her site, but I just haven't been able to figure out how to do that. . .
And, Bryndle, all I did to find history-specific blogs was google "U.S. History teacher blogs". I had to spend a little time finding some that were useful to me personally, but the two I found, I'm using now for lesson plan ideas. It was worth the time for me.
thanks for the comments, guys,
jan
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Appreciation for Diverse Blogs - but is it for everyone?
It has been really interesting to see the diversity in blog-creation. I've been inspired by some of the videos to broaden my subject area of "history" to include current events and even modern art - all of which can be easily tied to history.
On the other hand, I find myself on a roller coaster, trying to decide how valuable it is overall. I suppose that is the answer. It's not for everyone, but it's one of the tools a teacher can use if it fits.
On the other hand, I find myself on a roller coaster, trying to decide how valuable it is overall. I suppose that is the answer. It's not for everyone, but it's one of the tools a teacher can use if it fits.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Promoting a blog
First of all, I've decided not to download WordPress in order to have more options in creating a more interesting and fun site. I am trying to keep my "footprint" online as small as possible. As I've said before, I have real concerns about privacy. Even though I won't be promoting this blog, I've done some research on how to do so if that's your choice.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of help out there with simple and easy to follow instructions. The most important two elements seem to be: 1) submitting your blog address to search engines, including linking to twitter, facebook, and myspace, and 2) keeping your page up to date, fresh and interesting so it will get repeat viewers.
Additional steps you can take are helpful. Beginning with this site (e-blogger), there are instructions for adding your blog to a "blog-roll" where surfers go from blog to blog. They also recommend that the title of your blog reflect the topic so searches for your type blog will find it easily. You can also post your link on other blogs, especially those that share your interests or whose followers might be interested in your page. Doing it this way will allow you to more specifically target the types of viewers you are interested in.
I also had to find out what "pings" are. Wikipedia provided a succinct definition: "In blogging, ping is an XML-RPC-based push mechanism by which a weblog notifies a server that its content has been updated." (Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping_%28blogging%29) This seems like an invaluable tool. I definitely only visit those blogs that have posted since I was last online. So, if I were creating a long-term blog, I would only want those blogs that have been updated to show on my page.
An extremely important element in promoting your blog is constant maintenance. People don't want to find 'dead' pages & yours will soon be dropped by viewers if they aren't finding things that are interesting, useful, and new.
I found these sites to be most helpful:
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=42377
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/the-beginners-guide-to-promoting-your-blog/ http://www.blog-maniac.com/blog-promotion.htm
jan
Fortunately, there is no shortage of help out there with simple and easy to follow instructions. The most important two elements seem to be: 1) submitting your blog address to search engines, including linking to twitter, facebook, and myspace, and 2) keeping your page up to date, fresh and interesting so it will get repeat viewers.
Additional steps you can take are helpful. Beginning with this site (e-blogger), there are instructions for adding your blog to a "blog-roll" where surfers go from blog to blog. They also recommend that the title of your blog reflect the topic so searches for your type blog will find it easily. You can also post your link on other blogs, especially those that share your interests or whose followers might be interested in your page. Doing it this way will allow you to more specifically target the types of viewers you are interested in.
I also had to find out what "pings" are. Wikipedia provided a succinct definition: "In blogging, ping is an XML-RPC-based push mechanism by which a weblog notifies a server that its content has been updated." (Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping_%28blogging%29) This seems like an invaluable tool. I definitely only visit those blogs that have posted since I was last online. So, if I were creating a long-term blog, I would only want those blogs that have been updated to show on my page.
An extremely important element in promoting your blog is constant maintenance. People don't want to find 'dead' pages & yours will soon be dropped by viewers if they aren't finding things that are interesting, useful, and new.
I found these sites to be most helpful:
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=42377
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/the-beginners-guide-to-promoting-your-blog/ http://www.blog-maniac.com/blog-promotion.htm
jan
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Management?!?
Managing the blog seems to be quite difficult. It takes up a lot of time to learn the new features, get information off the net on blogging efficiently and effectively, and keeping up with the blogs I'm following.
I find the dashboard "reading list" a great time-saver. It lists the blog entries of each of the blogs I'm following. They are shown with the first few sentences and if the topic interests me, I can click on the title and it takes me right to that blog.
