Response to chapters 3, 5, 7

Response to Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, etc.
Chapters 3, 5, 7

Chapter 3
Will Richardson had many good points regarding getting started with blogging, both personally and in the classroom. First, I have to get comfortable with blogging, and then I will be able to teach my students a) how to blog and b) why it is beneficial. I am still so new at blogging, that I don’t think I could adequately teach a student how to get started, much less how to use it constructively. So, as I read this book, I continue to play with my blog, read through other blogs, and consider ways to use it in a high school English classroom.

Most of my students do not have internet access at home, so I would need to make all assignments based out of the classroom. My next step would be to have my students read blogs so that they could understand what a blog looks like, and what its purpose is. As I mentioned earlier, I am still figuring those things out myself. I like the idea of posting a “question of the day” to get my students thinking and discussing through a blog.

When students are ready, I look forward to giving them their own site. I think many students will enjoy personalizing their site (with guidance), and will make writing a little more exciting than just typing it up on a word processor.

I think I will stick with Blogger unless I find something that is easier for my students.

Richardson takes into consideration the time restraints that teachers face. His idea to have students save their posts as “drafts” until the teacher has read them is a great idea. That could save student and teacher some embarrassment.

Chapter 5
Before reading this chapter, I had no idea what RSS was, much less what it could be used for. By the end of the chapter I understood why it is called Real Simple Syndication. I am far from mastering RSS, but I have gotten a good start, and it is kind of fun. I look forward to making it a part of life in my classroom.

I followed Richardson’s instruction on starting my own RSS. I started out in the most simple way. I clicked on the 200 most popular feeds. I scrolled through and chose several that I thought I would enjoy reading on a daily basis. At this point I am just keeping it light and fun, until I get the hang of it, and then I will start digging deeper into areas of interest.

Once I get my students up and running with their blogs, collecting their work in my aggregator is an excellent idea. I can imagine the time it would take to type the address and and scroll through each individual blog.

I marked in my book how to add all different kinds of searches, and I plan to go back soon and start adding more to my RSS.

Chapter 7
Flickr looks like a lot of fun. I got on the site for a brief time to check it out, and to get an idea what Will Richardson is talking about. So far, this seems like the most user-friendly, but that might be because I already have some experience with digital photos and downloading them to the computer and online. I like the fact that the photos can be restricted to certain viewers, which could come in really handy in a classroom setting.

I have many “reluctant writers” in my current classroom, and I think that a picture site would be a great way to get them working online without stressing them out. They are more apt to comment on pictures than write paragraphs of response or comments on a blog. And the picture site would keep their interest longer. I am not saying that blogging does not have its merit in the classroom, and I look forward to using them with students. But the students that I have right now have so many emotional, learning and behavior disorders, that I have to be a little more creative with lesson planning than I might otherwise.

I know some of my students are already familiar with digital cameras and photos, and that is half the battle.

Being an English teacher, I especially liked the idea of making an “imaged version” of a poem by Carl Sandburg. It’s a wonderful way for students to express themselves through words and pictures, especially if that student is a visual learner. I also plan to play “Flicktion” - picking a random photo and having students write a story about it.

Ok, that’s all for now. This tired teacher needs some sleep.

Becky