“A lesson is a journey– Knowledge is a landscape”

I like this metaphor because I can apply it to my own life as well as look at it in an educational sense.

There are many lessons in life that are journeys. When I think of a lesson I think of having to learn it the hard way. One example of this is having all of your friends say your boyfriend is a total jerk and you thinking he is the best thing ever. He eventually breaks your heart, and shows just how much of  a jerk he is, and all of this could have been avoided by just listening to your friends. After all, they only want what’s best for you.

There are also many lessons in education that are journeys. Whether it’s simply a lesson a student has to learn over a period of time, such as how to do long division, or putting a series of lessons together in order to see the big picture of things.

“Knowledge is a landscape” is a beautiful metaphor because it holds a great deal of truth.  Landscape is made up many different parts, just as knowledge is. You constantly have to work at your landscape for it to be presentable just as you constantly have to work at gaining more knowledge during the school year. 

Postman brings up several good points in his writing. I like how he says that students should be taught to question everything, even their own questions! Questions have meaning behind them just as metaphors do. I think it is interesting how students can ask a question but already have the answer inside of them. Postman says if you ask a question in response to a question you will eventually get to the answer that was present all along.

Before todays class I never paid much attention to podcasts. I had heard of them but never bothered to try them out. After exploring some podcasts I have to say that I now am a fan. I also think they would be a great tool to work with in the classroom!

My favorite podcast that I explored was “Quick & Dirty Tips: Grammar Girl.” I found this podcast to be extremely helpful and I plan to use it more in the future. This particular podcast could be very valuable to a high school, or even middle school classroom. The teacher could easily refer her students to this podcast to help out with essays or other writings.

I think it would be cool to have a podcast of my own that goes hand-in-hand with my classroom. I could post a variety of different things on there in order to keep my students up-to-date on the happenings in the class. It could also serve as a place for my students to ask me questions while we are not face-to-face.

I enjoyed learning about podcasts and I fully intend on using them more in the future.  I now find them to be a convienent way to not only find out useful information, but also to share it.

Social bookmarking is a convienent and easy way to manage your favorite sites. In class, we explored social bookmarking sites such as delicious and diigo.  These sites are both great tools to help you keep up with the sites you visit the most. I like the idea of social bookmarking because I think it could be of help to me when I am a teacher. There are great education sites that I can bookmark and check back with every day for updates. One of those sites that will be of importance is the Georgia Department of Education.  I should bookmark this particular site in order to keep up with the changes in curriculum, budget, testing requirements, etc.  It would also be a good idea for me to bookmark my school’s website in order to keep up with the happenings going on around me.

Social bookmarking and RSS feeds will be helpful in my ELA classroom. I could use these tools by having my students use them for help during projects, research papers, and to keep up with new Young Adult literature that is coming out. The Young Adult Library Services Association will be a good place for my students to go explore young adult literature. Some new books that my students might like are:

Social networking is more popular than ever these days. It seems like every time you turn around someone is checking their Myspace, Facebook or Twitter account. I have to admit, I am guilty of being one of those people who keeps a check on what’s happening with their accounts. I have a Facebook and a Myspace and I find them to be helpful in keeping up with my friends and family. Up until recently, I had never imagined using Facebook or Mypace in a classroom; to me they are just a way to keep in touch with friends and family.

This article, written by Luke Runyun, goes into detail about a university incorporating Facebook into their classrooms. It actually adopted a new Facebook-like application that’s called “schools.”  I think this is a great idea! “Schools” allows students to keep up to date on assignments, lectures, and offers easy access to professors and classmates. While reading about “schools,” I thought it sounded similar to Kennesaw State Universitys “Web-Ct Vista” site.

There are negatives to incorporating social networking into the classroom; and one of those negatives is highlighted here. Many teens post about drinking, underage sex, and use inappropriate language on their Myspace and Facebook accounts.  If teachers allow students to use Myspace and Facebook in the classroom, they have to monitor what goes on on every one of their students’ pages.  This could get many students in a great deal of trouble and maybe even ex-spelled if they post an inappropriate comment while on their pages for educational purposes.

I like the idea of social networking in the classroom. I think that students need to be aware of how to appropriately conduct themselves while on these sites.  I could see myself adding a facebook-like site to my classroom and having students interact through it. Students could post drafts and final papers to this site instead of handing in a hard copy. My students will have to understand that this is not a site for them to gossip and catch up with each other. I will explicitly state that this site is for educational purposes only and should not be used for any other reasons.

Wikipedia is a site that should be used with caution. In class, we discussed how to check to see if a source is reliable or not, and the same technique should be used to evaluate Wikipedia. Students should be taught that Wikipedia can be consulted, but they must evaluate the sources that are posting to Wikipedia. I like the idea of having students use more than just internet sources; this proves that students actually put effort into their work.