Another nice feature is the "stats" window, available on the dashboard or at the top of the page when you are writing a post. This helps me see which of my own blogs others have found interesting enough to comment on &, if or when we turn to advertising our blogs, what sort of audience I might find out there. It also lets me be freaked out a bit that someone in Nigeria is reading this blog . . . Anyway, I'd say using the dashboard, especially the "reading list" and the "stats" will help make my blog better and more useful to me and to the audience I'm trying to reach.
If I were to decide to keep blogging after this class, I would definitely view the tutorials at the bottom of the dashboard. I used one to learn how to download a video & would want to continue learning how to make the blog more useful to my users. I have decided NOT to do a classroom blog for my spring term student teaching, but to keep learning & perhaps try one in the fall. I want to do a bit more research on setting safety controls and learn how to limit access to a classroom blog.
Lastly, I would want to set a schedule for "maintaining" the blog - deleting old posts; reviewing for spam or unacceptable posts, etc. For me, since I'm just learning so much in the classroom, this is too much to add to my very first student teaching assignment. But, it is also something I'd like to try and experiment with after I've learned a bit more. I really liked some of the blogs that teachers are using with their students. I liked what the students said in one of the videos one of you posted. I think it could be useful to students to have learned how to communicate with their teacher via a blog - maybe it will save them some time learning it in the future.
I am really looking forward to reading other management posts. I'm off to WOU for two days of training in grading writing assessments, so I'll look forward to reading them when I get time this weekend.
Good luck, jan
I find the dashboard "reading list" a great time-saver. It lists the blog entries of each of the blogs I'm following. They are shown with the first few sentences and if the topic interests me, I can click on the title and it takes me right to that blog.
Another nice feature is the "stats" window, available on the dashboard or at the top of the page when you are writing a post. This helps me see which of my own blogs others have found interesting enough to comment on &, if or when we turn to advertising our blogs, what sort of audience I might find out there. It also lets me be freaked out a bit that someone in Nigeria is reading this blog . . . Anyway, I'd say using the dashboard, especially the "reading list" and the "stats" will help make my blog better and more useful to me and to the audience I'm trying to reach.
If I were to decide to keep blogging after this class, I would definitely view the tutorials at the bottom of the dashboard. I used one to learn how to download a video & would want to continue learning how to make the blog more useful to my users. I have decided NOT to do a classroom blog for my spring term student teaching, but to keep learning & perhaps try one in the fall. I want to do a bit more research on setting safety controls and learn how to limit access to a classroom blog.
Lastly, I would want to set a schedule for "maintaining" the blog - deleting old posts; reviewing for spam or unacceptable posts, etc. For me, since I'm just learning so much in the classroom, this is too much to add to my very first student teaching assignment. But, it is also something I'd like to try and experiment with after I've learned a bit more. I really liked some of the blogs that teachers are using with their students. I liked what the students said in one of the videos one of you posted. I think it could be useful to students to have learned how to communicate with their teacher via a blog - maybe it will save them some time learning it in the future.
I am really looking forward to reading other management posts. I'm off to WOU for two days of training in grading writing assessments, so I'll look forward to reading them when I get time this weekend.
Good luck, jan
Gadgets and their effectiveness
I really appreciate how easy it is to figure out how to add features to the blog. It didn't take me long at all to figure out how to add most features. Still a bit confused on adding weather and video features, though.
Because it is so easy, I think teachers could definitely use it to their benefit. It makes me more likely to set up a blog rather than a web page for my class. My big question is privacy for children and students who don't have computers at home. Reading Mary Yoder's comments and thinking about it, I'm wondering if I can set up one day a week when my social studies class always meets in the computer lab to use blogs and do inter-active lessons. . .
Still stuck on that privacy issue though . . .
Because it is so easy, I think teachers could definitely use it to their benefit. It makes me more likely to set up a blog rather than a web page for my class. My big question is privacy for children and students who don't have computers at home. Reading Mary Yoder's comments and thinking about it, I'm wondering if I can set up one day a week when my social studies class always meets in the computer lab to use blogs and do inter-active lessons. . .
Still stuck on that privacy issue though . . .
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A couple articles: Blogging in Education - help or hurt?
Trend or Teaching Tool? Blogging and Teaching World Politics
http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/0/1/3/2/pages101320/p101320-1.php
This article was written by Professor Gerald M. DiGiusto who teaches undergrad courses at Duke University and Bowdoin College. Although he is concerned about "their promotion of informal and unstructured writing", he nevertheless sees promoting blogs for his students as a positive learning tool. He felt the blogs allowed/forced students to engage the material in more depth. Students often linked to other sites with supporting evidence of their own opinions. In addition, the author used the comments in the blogs as the jumping off point for his classes. This allowed that student-teacher connection so vital for maintaining student interest.
