Another Book Recommendation

If you're team is having troubles, read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. Great book and an easy read! I hope to use his ideas to improve our team at work this year so we can become more productive which will help our students succeed!

Uncle Steve's Medals

Uncle Steve, originally uploaded by acspohn.

This is a photo of my brother and my daughter after his retirement from the Army. He let her have these two medals and she was so proud.

23 Things: Thing 23

Take a few moments to reflect on your journey. You've covered a lot of material over the past ten weeks. What does it all mean? How has your thinking changed between Thing 1 and Thing 23?
I'm glad that I took this course even though I had used or heard of most of the "things" that we covered because I found, as I expected, that there was a lot more that I didn't know. I found that even the tools that I was using I wasn't using in the way that the Web 2.0 envisioned them to be used - in a truly collaborative sense. I also hadn't had time to really think through how some of these tools, like a wiki, could really get students to work together to create real, sustained knowledge in a content area. We also should remember that teamwork is still one of the crucial parts of every workplace and collaborative learning gets student ready for that type of work environment.


Has this program changed how you view the Internet or how view education in the digital world? What plans have you made for using these tools in and out of the classroom? How will you continue to learn about Web 2.0 tools? What are your big "take aways" from this experience?

One thing that's funny is that I was using many of the Web 2.0 tools for my personal use but hadn't extended them to my professional life. This program has helped me by giving me a wide variety of examples of how other educators and professionals are using Web 2.0 to enrichen their lives both personally and professionally. First and foremost, I hope this year I will bring to my classroom a collaborative mindset. I think that I have to start by creating a collaborative culture and then use the tools that this program has introduced to me to make the collaboration an integral part to our learning. I hope to especially develop and use my wiki and to make better use of blogging than I did last year. I think that, for some units, social bookmarking could prove useful as well. Right now I find sites and store them in Netrekker for my class to use but it usually becomes a tool for me to quickly retrieve a site to show something through the LCD projector. Kind of one sided. But with social bookmarking we could all help to find and store sites that would be useful not to mention we could have the help of our parents who are a great resource.

The biggest idea that I will take away from this class is that collaboration is where the world is headed. It used to be a nice thing to do and we all knew it worked well but not every workplace was a collaborative one. Now, it is becoming a requirement in almost all facets of our world. Teamwork is now even more crucial of a skill than ever before and, although people want to blame technology for destroying social etiquette and grammar, I think that soon our younger generation will begin to feel the pressure of the permanence of the web and the opposite effect will occur. We will begin to be even more careful than ever before about what we put out in the world.

Thank you for this learning opportunity and I hope it continues to be offered!

23 Things: Thing 22

In your blog post be sure to include the link to your wiki. Then discuss your feelings about using a wiki. How does a wiki differ from a blog? When is one more appropriate to use than the other?


My feelings about using a wiki are mixed. I spent a lot of time last year working on my school website and know that, to make it good, I invested tons of time. I just hope that managing a wiki doesn't become the same way. I imagine that, since a wiki is collaborative, that the workload should not be nearly the same as a web page. I can also see that my webpage is mainly informative in nature although there is a blog feature (issue? students have to remember a their student number to log in and some are long...very difficult for third graders!). We can also post pictures and comment on them in a discussion board. But, the website does not offer my students the flexibility and collaborative nature of a wiki. I don't see the wiki replacing the website at all but being another tool that we use to learn together. I just can't afford too much more time off my plate to manage another thing so it will have to have a very practical use.

http://spohngrade3.wikispaces.com/

A wiki is definitely different than a blog. A blog allows people to post and comment but not to create, edit, and revise content together. A blog is a collaborative way of working but not the same as a wiki. A wiki can allow a teachers, his/her students, and people outside of the classroom to collaborate on projects of all kinds and add content from their own areas of expertise. I think a blog is appropriate to use if you'd like to have a class discussion in which you want to see exactly what each person can and will contribute on their own. Blogs also give the "owner" much more control about what ends up being allowed to be posted. A wiki hands over much of the control to each of its members. While creating this wiki, I found that my own school site had added a wiki feature to each teacher. If it works where I can have other classes collaborate (and not just the students within my room), I may try to use that instead of the wikispace because it is linked directly from my site and is set up with my students as users already.