In the article titled, Wikipedia: Friend, not Foe, Darren Crovitiz and W. Scott Smoot discuss Wikipedia and how it should be introduced to students. I agree with the statement, “Talking with students about how the site operates is essential in helping them move from passive acceptors of information to practicing analyzers and evaluators.” I think it is imperative to talk to students about Wikipedia before tossing them into it. Students need to understand that everything posted on Wikipedia is not true, and in order to find out if it is true, they must conduct more research.

What I found most helpful in this article was the section titled, “Editing Wikipedia: Assignment Advice.” Step number one says the teacher should familiarize his or her self with the site. I think this is a step that is often rushed or overlooked all together. It makes perfect sense though; the teacher must be familiar with Wikipedia before teaching students about it. Step number two says teachers should have in-depth discussions about Wikipedia before having their students use it. During these discussions, teachers should find out how familiar their students are with Wikipedia and if they believe everything they read online. Step number three says to start small with assignments involving Wikipedia. I believe this is a great idea because it allows students to “test the waters.” Step number four is to prepare for challenges. Like with any assignment, there will always be students who have difficulties understanding the requirements. Students may have trouble understanding Wikipedia and what its purpose is. To remedy this, teachers must be prepared for any challenges or concerns students have with Wikipedia.

I found the class discussion and the article helpful in my own understanding of Wikipedia and how to introduce it to students. I think the biggest aspect of Wikipedia that must be understood by students is that it is not all factual. As a teacher, I will allow my students to use Wikipedia, but it cannot be their only source. Students must also prove to me that they researched the sources provided on Wikipedia to see if they are reliable or not.

I have to admit, upon reading the title of this website, I was skeptical.  I thought to myself, is this guy really willing to pay ten thousand dollars for a wife? I immediately thought this website was a hoax, but my curiousity made me continue exploring the website.

The information provided on “10k for a wife” was relevant to the topic. It told about the bachelor and what he was looking for in a woman. But, the bachelor never tells potential love intrests what his name is. The only hint of  a name we get is in the “contact me” section where the name “Rod” is used in the contact email address. I find this rather perplexing. If this guy is willing to post numerous pictures and tell all about himself, why not go ahead and tell us your name too?

In the bottom left hand corner, it says “copyright 2003″ so I do not think this site is reguarly updated.

I have a hard time believing all of the information this guy has posted. Even though he says numerous times that he isn’t jealous, I definitely think he is, if he even exists.

When you click on the “media” icon several videos of the bachelor pop up, but you can’t click on them to watch them. He leads you to believe he has been on several major talk shows, but, I doubt he has. I went to youtube and typed in “10k for a wife” but oddly enough no videos of “Rod” came up. This leads me to believe that he was never on any talk shows and this is all really a hoax.

After re-evaluating my website, I am led to believe it is not real. I find it hard to believe that youtube would not have some kind of video of this guy if he was real.

I love using Facebook. It is a good way for me to keep in touch with friends and family. Facebook is also a great way to ward off boredom.

I recently saw the new Star Trek movie. I really wasn’t interested in Star Trek, but after seeing the movie, I have to admit I am now a fan.

Chris Pine was my favorite part of the movie…

These kids are adorable! The first time I saw this video I laughed and laughed! Enjoy!

Web 2.0 has allowed the world to reach new technological heights. It allows people to communicate at lightning speed even if they are on seperate continents. In the past several years, web 2.0 has been introduced to the classroom. Teachers are able to use web 2.0 in their classroom’s for a variety of purposes. The use of web 2.0 that I find most beneficial to students is blogging.

After looking at the examples of student blog’s that were written for academic purposes, I am more convinced than ever that blogging is a good idea for students. I love the idea of having a student blog about what they are doing in their classes. The information that students put in these blogs can not only benefit themselves, but also the teacher. Students can write what they like about the class or what they feel should be improved about the class. I think that students like this kind of blogging because it gives them a sense of “control” of the classroom. It makes them feel as if their opinions of the class are valued.

Another part about blogging that I like is that classmates can respond to each other’s post’s through comments. They can tell each other what they found insightful about each others postings. I think this could be very useful when it comes to peer review. It would be an amazing idea to have your students upload a draft of their paper and then allow their peers to review it online. As the teacher, I could also go in and tell the student what could make their paper stronger or tell them what they need to correct before the deadline.

I also like the idea of blogging because it can connect my students to students in other countries. With the administration and parent approval, I would like to have my students communicate with a “pen-pal” of sorts in order to discuss the literature they are reading in my class. My students will be able tell students in other countries about the literature they are reading, while learning about literature that is being taught in other countries. I think it would be interesting to compare and contrast the differences in literature that is being taught.

I am very excited about the idea of having my students use a blog in my classroom. I think it is something that my students will enjoy doing, and it will also cut back on the amount of paper that is used in my classroom. Using web 2.0 in the classroom is a wonderful idea as long as the teacher knows what he or she is doing and knows how to explain to their students what to do. I think that blogging is an excellent tool for education and should be used more than it is.

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