My comments: I thought the author was persuasive in the case he made for including blogs in the course curriculum. He promoted graded, individual blogs because it forced students to take ownership and engage the material. However, he was dealing with university-level students. It sounds like something I might like to try with high school and even junior high school students. However, I am concerned about privacy. I hate for students to be so public about their ideas at such a young age.
I also think the professor, who responds to EVERY entry by students, didn't adequately address the time it would take to include this as just one part of a class. K-12 teachers are particularly time-stressed; it might be difficult to do this in a professional manner without considerable work. Without a doubt, I think it should be taught at some point, perhaps as a unit in a tech class.
http://www.editteach.org/tools?tool_entry_id=378
This article is written in a Question and Answer format. She responds to the hows, whys, and shoulds of using blogging as part of a college-level course. It is really helpful for two reasons: 1) you can scan it and pick out the questions that you want to read. 2) She very neatly addresses the privacy issue in several of the questions. She gives a very nice overview of what skills blogs are useful in teaching and the subject areas they might work especially well. For those just beginning to use blogs, she also gives nice pointers about how to use blogs most effectively.
This is a great introductory article. Many of the questions she addressed were exactly the ones I have. Definitely the best article I've read on how and why to use blogs in the classroom: succinct, clear, and practical.
http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/0/1/3/2/pages101320/p101320-1.php
This article was written by Professor Gerald M. DiGiusto who teaches undergrad courses at Duke University and Bowdoin College. Although he is concerned about "their promotion of informal and unstructured writing", he nevertheless sees promoting blogs for his students as a positive learning tool. He felt the blogs allowed/forced students to engage the material in more depth. Students often linked to other sites with supporting evidence of their own opinions. In addition, the author used the comments in the blogs as the jumping off point for his classes. This allowed that student-teacher connection so vital for maintaining student interest.
My comments: I thought the author was persuasive in the case he made for including blogs in the course curriculum. He promoted graded, individual blogs because it forced students to take ownership and engage the material. However, he was dealing with university-level students. It sounds like something I might like to try with high school and even junior high school students. However, I am concerned about privacy. I hate for students to be so public about their ideas at such a young age.
I also think the professor, who responds to EVERY entry by students, didn't adequately address the time it would take to include this as just one part of a class. K-12 teachers are particularly time-stressed; it might be difficult to do this in a professional manner without considerable work. Without a doubt, I think it should be taught at some point, perhaps as a unit in a tech class.
EditTeach.org Blogs as a teaching tool
Jane B. Singer | University of Iowa http://www.editteach.org/tools?tool_entry_id=378
This article is written in a Question and Answer format. She responds to the hows, whys, and shoulds of using blogging as part of a college-level course. It is really helpful for two reasons: 1) you can scan it and pick out the questions that you want to read. 2) She very neatly addresses the privacy issue in several of the questions. She gives a very nice overview of what skills blogs are useful in teaching and the subject areas they might work especially well. For those just beginning to use blogs, she also gives nice pointers about how to use blogs most effectively.
This is a great introductory article. Many of the questions she addressed were exactly the ones I have. Definitely the best article I've read on how and why to use blogs in the classroom: succinct, clear, and practical.
Thanks for your comments - some answers to questions
Thanks for all of your comments. Here's my best shot at answering your questions. . .
Baoji is about 1 hour (fast) train ride west of Xian. I think it has about 300,000 people - a small city for China, but big enough. I loved the experience. I know what you mean about always being on call for practicing English. I was lucky to live in an apartment with some people who didn't speak English so I got to try out my Mandarin there and as I navigated from Beijing to Baoji and back. I am green with envy reading about your recent visit to China! :)
Homeschool - I loved homeschooling too. It got more difficult as my son got older. I live in a rural area and most non-religious homeschoolers ended up sending their kids to school and we were kind of on our own for the high school years. He ended up taking a couple classes at the high school just for the social contact.
Right now, my son is working for a polling company, working on music and writing on the side. He tried college for a year, but didn't like it much. He may have been unprepared for the structure after 12 years of "interest-led learning". It has been a bit hard for me to let him find his way since I am so academically-oriented. At this moment, he is looking into applying for college to study psychology. Now it is ME who isn't quite sure he is suited for academia LOL. But I am very proud of his independent and responsible decision-making. I'm also a bit envious of where you are in homeschooling. Enjoy!