One question: Do students have to have email addresses in order to become members of a wiki on wikispaces? If so, that could be difficult for the younger ones as far as parent permission goes.

My Sister's Keeper

Has anyone else read this book? I loved it but was disappointed by the ending. I really wanted to see how the whole situation was going to play out in the direction it was heading. I don't think authors need to add a twist at the end for people to think their story is a good one. The realism had me hooked until then. Still a great book...quite a tear jerker!

23 Things: Thing 21

Describe a wiki you found that inspires you to create one of your own. What hurdles might stand in the way of your using a wiki? What would it take to remove the hurdles? Is it worth the fight?
I found a site by Vicki Davis and kept running into her blog and wiki as I looked around. I liked reading her blog about the ways in which wikis have helped her students re-energize about learning. http://westwood.wikispaces.com/ I think anything that engages students and gets them excited about learning, creating, and actually putting some knowledge into a more permanent part of their brain is right for me.

I envision two hurdles for me as I begin to think about a class wiki. I think the first is starting small with a very definable topic with very explicit objectives. I have a tendency to overwhelm myself with ideas and then feel committed to follow through partly because I have high expectations but also because when students have become head over heels involved there's no choice but to continue.

The second hurdle for me is an ongoing one. I am constantly thinking about assessment and how it is changing. We often question if assessments should be whatever the students can produce completely on their own on a given day without any tools and a blank piece of paper in front of them or is the collaborative nature of our world changing the entire ballgame? I am not at all about softening standards or expectations and it seems that many think of collaborative learning as a way to make things easier. However, I usually think to the contrary. I think that students feel a greater committment to learning and quality work when they know their content is public and their input is necessary for the good of the group. I also think that students learn way more from each other than from us. This year I spent hours helping a student with division. One day another student basically pulled him away from me, talked to him over some blocks, and suddenly division was easy. I asked them both why a student's less than standard explanation worked and the answer was that, "he talks like me." So, apparently I speak some form of alien language! I think ongoing collaboration allows all students access to information and knowledge especially when most students can't "get it" on the first presentation. As they add, edit, revise, or simply read what others have written, they will begin to understand the content. Time is the biggest gift for teachers, right? It's what we all beg for and demand. Why don't we think that our students feel the same way? Giving them a way to access content in our class anywhere, anytime is one way to do that. I don't think I have an answer about how wikis can fit into the assessment picture but that's why I have to remember to start small.

Wow, that was a lot of rambling but it's important for me to think through this even at the expense of the reader!

23 Things: Thing 20

Include in your post the name of at least one podcast to which you subscribed. Describe your experience using the various search tools. Which do you prefer and why?
I subscribed to the podcast "Radio WillowWeb" from the Education Podcast Network. It's the first in the list under "Elementary". I loved that this podcast used very young children especially since we are working so hard on writing and reading fluency. I'm assuming (hoping) that these students had to write and practice reading their scripts. In this way students are writing for a real audience and then working on reading fluency so that they can sound good when creating the podcast. I also liked Podcast Alley because there are podcasts that I could use both professionally and personally. This site has a more varied approach to searching than EPN which allows you to find podcasts more easily.

On iTunes I found that there are podcasts for learning second languages. What a great resource for teachers! Wouldn't students love it if for homework they got to listen to podcasts and complete an assignment rather than do another worksheet?! There are even free v-casts of some of my daugther's favorite shows like Super Why! Also, being able to watch news shows that I miss is great. I hate the idea of TiVo or DVR because I really don't watch enough TV to bother so this is a great alternative for me.

Read This Book!

