Weekend Update 4

The Technology Integration Committees want to thank everyone for their support over the last couple of weeks. We are approaching the 5000 page view mark (currently at 4855!) and should top it easily in the closing days of the month.  Hopefully everyone has had a chance to read all of the posts and have started integrated the different web tools into their lessons.

Normally here is where we give some important stats about the blog, but we have just of cruised for the last week, gradually growing each day.  But, I do want to announce we have added another CONTINENT to our following:  Australia!  So, a hearty G'Day, Mates, from Middletown, NJ, USA!!

When selected the tools for this challenge, we had 3 conditions: easy to use, immediate implementation, and FREE.  Well, there is a great blog that we would like to focus on for this update and that is FreeTech4Teachers.com.

Richard Byrne (@rmbyrne) is a Social Studies teacher in Maine and runs this blog as a way to expose teachers to as many free resources as possible.  EduBlogs honored his site as the 2010 Winner for Best Resource Sharing Blog and 2011 Winner for Best Ed Tech Blog.   36,000 people view his blog every day!  Byrne is a Google Certified Teacher and has a number of Google Apps tutorials on his site as well.

As you will see when you visit the site, his current week's list of resources includes:
Flipping Your Classroom With Free Web Tools
Creative Interactive Bulletin Boards
Web 2.0 Collaborative Projects for Middle School

But our favorite part of the site is his list of Favorite Resources.  One of the most important ones (and #2 on his list) is the Super Book of Web Tools For Educators.  This an extensive list of tools that can be used in all areas of education and an absolute must for any educator looking to increase the level of technology and student involvement in class.

Take a look at FreeTech4Teachers.com and let us know what you found.  We love to read all of the comments (all 366 of them!) that are left on the blog.  Have a great weekend!

Day One: Blogger

Our first Web 2.0 Tool is Blogger.  This blog was created on blogger so it is only appropriate that we explain how it was created.  Let's watch a video that explains what a blog is before we get into creating one:

How to Start a Blog
Starting a blog is actually surprisingly simple.  If you can type a document, you can blog.  Start by going to www.blogger.com and signing in.  Now, since Blogger is a Google program, your Middletownk12.org account will give you access.  But, if you prefer, you can always register for a personal Gmail account first.  Once you login, it is simply a matter of picking the right title, web address and layout for your blog.  Now let's talk about why and how this can help you in your teaching.

Why Should You Blog?
Reflection--One of the most important reasons to start blogging is for reflection. There are so many things happening in your life that sometimes you need to stop for a second and reflect on what just happened to you.  It may be something a student said in your classroom, it may be a significant interaction with a colleague or it may just be an odd bumper sticker you saw on your drive into work.  Whatever it is, stop and write down your thoughts on it.  Plus you will have it forever, stored in a convenient location to look back on at a later date.
To Connect with People Like You--Blogs are a great way to find people who have similar interests and view points as yourself.  Science teachers can find other science blogs, nature lovers can find nature blogs and foodies can find food blogs.  Websites are the way to find general information on a topic, but blogs allow you to become involved in the experiences of others.
To Have Fun and Be Creative--One of the most important keys to successful blogging is having a passion about your blog's topic, so you can write prolifically about it. Some of the best and most interesting blogs started out as blogs that were written just for fun and to give the blogger a creative outlet.  One of the best parts of blogging is taking an idea and letting it get silly.

How You Can Use Blogging in Your Classroom
Student Blogs--First, every English teacher will tell you that the more you write, the better your writing will become.  The simple act of having students put their thoughts "on paper" will help them when they sit to write that big essay later.  Second, teenagers these days realize their impact goes far beyond their small circle of friends and family as they are developing relationships that stretch worldwide through all types of social media. What better way to get a global perspective on your ideas than to put them in a place where people from all walks of life can view them and respond?  Finally, there is a strong movement to reduce the amount of paper being used in schools, both to help the environment and to reduce school budgets.  When a student completes his/her assignment online, no paper is being copied and no stacks of grading are being carted home by the teacher.  Blogs also give students the opportunity to make their assignments more dynamic.  In science class, when asked to document their observations for a chemical experiment, they can both write down what they see and insert pictures of the reaction right into the data table.

Classroom Blogs--classroom blogs can function just like a normal class website (post handouts, create assignments, update a homework calendar) except they also allow for students to participate in an online discussion.  The teacher can post an article/current event/video for the class to view and rather than using class time to discuss, the teacher can have an ongoing discussion through the comments section of the post.  Here are a pair of Middletown teachers using blogs with their math classes:
Mrs. Ivers' Classroom
Mr. Kerrigan's Classroom

Blogs That Make You Go Hmmmm
Below are links to blogs from educators who are leading the digital reform in schools and represent an unbiased, student-centered approach to education.
Connected Principals--blog for leadership ideas and views on administration
A Principal's Reflection--comments about education from a principal in Northern NJ, coordinator of Edscape2012
Stump the Teacher--middle school language arts/social studies teacher & 2012 IL Teacher of the Year
The Nerdy Teacher--MI based English teacher and educational technology coordinator
The Principal of Change--general comments about education and leadership from administrator in Canada
Blogging About the Web 2.0 Connected Classroom--edtech leader with great links for additional Web Tools
Lyn Hilt: The Principal's Posts--elementary school principal with great views on education
Practical Theory--HS principal, educational speaker, coordinator of EduConPhilly
Cybraryman's blog list--an amazing list of blogs which can sorted by subject area

So, how will you use blogs as learning tools both for yourself and your students?