- Describe your blogging experience in this course. Do you think you will continue using your blog? Why or why not?
Blogging is a great tool for reflection. I’m not sure that I will continue to use this specific blog; however, I have set up a blog that I will be using next year. The goal of this blog is to increase parent involvement by posting a daily agenda, daily activities, worksheets, resources, and homework in one central location. This way students and parents have access to everything 24 hours a day. I feel this will spark interest in the students and help improve make-up work as well.
- What did you learn about yourself and your abilities or interests in Math or Algebra?
This course made me feel good about some of the things I am currently doing in the classroom. It is nice also to get a refresher and several different perspectives on all of the topics that were presented.
- Did you learn or discover anything you found particularly interesting through your course actives or your own internet research? Describe one interesting discovery and why you found it fascinating.
I’m a big fan of integrating technology into the classroom so I was really interested in all of the web applications and software used throughout the course. I see myself using virtual manipulatives like the function machine, and I will also be incorporating FreeMind into the classroom.
- Do you think you will use journals with your students? Do you think you will use blogs? Why or why not?
I would like to use journals and have before; however, it is one of those “time” consuming tasks. There never seems to be enough time to do it effectively. I would like to use blogs, but I’m afraid of what students might try to post to the internet. It would be important to be able to moderate before they are live.
Did you find the FreeMind program easy to use? I guess you can’t beat it because it is free, but I really didn’t care for it’s functionality. I guess I am used to using Inspiration, and I couldn’t really get beyond that trying something new. I needed directions I think. But again, it is free and all of your students could have it!
Leslie
I agree it would be nice to use blogs in the classroom however I would be nervous as to what could potentially happen. There would have to be some sort of way to screen what is being put on the blogs.
I currently use Schoolnotes.com to keep my parents informed about weekly topics, daily homework, web links, and such…. but a weblog may give me more flexibility in what I can put on the page (graphics and charts and such). I may take your idea of replacing my current parent communication page with a weblog page — this will give them an opportunity to use an interactive tool as well.
- Dawn