I just finished the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell and have to recommend it to others. This book looks hard at successful people and examines more than just there ambitious, hard-working nature. It was amazing to read about all of the factors (birth place and time, time for practicing, cultural background, socioeconomic background) that led to their success. Malcolm Gladwell does believe that successful individuals are talented, determined, and bright but has also uncovered many other factors in making those successful people more likely to rise to the top. I've also posted a link to his site. Read this book and you'll think differently about success.
www.gladwell.com

23 Things: Thing 19

Which podcasts did you find interesting? Identify one or two podcasts and describe how you would use them in your work. (Be sure to include links in your blog entry to the podcasts mentioned.)
I listened to a few of the podcasts by Grammar Girl. I liked that there were very short podcasts about specific English errors instead of long lessons about grammar. I think these would be useful for both students and adults who have questions about common (or uncommon) grammar errors. I would not use this site to correct your spouse's grammar! Ha!
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/default.aspx

I also listened to the State Superintendent Mike Flanagan's podcast (actually a v-cast) from June 11th. I think it's a great idea for those in Lansing, and others in legislative positions, to address the constituents through podcasting or v-casting. They can make themselves seem more human, reachable, and sensitive to the questions people may have. I think v-casting is even more effective in this forum because people are less likely to harshly criticize a legislator when there's a real face with the title. For the person posting the podcast, they have the advantage of time - time to have others review the podcast and time to revise and edit before posting. This is quite different from being on the spot for a newspaper, radio, or television interview. The legislator has time to think through the message and make his or her statements and position on an issue clear. I think for PD, podcasts could be a way to get teachers information they need in a format where they can pause, rewind, and have time to absorb information. Maybe this means recording parts of meetings and posting them as podcasts so people can revisit them when they've gone home or the next day or next year. Talk about a great way to keep the "Telephone" game out of education and keeping messages clear!
http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-37818_45256---,00.html

23 Things: Thing 18 #2

I also chose to embed this presentation about Response to Intervention because it is something that we are working very closely with in our building. But, there are so many details to remember that this presentation could help me and others when we have questions about goals, tiers, etc.

Response to Intervention: A Component in a Novel Educational Service Delivery Model.

View more documents from schoolpsychology.

23 Things: Thing 18 #1

What did you like about the presentation you embedded? How might Slideshare be useful in the classroom? out of the classroom?

I really liked that when you viewed a presentation that you were given suggestions for related presentations as well. Wow this could save a ton of time if you could find presentations that people have made instead of everyone recreating the wheel. I also love that you can upload files from Slideshare directly to a variety of other collaborative sites.

I chose two presentations to embed. The first is this one about multiplication which is a huge concept that third graders work on. I don't think that this presentation is particularly exciting but may at least be a great way to either begin a lesson or as a reinforcement and visual representation after I've already given some verbal introduction. We do know that all students, based on their age, have a limit to how long they can attend to instruction before they need a transition or change of materials or pace. These presentations could easily do that.

What Is Multiplication?

View more documents from lindylou.

23 Things: Thing 17

Give a review of the tool you explored - what worked, what didn't work, how might it be used in your personal or professional life?

I tried out the bubbl.us site and Remember the Milk. I like the collaborative nature of both of these sites. I think that students would enjoy using bubbl.us to collaborate on a variety of assignments either before the project begins to decide who takes which role or during a project to plan out where the project needs to go. Remember the Milk is a great way to create a to-do list. I saw this used at MACUL and how you can send and receive your to-do list by phone or email as well as checking the site. Pretty cool. This task list could also be used by groups of adults or students who are working together to complete a project and could eliminate the need for meetings that are simply used to check the status of the task list.

For students using these sites, we would definitely need to think about how to manage account creation. Would students each have their individual accounts or would there be a class login that everyone would use? Management of these things always takes some time to think about and try out before using with students. Even then, sometimes there are hiccups along the way. As long as student privacy and safety are addressed along with any necessary parent permission, then other issues are solely technical.

23 Things: Thing 16

How might you use this tool in your personal and/or professional life? What issues come to mind about using this tool with students (ie, they need email addresses to log-in)?
I think Google docs is a great way for teams of teachers to collaborate on creating documents without having to give up valuable planning time. This could also be a way to brainstorm ideas for an event or lesson when time to meet runs low. This could also be a way to help with ideas for Tier 1 students who need intervention but a teacher is at a loss for ideas. When we try to meet as a grade level and discuss all of our Tier 1 students in 50 minutes, it's impossible. One issue would be to keep identifying information about students out of the documents. However, after seeing the presentation by Alan November, we tried as a grade level to work on some Google docs but had a very difficult time getting it to work correctly. I'm positive it was "user error" but would like some hands-on training about how to do it right because I see it as a very valuable tool.