Mr. Wellen:
I'm not sure what I would advise in choosing a language. If it's just marketability you're looking at, I'd probably go with Spanish. As you know, Mandarin is pretty tough. I've been studying on my own for over five years and am still only at an intermediate level. That can get discouraging if you don't love it. Fortunately, I have a great passion for it, but I'm not sure most people would want to plow on without least some affinity for the language and culture.
Baoji is about 1 hour (fast) train ride west of Xian. I think it has about 300,000 people - a small city for China, but big enough. I loved the experience. I know what you mean about always being on call for practicing English. I was lucky to live in an apartment with some people who didn't speak English so I got to try out my Mandarin there and as I navigated from Beijing to Baoji and back. I am green with envy reading about your recent visit to China! :)
Homeschool - I loved homeschooling too. It got more difficult as my son got older. I live in a rural area and most non-religious homeschoolers ended up sending their kids to school and we were kind of on our own for the high school years. He ended up taking a couple classes at the high school just for the social contact.
Right now, my son is working for a polling company, working on music and writing on the side. He tried college for a year, but didn't like it much. He may have been unprepared for the structure after 12 years of "interest-led learning". It has been a bit hard for me to let him find his way since I am so academically-oriented. At this moment, he is looking into applying for college to study psychology. Now it is ME who isn't quite sure he is suited for academia LOL. But I am very proud of his independent and responsible decision-making. I'm also a bit envious of where you are in homeschooling. Enjoy!
Mr. Wellen:
I'm not sure what I would advise in choosing a language. If it's just marketability you're looking at, I'd probably go with Spanish. As you know, Mandarin is pretty tough. I've been studying on my own for over five years and am still only at an intermediate level. That can get discouraging if you don't love it. Fortunately, I have a great passion for it, but I'm not sure most people would want to plow on without least some affinity for the language and culture.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Some helpful blogs
I decided to search for blogs that would help me in my student teaching at this moment. So two are for high school social studies teachers and two are from student teachers who have been through what we're going through right now. When I reviewed social studies blogs, I looked for content, lesson plans, and for creative approaches in teaching U.S. history at the high school and junior high level. When I looked at student teaching blogs, I looked for tips on classroom management and just dealing with the sometimes-overwhelming feelings of becoming responsible for a class. Here's what I found:
Social Studies:
U.S. History Teachers Blog
http://ushistoryeducatorblog.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-12-04T05%3A35%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=15
This blog is full of useful lesson-planning tips. I've already gotten tips for planning my classes which start in February. One links to a site which has an entire year's lesson plans which you can pick and choose from!! I really need this because I'm having to create my lessons from whole cloth since textbooks can only be used in the classroom! My mentor teacher uses them only as chronological reference. So, this site gives me a place to go where lessons have been tried and reviewed.
I especially like the organization of the site. The blog's archives list the topics of each blog so I can quickly find old blogs which might be helpful for a specific lesson I'm working on. The links are also great - they include finished PowerPoint presentations. This is especially helpful since I find making my own are eating up a huge amount of time.
Social studies teachers, check this one out!
Social Studies and History Teachers Blog
http://multimedialearningllc.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/beginning-of-the-school-year-activities/
Everything I said about the 1st site goes for this one as well. However, this has one downside: some of the links fail. But I have used this for a couple months now and the content, especially the ability to search by subject matter, outweighs the downside. Most links work and the content is especially useful.
HippoCampus Blog
http://hippocampushistory.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-06-24T07%3A46%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=5
This site is a bit different than the first two - a bit more personal. But I found it very interesting. Though she includes a lot of specific lesson plans, she also discusses topics on teaching in general. For example, in one blog, she gives a specific lesson plan outline using current events linked to history; but the next is on how to write good assessments.
I also like the links on the side. Most are to her own blog posts, divided by topic - useful for sure. Because this includes both teaching hints and focuses on my subject area, it could be my favorite blog so far.
Student Teaching
The Life of a Student Teacher
http://mschambersstjhs.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=15
This is a blog that is not longer maintained. But, I found starting at the first entry and working my way forward was very useful. She takes you through the experiences we - in cohort 19 - are just now beginning: meeting the field supervisor; planning real class units; trying to make sure one still has a life, outside of student teaching. She seems to have written them as they happened, so her emotions are real and it is interesting to see some of her plans for dealing with issues that are sure to arrive for all of us.
