Classroom Blogs

This week I read Jessica Kiser’s Blog. Having to do blogs every week really opened me up to new things I had not yet experienced, let alone heard about, in the educational field. I had not yet seen how blogs were used in the classroom especially an elementary class! I think blogs can be wonderful tools for not only the students but for the parents as well. They can get a feel for what their child is learning in class, see firsthand how the teacher interacts with the students (whether or not her instructions are clear and precise ect.) and also have interactions with the teacher themselves.

We also were able to find out about how different technologies are being used in the class. We found websites such as ALEX that is used for a teacher resource that we will be able to use in our future career. We also learned about ACCESS which is internet based and used within the high schools throughout Alabama to allow students access to advanced placement classes that are not offered at their particular school.

The most impressive resource that I had not yet heard about was Podcasts. Not only is iTunes for your entertainment, but it is also for your education! iTunesU is full of wonderful free podcasts, both audio and video format. They have podcasts you can use in your classroom to aid in your subject matter. There are also podcasts on new technology that others use in the classroom and these podcasts are designed to help familiarize the teacher on how to use the new technology, or give you new ideas on how to use it.

I think these blogs were a great learning experience. The only downfall I see is for students who do not have daily access to a computer and/or internet. Students from low income families would suffer from not having this learning experience or feel left out on an educational tool and less motivated. All in all I feel like blogs are a great way to get ideas for educational activities and resources and a great way to stay connected.