Of all the tools we will look at, some will be versatile, and some will be limited to a very specific and narrow area of expertise. That being said, the tool which we will look into, next, is definitely one of the most versatile that we will study. (Google.)
Google.com has grown so much since its beginnings that it can hardly fit under the same, Google umbrella, anymore. The site is having to divide itself up into subsections, organized according to the service which that particular branch offers. For example, Google offers services like Google Translate, Google Maps, Google Calendars, and Google's Picasa, which each specialize in a very specific area.
For research purposes (and for the purposes of finishing my assignment), I did some exploring of Google Translate and Google Calendars, and was pleasantly surprised by my results. Google Translate (although its results must be taken with a grain of salt, at times) is a translation site that covers all of its bases. It can translate from almost any language I can think of to almost any language I can think of, and it's interface is easy-to-use and gets straight to the point, which I, personally, appreciate. Google Calendars included a nice, clean, easy-to-use interface, as well, which I appreciated just as much. It involved tools like color-coating, multiple calendars, and I could even sync the events in the calendar to my phone. I would easily recommend making use of any branch of Google's products--they all seem to be well-put-together, easy-to-use, and practical!
These tools in particular most definitely have academic potential. Google Translate is clearly related to foreign language, which is a requirement at most schools, now. Google Calendars could be used to share with students and parents, calendars of classroom or schoolwide events, such as assignment due dates, or official holidays on which there are no school.
Really, it's all up to you, though. These are just examples; Google offer's many services which can come in handy in many, many ways. The ball is in your court: How will you choose to Google?
Monday, October 8, 2012
A Thing: The 11th One. (Feed.)
In the last post, we looked at how to hook ourselves up with some sweet RSS action, and how to subscribe to different blogs. However, a problem can be posed when you don't really have any blogs to subscribe to. Fear not, though! We're going to explore some different options for learning how to feed that neat little thing that keeps you updated with that steady stream of blogdom. (Feed.)
Some tools that can help you find blogs you're interested in are:
Some tools that can help you find blogs you're interested in are:
In my experience, I've always just sort of happened upon my favorite blogs, without resolution to find them, so, honestly, none of the blog searches really appealed to me, personally. However, these are great tools for starting off your feed if you have no idea where to start! So click one of these puppies and search 'till your heart's content! For me, Google Blog Search was the easiest to operate. Topix was the most confusing for me on my first try, simple because I did not realize it was meant to search for topics in newsfeed, not blogs. Although I did find some interesting feeds using these tools, I believe the most relevant blogs I found are the ones that I stumbled upon on my own, without putting forth effort to look. The strangest thing I found were some of the Topix headlines. (People are strange these days, you know.)
Like I said, these links are only tools to assist you in the process of finding ways to fill your Feed up. I would still recommend simply exploring the blogosphere on your own time and seeing what catches your eye. It's like an adventure! However you go about it, though, whatever you do, don't forget how important it is to feed your feed!
A Thing: The 10th One. (RSS.)
If you're reading this right now, you're reading this right now. Which means that you're reading a blog. Which means that you may read other blogs. Which may that you may be burdened with the task of having to manually check a blog every time you want to read it. Lucky for you, I've got something in my toolbox that makes checking up on all those blogs you try to keep up with "really simple". (RSS.)
If you don't already have one, create an account with Google Reader. You're already almost there. All you have to do, now, is hit that pretty red "Subscribe" button, and do just that: subscribe. Enter the URL of a blog that you want to keep up with, and within seconds, your RSS Feed will be ready to display updates from that blog!
Tools like this are incredibly useful for those of us who have hefty daily reading lists, or overflowing bookmark bars. RSS Feed is a great way of keeping up with which blogs you follow and keeping up with those blogs! Personally, I love the convenience of being able to read posts from more than one blogging site in the same location. It keeps everything waiting for me in a nice, central location. It's like the supermarket of the blogosphere!
Educators can benefit greatly from this tool, seeing as it expedites the process of doing daily reading, and everyone knows educators could use more time. RSS Feed would be particularly useful in a situation in which students were asked to keep blogs. The teacher could keep up with them all in a single location without the hassle of remembering every individual URL. This could also prove useful in allowing teachers to keep up with education blogs, as well, though! RSS Feed simply makes locating blogs and knowing when new posts have been made easier. Therefore, where there's a blog, there's a benefit!