I'll be following these blogs from time to time to see if their initial promise holds up!
Social Studies:
U.S. History Teachers Blog
http://ushistoryeducatorblog.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-12-04T05%3A35%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=15
This blog is full of useful lesson-planning tips. I've already gotten tips for planning my classes which start in February. One links to a site which has an entire year's lesson plans which you can pick and choose from!! I really need this because I'm having to create my lessons from whole cloth since textbooks can only be used in the classroom! My mentor teacher uses them only as chronological reference. So, this site gives me a place to go where lessons have been tried and reviewed.
I especially like the organization of the site. The blog's archives list the topics of each blog so I can quickly find old blogs which might be helpful for a specific lesson I'm working on. The links are also great - they include finished PowerPoint presentations. This is especially helpful since I find making my own are eating up a huge amount of time.
Social studies teachers, check this one out!
Social Studies and History Teachers Blog
http://multimedialearningllc.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/beginning-of-the-school-year-activities/
Everything I said about the 1st site goes for this one as well. However, this has one downside: some of the links fail. But I have used this for a couple months now and the content, especially the ability to search by subject matter, outweighs the downside. Most links work and the content is especially useful.
HippoCampus Blog
http://hippocampushistory.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-06-24T07%3A46%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=5
This site is a bit different than the first two - a bit more personal. But I found it very interesting. Though she includes a lot of specific lesson plans, she also discusses topics on teaching in general. For example, in one blog, she gives a specific lesson plan outline using current events linked to history; but the next is on how to write good assessments.
I also like the links on the side. Most are to her own blog posts, divided by topic - useful for sure. Because this includes both teaching hints and focuses on my subject area, it could be my favorite blog so far.
Student Teaching
The Life of a Student Teacher
http://mschambersstjhs.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=15
This is a blog that is not longer maintained. But, I found starting at the first entry and working my way forward was very useful. She takes you through the experiences we - in cohort 19 - are just now beginning: meeting the field supervisor; planning real class units; trying to make sure one still has a life, outside of student teaching. She seems to have written them as they happened, so her emotions are real and it is interesting to see some of her plans for dealing with issues that are sure to arrive for all of us.
I'll be following these blogs from time to time to see if their initial promise holds up!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Introducing myself
I've taken a long and winding road to end up in school studying to become a teacher.
I graduated from college way back in 1979. I entered the Peace Corps and worked in the agriculture extension program in Ecuador for a couple years. Then, I worked with International Voluntary Services in Bolivia. I went from working with the Otavalan Indians of the high Andes in Ecuador to the llanos of Eastern Bolivia, with a wild-west type mixture of ethnicities and lifestyles. Quite an experience!
A couple years later, I became a mother and home-schooled my son K-12. Somewhere in there I tried a year of law school, but it was too much money and time when I had so little of both. So, back to full-time Mom and homeschooling parent.
I really loved homeschooling, but it sure left a hole after 18 years outside the working world! When my son graduated, I filled the time waiting tables and trying to learn Mandarin Chinese.
Last year, I signed up to teach English in Baoji, China for a month. I was really only trying to improve my Chinese abilities, but the experience opened my eyes to another possibility. The classroom dynamic was so interesting and challenging that for the first time I considered teaching as a career.
So, here I am, back in the trenches of academia working on the MAT. . .
I graduated from college way back in 1979. I entered the Peace Corps and worked in the agriculture extension program in Ecuador for a couple years. Then, I worked with International Voluntary Services in Bolivia. I went from working with the Otavalan Indians of the high Andes in Ecuador to the llanos of Eastern Bolivia, with a wild-west type mixture of ethnicities and lifestyles. Quite an experience!
A couple years later, I became a mother and home-schooled my son K-12. Somewhere in there I tried a year of law school, but it was too much money and time when I had so little of both. So, back to full-time Mom and homeschooling parent.
I really loved homeschooling, but it sure left a hole after 18 years outside the working world! When my son graduated, I filled the time waiting tables and trying to learn Mandarin Chinese.
Last year, I signed up to teach English in Baoji, China for a month. I was really only trying to improve my Chinese abilities, but the experience opened my eyes to another possibility. The classroom dynamic was so interesting and challenging that for the first time I considered teaching as a career.
So, here I am, back in the trenches of academia working on the MAT. . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)