Balance is a Four Letter Word!
Ok, so now that I have my class blog up and running, my students are working together in Google docs, Gmail and groups, and they have all created meaningful Voki’s I seem to have neglected my professional blog. I am spending every moment working WITH my students to mold and shape our Power unit. During this collaborative time I have forgotten to sit back and think, “So, what does this all mean?” Read some of the comments that have been said in my classroom over the past two weeks:
“That makes so much more sense” – commenting on subscribing to RSS feeds
“What happens if we aren’t allowed to learn this way next year?”
“I need to do it this way because that is how I learn best.”
“”Finally!”
“I feel more comfortable speaking to the world through a blog than in front of the class. Is that ok?”
And finally, a parent comes to me at conferences and tells me how her 13 year old son and his friend were having a sleep over. It was 2 in the morning and she heard them on the computer. Expecting to find them on an inappropriate site, she was dumbfounded to find that they were blogging on our class blog!
I was speechless!
Dave Bircher replied:
Sounds like you are on the right track. If students are doing schoolwork during a sleepover, I would say that you have connected with them. Good job!
March 23, 2008 at 9:48 pm. Permalink.
marlene gillanders replied:
Angie, you’re putting your students first; I wouldn’t say that was a bad thing.
Also, congratulations, you have provided your students another tool in which they can learn.
March 25, 2008 at 7:29 pm. Permalink.
Shaun Loeppky replied:
Sleepovers and homework…usually it was sleepover, and do the homework at home…
I sill rave about the voki I found at your site. Great idea and a fun tool as well for students!
March 26, 2008 at 12:00 am. Permalink.
leahdewhurst replied:
Thats great to hear Angie. Isn’t it great to know a small tool like blogging can have a great impact on student learning.
March 28, 2008 at 4:02 pm. Permalink.
Ken Meredith replied:
Don’t feel bad. What’s more professional than planning activities that engage students?
March 31, 2008 at 1:51 am. Permalink.
Dean replied:
Angie, you have “hooked” your students. Who knows where the classroom adventure will take you all. Good work. Its always great to hear the success stories.
April 2, 2008 at 9:22 pm. Permalink.
Kimberly Brown replied:
I love when my students write on their blogs in the evenings, weekends or on holidays. Now that you’ve begun to integrate Web 2.0 tools into your teach there won’t be any turning back. Have fun and enjoy along with your students!
April 6, 2008 at 8:32 pm. Permalink.
lgatzke replied:
Great job Angie. As a parent, I would love for my boys to be engaged in blogging. I love how you have taken a Social Studies unit and turned it into meaningful learning for your students.
April 8, 2008 at 1:24 am. Permalink.