Blog Post 11

Mrs. Cassidy's Class uses blogs, internet, webpages, Skype and many other technological advances in everyday learning. The students’ post and EDM310 comment on them. The children explain how they learn from the comments. The students get video, audio, written practice. Mrs. Cassidy has been doing a class webpage for at least 10 years. She has been using a blog for at least 5 years. The administration supports her. This whole technological thing started with 5 donated computers. I would use computers in my classroom daily. So many students learn by seeing, doing and writing. If they see the keys, type the paper, then read the paper they may learn more from it. The blogs have taught me so much from this class. I can only imagine how much I could teach my students with the blog peer commenting. The excitement I have seen in these students is what gives future teachers hope that the technology advancements can bring a smile to education.

 Cassidy 13 Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3

In the videos Dr. Strange is asking Ms. Cassidy questions about the support she is receiving from the school, parents and students. The administrators do not encourage her to try new things but they support her in what she does. She sends a letter home to the parents to get permission from them for the students to have a blog. The parents enjoy the students having it because they can see their progress throughout the year. The blog reflects all subject but it mostly shows the students writing. While you are reading the students work you can see how their writing skill have progressed. The students love to blog because technology has become a part of their everyday life. The students are excited to be able to use technology at school and not just at home. Technology is something that is going to be around forever and always will be evolving. I think as teachers no matter what grade we are teaching it is important for us to be able to incorporate it into our classrooms.
In the second video, Ms. Cassidy is discussing why and how twitter or social networks are so important. Dr. Strange also comments and says how he use to never want to use twitter because he felt it was pointless. Then he was told by a few different people that he just needed to try it and since he did he met Ms. Cassidy and other educators. She also mentioned how she thought it was pointless but once she began to use it realized it was not. She discussed how as teachers we can communicate and meet other educators through social networks and learn from each other. I think using twitter and other social networks to communicate and learn is important. All teachers need to be communicating with other teachers to not only learn but share their work and findings with other teachers.

In the third video. Ms. Cassidy is answering questions asked by EDM310 students. She was asked realistically how much do your students get to blog? She explained that since has a smaller class they all blog together collaboratively. I think blogging together is a great idea because the students and feed off of each other. One student addressed the fact of protecting the students and what they see since they are on the internet. Ms. Cassidy makes to sure to tell the students to only use their first name and not to post pictures of themselves. She also teaching them that they need to be positive when commenting on other people's blogs. To protect the students from what they see, she uses her class blog as a hub for them to use. She will give them links to educational games but is sure to tell them that what she wants them to click on is in the middle not the flashy add on either side of the page. I think this a great way to keep the students off of sites that might not be safe. By using the class blog as a hub is a good way to keep them on the pages they need to be on.