EduBlog Insights

email arrived today and made my day! Especially the part about Patrick

- now words like that from a former teacher really count in my book.

Think we could use things like this for evaluation? I am still

struggling with evaluation but have decided that a rubric of skills

just isn’t the answer.

sharing my baby blog with the National School Boards Association.  I must admit

that I freaked out when I read the post from Kelly McCarthy because I had no

clue who this person was & then to see where my blog was posted….yikes! 

shared the site with a professor from UGA that organizes the annual Georgia

Physical Educators Workshop so that he could suggest that other PE teachers use

them as well.  He was impressed and is sending it to “everyone”.

much for all you do at House.  You have an amazing ability to get the students

to dig down deep and pull out things they didn≠t even realize they could

do!  I am still floored and amazed by Patrick’s blog on what he was

passionate about.  I shared it with Gail Scott yesterday (he was in her 4^th

grade class) and she could not believe the dramatic changes in his writing

skills!  You have found the magic key to unlock the passion of writing within

him ~ and numerous others no doubt! 

year I just may be working on my annual weblog project at a high

school. I’ll be meeting with the instructional technology specialist

tomorrow.This is exciting, especially since some of the kids there will

be ones I’ve taught in the past.  Now none of them have been in my

weblog projects but some will have been in my technology classes. Today

I’ve been browsing high school sites for good samples (send me some if

you have suggestions). I came across a post by Elizabeth Fullerton (August 2004)

attempts to give us an answer to the question. The list covers just

about everything. However, there is a long list of comments that add to

the debate. After you read this post, visit Asterick* and read the

comments. Some of them are quite good. It’s also a good example of

utility that made me think of many of my educator friends in school

settings. Lots of you have experienced that sinking feeling when you

are hunted down by the technology people who want to let you know that

you just caused the network to come tumbling down when you sent a huge

file attachment on your email account. I know this still happens in many

schools. Heck, many schools don’t even have the software to compress

these huge files or that one piece of software resides on a single

YouSendIt is

a free service that is going to make your life a lot easier. I haven’t

1. Type  the recipient’s email address. You can specify multiple email addresses separated by commas.

send. It can be photos, audio, documents, etc. The file is stored by

YouSendIt. It does not go to the recipeint’s mailbox.

recipient will receive a link to your file stored on its server. The file will be deleted after 7 days.

No passwords to share, no software to install, no accounts to create, and no

That association is top notch. I haven’t been able to attend many of

their conferences but I think they are the best. I got so excited

reading eSchool News online this morning. Corey Murray’s article

entitled, ASCD speakers: Get authentic reform,

had so many excellent points that I just longed to have been a part of

the conference.The key theme for the conference was how to address a

glaring disconnect between the demands of the new knowledge-based

economy and the drill-and-practice mentality currently driving

education in many of the nation’s classrooms. Now that was more than

enough for starters but listen to more from his article……

century seem to be passing us by, she said: Many of the nation’s top

education leaders, including the framers of the federal No Child Left

Behind Act (NCLB), also are missing the point.

“One of the reasons we have NCLB in the United States is because the

group that cooked it up has no idea what they are doing,” James said to

applause from the crowd. “When you don’t understand something, the

first thing you try and do is measure it.

“Don’t get me wrong–I’m all for accountability,” said James in

reference to the federal law. But teaching students to memorize

information meant to produce higher marks on state tests is not the way

to prepare them for life and work in a global economy, she said.

“Technology is changing everything,” said James, who believes a “cultural shift” is under way in the nation’s classrooms.

But it won’t be enough simply to outfit the nation’s classrooms with

the latest gadgets. For technology to have its intended impact,

teachers must do their part to drive new methods of instruction.

Gene Carter (ASCD Executive Director)……..

 ASCD’s Carter reinforced James’ criticisms of the law, calling its focus on standardized test scores “inappropriate.” The idea, said Carter, is to create new environments focused on “deep

learning,” which includes the development of a rigorous, relevant

curriculum–some of which involves the use and application of

technology.

“In the 21st century, learning must dictate how technology is used,”

ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter told a group of educational

technology advocates during a special session on the closing day of the

conference. Although there are a few shining examples of effective

technology integration in schools, Carter said, “the average teacher is

Ted Hershberg (University of Pennsylvania professor)……..

Though our education system has worked well in the past, the increasing

presence of technology and the demands of a new century have made it

nearly impossible for teachers to rely on what has become an outdated

approach to teaching and learning, said Hershberg, who also serves as

executive director for Operation Public Education, a research group

that develops strategies for education reform.

