Showing posts with label classroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classroom. Show all posts
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Pay Attention!
This video, from http://t4.jordandistrict.org/payattention moved me to think about a few things. I know in a class of 30 high school students, that it's likely that 25 of them have cell phones and of those 25, it's possible that 20 of them have smartphones or internet access. Why am I not using them? Recently, some forward thinking administrators in my district have left the decision to allow their use (or not) up to the individual teacher. I LOVE that and I'm excited to try something using a medium that so many of them find necessary to their daily lives. I had never thought about the SMS texting use that is mentioned in this video. A class set of laptops can run into problems - but a student's phone? SO much more reliable than a network or equipment that may or may not work at any given point!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Blogging in the Classroom
While there are many blogs that I enjoy reading for leisure and information, it was only recently that it occurred to me that I could potentially use them in my own classroom. I have a colleague who frequently used hers for her AP English class writing prompts, but I worried that my use might be a little too simple. That was BEFORE I read, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, by Will Richardson.
After reading his chapter on blogs, lightbulbs started to go off in my head. My curriculum standards are deviating from the TWO state standards and are embracing the national LOTE standards. The FIVE C's are Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, Communities (http://www.actfl.org). These standards are perfect for the blogosphere. I see myself using them for communication with my students, to help them make connections and comparisons between cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and how they can help in their own communities. All the while, they would be making their world smaller AND larger at the same time!
My students love to give feedback, whether it's positive or negative. By encouraging students to own their opinions and feedback in a blog format, it's a win-win situation for me as a teacher.
After reading his chapter on blogs, lightbulbs started to go off in my head. My curriculum standards are deviating from the TWO state standards and are embracing the national LOTE standards. The FIVE C's are Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, Communities (http://www.actfl.org). These standards are perfect for the blogosphere. I see myself using them for communication with my students, to help them make connections and comparisons between cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and how they can help in their own communities. All the while, they would be making their world smaller AND larger at the same time!
My students love to give feedback, whether it's positive or negative. By encouraging students to own their opinions and feedback in a blog format, it's a win-win situation for me as a teacher.
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