Using Google docs with students, hmmm. I think, as with all things, if it was used appropriately and they didn't use this email account for other purposes we'd be fine. Also, in Google's terms and conditions it states that "You may not use the Services and may not accept the Terms if (a) you are not of legal age to form a binding contract with Google". I'm assuming that means that they do not want children having Google accounts. Is there still a way to use this service by creating a class email account that the teacher would monitor? This way students could log in at the same time and work on the document(s) without having individual accounts. Would that work?

23 Things: Thing 15

Is RSS becoming easier to understand? Do you recognize new benefits of using this tool? Do you remember to check your feeds regularly? Has it become a habit (or obsession!) yet?
I think revisiting RSS at this point was a good idea. Sometimes it's hard to digest too much information at once. I definitely like the idea of using RSS to collaborate with other educators or even family members and friends on a given topic. It can definitely save time when one member of a group can work on researching sites while other members work on different tasks. I have checked my feeds but not on a daily basis. However, for the news feeds, it is important for me to keep up since we do not subscribe to a newspaper and I don't usually watch much television. It's a good way to keep up with what's going on in the world whenever I have a minute to do so.

23 Things: Thing 14

Include your Delicious username in this blog post so that others can view the bookmarks that you have chosen to share.
My username is: acspohn1

Then reflect on how you think social bookmarking can be used in your teaching. Does Delicious seem to be a tool that can enhance your productivity?
Well, when I first began exploring Delicious I would have said that it would not enhance my productivity because I kept finding interesting things to check out and spent way too much time doing so. However, in the description of this "thing" there were suggestions about how this tool could be used for specially formed groups of teachers and/or students to work on short term or long term projects. I can definitely see using this tool to share reading lists or resources during a research project. It would also be great as a way for more those who are great at searching the internet to share sites with someone who is having a hard time finding what they need online.

Share your thoughts about tagging. Is tagging a useful way to organize your digital resources and why? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages? What is important to think about before assigning tags to bookmarks or other Internet content?
I think tagging can be of great use especially if use a tag cloud using the key words of the day for your topic. If you already know that some people will search for something using one tag while many others use a different term/tag then it would be wise to add both. It's also helpful to use tags as a way to classify an ever growing list of bookmarks. I also like the idea of using specified tags if you are collaborating with others. I think that, before assigning tags to bookmarks or other content, we need to consider some of the suggestions in the "Thirteen Tips for Effective Tagging" such as: checking out how the most popular tags are written, remembering not to leave blank spaces in between words in the tag, and updating tags when needed. I suppose the disadvantage to using tags is that if you are using ineffective tags then you may be wasting your time because very few will ever find your bookmarks or they will show up in the wrong context.

23 Things: Thing 13

What applications appeal to you? Now that you know more about Twitter and Facebook, pay attention to where you hear references to them in the every day world. How do you think you might use these tools?
I love using Facebook although I will admit to losing part of my life last summer to it! It has been a great way to keep in touch with two of my siblings who don't live near me and who both work third shift (most of our calls to each other go right to voice mail). I have also been able to reconnect with high school buddies and see what they're up to through posts and photos. I have a Twitter account but really have not had time to keep up with those that I am following. It just hasn't found a real purpose for me yet.

Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today? What safety tips would you share with your students who are talking about using social networks?
I think online communities are a great way for kids, especially those who tend to be more introverted face-to-face, to meet others who share their interests. I also think kids are able to interact with others and form online friendships. I'm sure, just like any friends, there will be some that parents would approve of and those that they surely would not. Also, online communities are truly not safe for kids to be on without a lot of teaching and supervision. There needs to be real, meaningful discussions about online saftey and, without scaring them, present kids with possible scenarios that could turn out badly if safety is not driving their interactions. For example, I would tell them how easily it is for someone to lie on their profile and use a fake photo to lure kids in. I think adults, too, need to remember online saftey rules because they can just as easily become a victim of online predators.