If change doesn’t occur soon, he warned, the United States is in danger

of ceding its economic prominence to other, more aggressive

nations–most notably India and China, whose workers offer the same, if

not better, skills at a fraction of the cost.

“Our schools were good for the past,” Hershberg explained. But we

cannot expect “an old system to produce new results. … It’s time to

get on with the process of change and stop blaming each other.”

to tell a good story. In short, they need to sell what it is they’re

teaching. To do that, educators must build lessons that attract and

enthrall a generation of students weaned on the interactivity of the

The “Net Generation,” as she called today’s students, wants short,

interactive lessons dispersed with, but not dominated by, the use of

technology. To them, she said, technology is a tool to fuel discussion.

“Why is common sense not common practice?” asked James. Isn’t it time

our nation’s schools begin to reflect “the realities of the outside

And back to the key in classrooms

being educators telling a good story, selling what they are teaching.

Blogs can be the place to do just that.

enjoying teaching my Teachers & Technology class

but the syllabus is so jammed packed that I can’t really have them blogging as

I would like. I have taken the time to talk about blogs and show a few examples

but our blogs are mainly used for content containers. That’s hard for me, but I

figured I could expose to them and slip in a little here and there so they

might see the value. One of my posts, Your Voice Counts, was one of my

efforts to tell them about blogging. I think they get it but today the

discussion was The Digital Divide. I sent them to the site and told them to

pick one of the articles and blog about it.I could weave that in with my

syllabus content. Now you know I was really tickled when I saw Will’s article

among the list. It was When Kids Make Content: A Q & A With

‘Blogevangelist’ Will Richardson.  And no, I did not demand

that they read that article. I did not even suggest it. That was hard though

Divide Network you are given the choice to read articles, scan

linked resources, and connect with other educators and technology progressors.

I just read an article entitled, “When Kids Make Content: A Q&A with

‘Blogevangelist’ Will Richardson.

Mr. Richardson is very gung-ho about getting children involved in technology,

especially with blogging, to increase their literacy and to “hand over

control of content construction” to them.

control of

content production. In the classroom,

those kids

have that capability to contribute to

about blogs is related to this part of the article, in that it opens up

communities and identifies peers. It is a form of information sharing. It

provides opportunities for critical thinking as questions are posed about new

information and dialogues are formed. I think allowing students to be directly

involved in this process, individually but supervised, is EXTREMELY empowering

and motivating for students. And, the more motivated, the more the student will

just read When Kids Make Content: A Q & A With ‘Blogevangelist’

Will Richardson, and I agree with Will

Richardson when he says “In my experience, students are

very responsible about the content they create…[t]hey know that what they

write is out there for real people to consume and interact with, and that

motivates them.” My own experience of blogging has shown me how important

it is to take the time to reflect on topics and issues knowing that others can

benefit from our thought process. It gives you a strong sense of

responsibility, but also it empowers you in that you know that what you write

matters. The feed back you get in return also helps you to expand yourself in a

meaningful ways. Other people thoughts and words open your mind through more

knowledge and perspectives. I really hope that teachers will extensively

encourage the students to blog; it has helped me to improve my literacy skills,

and I believe that it will do the same for the students. It is easy to learn

and all you really need as a teacher is to schedule some computer time. It

Bethany……………

talks about creating real content for real audiences when using blogs. This

type of environment can defintely be more motivating for kids and makes them

more comfortable with reading and writing. I agree that one of the things that

motivates the kids is that their work is out there for real people to consume

and interact with. When they are writing in class on regular paper, they aren’t

as motivated because their work isn’t available for anyone and everyone to read

and have access to. When they are writing on a blog, they know others will

review and critique their work which gives them more motivation to try and do

their best. It also gives them a greater sense of empowerment when using blogs.

This is a great article that opened my eyes to why it using blogs can be so

beneficial for students.

I read the article titled: When

Richardson. I really agreed with what Will

Richardson had to say. He believes that blog usage in

classrooms is a great tool for students to increase literary skills. With in

the interview, there were a couple of important questions that were presented

and I believe Mr. Richardson had some great answers. For the question:

“What’s the biggest obstacle you face in organizing teachers and

administrators to incorporate blogging in the classroom?” Mr. Richardson

think by and large, the transparency of blogs is very difficult

foreducators to get used to. This is a disruptive technology in so many

ways, andalong with letting the outside world in, it’s forcing us to

rethink the way wedeliver curriculum and for all intents who owns all

that content in the firstplace. I think instinctively, educators feel

the potential of what blogs can

I think blogs are great for teachers and students but we must moniter heavily

and model psoitive usage for students.