23 Things: Thing 12

Review the widget you selected. I chose the ClustrMap widget to add to my blog although I don't expect to see this blog go very far at this point. But, I think if I were using ePals or some other collaborative project with my students and students in another country, this could be an amazing tool to teach students how technology can make the world a little smaller and more accessible. I also installed a widget describing endangered species. I teach third grade and animals are the favorite topic so this widget would be cool for my school site.

Are you getting comfortable with embedding code?
Before working on 23 Things I had never even noticed embedding codes or used them in any way so that has been a great learning experience.

Do you belong to other online communities? Are relationships formed online as meaningful as face-to-face relationships?
I do belong to other online communities but mainly in order to keep in touch with friends and family. So those relationships were not formed online but are sometimes maintained online. I think that online relationships, depending upon their nature, can be as meaningful as those that are face-to-face. For example, students sharing with a class in another country, people sharing recipes or other cooking tips, discussing sports topics, etc. can be very interesting and fun ways to engage students or adults. I suppose more serious or intimate relationships could be initiated online but not maintained in a healthy way.

23 Things: Thing 11

What do you like / dislike about leaving comments?
Commenting can be very tricky in that it's very important to me that my true tone and intent are clear. I'm not sure that I'm always successful in doing so. I have not yet commented on any site unless it's a positive comment so I've kind of wimped out so to speak. I would like to become a better writer of responses so that I am able to leave positive but maybe critical comments. I suppose if you frame your critical responses as questions such as "Have you thought about...?" or "What would you think about...?" could help to show that I am not attacking but just interested in a friendly exchange/debate of an issue or idea.

How did you feel when you received your first comment?
Receiving comments feels a lot like getting any kind of communication. I am very interested (and sometimes worried) to see what the sender is going to say.

Why do you think commenting is so important in online communities?
I think commenting in online communities is what holds those groups together. If no one is responding to you then the interest in that particular community will fade because you no longer feel like a member - kind of like being at a party and not being acknowledged by any of the guests.

What might this mean for students who share their writing online?
If students are going to share their writing online and are going to expect timely, appropriate, and thoughtful responses, then they should receive exactly what they are expecting. The teacher needs to set up guidelines about posting and responding and make sure that no one is left standing along the wall alone at the "party". They will not feel the same need to post quality work if they feel that there is no audience for their pieces.

23 Things: Thing 10

On your blog, add comments to the video you embedded. Why did you select it? Were you also able to download a video?
I love Jim Gaffigan and his comedy about food and our eating habits. Hilarious! You'll think twice before you make your son or daughter finish a plate of pancakes! I selected this video because I am usually way too serious about my job as a teacher and I forget sometimes that I just need to be entertained and unwind. YouTube is a great place to find snipits of your favorite comedian or comedy shows. Downloading a video also seemed fairly easy to do.

23 Things: Thing 9

What do you like or dislike about YouTube? Did you find videos that would be useful for teaching and learning? Is YouTube restricted in your building?
YouTube is like anything else that allows creative expression. Many will use the tool to educate, inspire, and motive others. They will create videos that cause people to laugh, cry, hope, and think in new ways. Some videos may fill us with awe or dread. In many ways, though, the videos that people produce have real value. Of course, with that being said, others will use this same tool for breaking down social norms and values. They will use it to challenge authority and to convince others of the instability of our future. Is this wrong? Not in our country that values the freedom to express our opinions freely because once you try to draw a line in the sand you begin a neverending argument about what is appropriate and what is not. What is creative and what is just plain trash? What is artistic expression and what is a haphazard comment on an idea? It is this freedom, though, that has allowed the posting of many videos on YouTube that adults deem inappropriate for younger viewers and has caused many schools to ban this site as it is in our building. I think banning of sites disallows teachers the opportunity to teach students real internet safety and how to make good choices about what they decide to listen to and watch online.

23 Things: Thing 8

In the same post in which you placed your creation, briefly describe your experience completing Thing 8. Which of these tools intrigues you and why? Was it easy, frustrating, time-consuming, fun? Share some of your ideas for using the images you can create.

I looked at both Big Huge Labs and imagegenerator.org and thought the former was much easier to use for someone going to the site for the first time. I used the mosaic feature to put together all of the photos of my daughter learning, creating, and pretending. It was very interesting to me to look at the experiences that we had captured (probably because we thought something "cute" was happening) and I wonder if we would have looked at other experiences through a different lens (no pun intended) if we could have caught even more learning taking place. I suppose that one of the greatest things about looking through the amazing tools people have created is that I now think about the photos I want to look for instead of waiting for something "cute" or "beautiful" to cross my path. For example, in the mosaic I created, photos of simple things like figuring out how to do a puzzle or stack blocks would both fit perfectly into the project. I think that I will continue to look for those adorable moments but now keep my camera close by and look around more critically for the "small" things that are actually very powerful when captured and then set to a purpose.

Was the process fun? Yes. Frustrating? Yes, for someone like me who wants to make the photos fit just so. Time consuming? Yes, but in the way that any new project can be and depending upon how involved one tends to be.

23 Things: Thing 7

Think of ways you may be able to use Flickr in the classroom or in your work and share your ideas. What issues might you face?
I currently use our district website for sharing photos of class happenings but, an issue that I worry about, is student safety and privacy. Yes, the parents give permission to use student photos through our media release but if there are safer ways to share photos then we should be careful not to dismiss other options. Using Flickr sharing of photos with parents could be done more privately. We must still be careful when creating groups to not make mistakes with who's allowed to join, print, and/or order photos. Flickr is a great resource for students to use and manipulate photos into new creations. These creations could easily become the stimuli for writing assignments or other projects. Students could also find specific photos with Flickr for projects they are completing in a variety of other programs such as Photo Story or Movie Maker. However, the collaborative nature of Flickr would mean making sure students are not interacting with strangers without permission and supervision.

23 Things: Thing 6 #2

Hannah with Pop-Pop126, originally uploaded by acspohn.

I love this photo of my daughter, Hannah, and her great-grandfather. He was in the hospital, at age 97, after he fell and injured his hip. Of course we drove to PA immediately because we all know that the prognosis for the elderly with this type of injury is usually not good. This was not the case with Dr. Frank R. Braden, Jr. After a short stay in the hospital he went home, continued to practice medicine, turned 100, and finally decided to retire. He's doing well, still reads, travels, and wants to get to know as many people as possible. He's a great historian for his town of Coraopolis, PA and a true legend. He is truly and inspiration to our daughter, our family, and all of those who meet him. I uploaded this photo to Flickr and was able to fix it up a bit.

23 Things: Thing 6 #1

The Teacher's Desk, originally uploaded by bitzcelt.

Why did you choose a particular photo? What is it about the photo that you found interesting?

Love this photo although I immediately attached a different meaning to the photo than the author's description. I looked at this desk and thought about how very gradually my desk and file cabinets are becoming empty. My paper files are now network files, my transparencies are now scanned images shown through a projector, and many worksheets are now interactive. I can't wait to get rid of more and more paper so that my desk can some day be removed to an old closet and look much like this desk in the photo.

I love Flickr! I have used photo sharing sites before but love that, on this site, interacting with others is a crucial part of the experience. I was also able to connect directly to my blog with the photo instead of having to go through the steps of downloading the picture to my computer and then uploading to a blog. Awesome!

23 Things: Thing 5

RSS can be a difficult concept for some to grasp right away - what questions do you have?
Sometimes when I go to a site to subscribe it will only save directly to my computer but not to my reader. Why is that? Will it only save directly to my reader if there is a button for adding to Google or Bloglines or whatever service you use?

What didn't work or doesn't make sense?
Although I really like Bloglines and how easy it is to find and add great subscriptions, I'm having a hard time giving up using Google Reader because I can go to Google and have everything in one place.

How might you use RSS in your personal or professional life?
I think using RSS, especially share features, can be a great way to keep others up on what you're reading and interested in.

Find anything in your searching that you'd recommend to others?
I really liked finding the surprising number of book lists available. It's so much easier to have those lists sent to me than to go out to websites to find them or rely soley on word of mouth about what to read.

23 Things: Thing 4

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of blogs out there - how do you handle information overload and how do you think RSS might help with that?
RSS helps tremendously by eliminating the need to go to multiple sites and then having to search those sites for the information we desire. Sometimes, because of how busy our lives become, we sometimes forget to visit sites or keep up with something that was once a priority. RSS can remind us to check out those sites but we are by no means required to spend our time reading those feeds if time is short. RSS also gives us the chance to see news at a glance and then pick and choose what is a priority for that day. I love using Google Reader to look through the day's information but not feeling that I have to read everything right then. Also, by organizing the information into folders, the long lists are broken down into more manageable pieces. And, although I use Google Reader, Bloglines definitely has some very nice features to keep the information organized.

23 Things: Thing 3

How might a blog support the work you do?
As educators we work tirelessly to learn better ways to reach our students. I see blogs as one way in which to support teachers by allowing us yet another forum for questioning current practices, responding to other educator's struggles and successes, and supporting one another in reaching and engaging all students in high-quality educational experiences.

How might you use a blog with students?
As an elementary teacher, I am constantly trying to find ways to engage students in meaningful writing assignments. We expect them to want to edit and revise their pieces but, when the audience is limited to only a few peers in the class and their teacher, it can be difficult to motivate them to work to their full potential. By the simple public nature of blogs, students are immediately hit with the relevance and necessity of constant revision and editing. They will quickly learn that it is crucial to their message to be clear and concise. Blogs could be used for reflection, collaborative learning, improving the culture of a classroom, expanding the audience beyond the classroom, and for assessments.

How might they respond to a blog assignment?
I believe students will respond to blog assignments with greater interest and motivation to do well. I think that they will be more likely to check the "assignment" requirements and will want to put forth their best response because their writing, like reading and speaking, have at some point become and extension of themselves and they will want that extension to show their unique beliefs, values, and voice.

What concerns do you have about educational blogging?
Some of my concerns about educational blogging include assignment objectives and privacy. I think for blogging to be truly valuable teachers (as in all assignments) need to have clear expectations and guidelines. I also believe the teacher should have some control over postings and more so to keep students putting their best foot foreward than to control the actual meaning of the comments. Educators need to also teach students that online comments in many forums are permanent and that we need to be careful in our approach to responses even when we are passionate about a particular topic. Have your students think of the person they respect the most and make sure that they would proudly display their posts to that person.

Privacy is always a concern in an educational setting and teachers need to follow all privacy rules for students' identities. Make sure that any parental permission necessary has been granted and that parents are fully informed about how the blogs will be used and who will be able to access their student's posts.

23 Things: Thing 2

Why are you participating in 23 Things? What do you hope to learn?
My purpose for participating in 23 Things to learn more about Web 2.0 tools is first and foremost to find ways to reach my students. We've all seen the slow progress of a blank stare moving across a student's face as it paralyzes any and all thinking or creativity. I like to avoid that as much as possible and believe that engaging students using the many tools available online is an easy and painless way to do that. Although I would like to think that I am familiar with may Web 2.0 tools, I am not too quick to think that anyone has it all figured out. Every day someone mentions another way of communicating and connecting that I've never heard of. I am sure that I will find many ways to improve my teaching but also find ways to grow in my own learning.

How does writing on the Internet, knowing anyone could read it, change how you write or feel about writing?
Although many adults complain about the new way in which students are misusing language through text messages full of mispelled and shortened words, I like to remind them that we used to teach courses in high school on shorthand. This type of shortened and quick communication has always had a place in our world and just because we are creating this new shorthand in a collaborative style and not through a textbook does not make it any less relevant or useful. I have found that the need to create language in many different technological realms will only cause our students to become more flexible in their communication. I have found, personally, that writing online through blogging, posting on my classroom website, on Facebook, and Twitter forces me to think more critically about my message. Is it clear? Will it be understood? Does my voice match my intention? All of those questions that we want our student writers to ask themselves before work is submitted but they rarely do because their audience is only one person - the teacher. If they could feel the pressure of a wider, more varied audience the quality of work they submit will improve.