If you don't already have one, create an account with Google Reader. You're already almost there. All you have to do, now, is hit that pretty red "Subscribe" button, and do just that: subscribe. Enter the URL of a blog that you want to keep up with, and within seconds, your RSS Feed will be ready to display updates from that blog!
Tools like this are incredibly useful for those of us who have hefty daily reading lists, or overflowing bookmark bars. RSS Feed is a great way of keeping up with which blogs you follow and keeping up with those blogs! Personally, I love the convenience of being able to read posts from more than one blogging site in the same location. It keeps everything waiting for me in a nice, central location. It's like the supermarket of the blogosphere!
Educators can benefit greatly from this tool, seeing as it expedites the process of doing daily reading, and everyone knows educators could use more time. RSS Feed would be particularly useful in a situation in which students were asked to keep blogs. The teacher could keep up with them all in a single location without the hassle of remembering every individual URL. This could also prove useful in allowing teachers to keep up with education blogs, as well, though! RSS Feed simply makes locating blogs and knowing when new posts have been made easier. Therefore, where there's a blog, there's a benefit!
A Thing: The 9th One. (Generators.)
Ever been in a situation where you desperately wanted to incorporate some humor into a project of some kind? Ever been in that place where you're sorely wishing that you had some cheesy clipart graphic to insert, but you just can't find the right one? That place where you'd do anything for some kind of cutesy, corny picture, but you just don't know where to look? Alright, maybe you haven't been. But you'll probably get a kick out of this next tool, anyways! (Generators.)
You may be thinking: "Generating what?" Profit? Power? Some other thing that stars with a "P" that's typically thought of being created by means of "generation"? Nope. Probably not any of those. Unless you know some kind of fancy word for "Image" that starts with a "P". Like picture... Oh well. You get the point. We're going to think about image generators, how cool and neat they are, and how they have practical, cool, and neat applications in a classroom environment!
You may be thinking: "Generating what?" Profit? Power? Some other thing that stars with a "P" that's typically thought of being created by means of "generation"? Nope. Probably not any of those. Unless you know some kind of fancy word for "Image" that starts with a "P". Like picture... Oh well. You get the point. We're going to think about image generators, how cool and neat they are, and how they have practical, cool, and neat applications in a classroom environment!
You're gonna love 'em so much, that'll be you by the time this is over with.
I experimented with a couple of different generators, and these are the conclusions that I came to:
Conclusion Number One:
Conclusion Number Two:
That's about it. Seriously. The tool of the image generator has a hilarious amount of possibilities. You just have to know where to look! I would suggest www.imagechef.com, personally. It's nicely organized and gives you access to tons of interesting generators!
I think that generators could come in handy in classrooms as tools to incorporate humor into the lessonplan. Like I said--sometimes in life, you just need a cheesy graphic. It also wouldn't hurt to introduce students to image generators. They could prove useful for projects, and sure are entertaining to play around with anyways! You never know when you'll need this tool, however goofy it admittedly is.
If you want to try out any of the image generators I used in this post, check out the links below!
Fortune Cookie Generator
Or, if you're wondering if there's a generator out there for something specific, I would suggest Googling it.
Or, if you're wondering if there's a generator out there for something specific, I would suggest Googling it.
Have fun...
A Thing: The 8th One. (Mashups.)
So, we've talked about how you're a tool. And we've talked about how tools are tools. And we've talked about how you can combine the tool of yourself with the tool of other tools and make yourself a powertool. So, now, let's talk about tools for other tools that can help make your tools powertools, so that when you use them, it makes you a powerpowertool--or is it a powertooltool? Alright, a powertool-powered powertool! (Mashups.)
Let's use Flickr, which we explored the possibilities of in the last post, as an example. Numerous mashups involving Flickr have surfaced, and can be accessed here. Mashups are programs that are used in conjunction with another service to create a new tool, entirely. In Flickr's case, mashups with the site find ways to utilize the site and its images in new, creative ways. For example, I used http://metaatem.net/words/ (which searches Flickr for pictures of letters, so you can spell things, essentially) to create this:
Personally, I had a lot of fun choosing which letters to put where, and am satisfied with this product! I think that students would have a lot of fun with tools like this for Flickr, and that mashups for other sites carry the same potential for brightening up otherwise standards curriculum. I think that applications like this one are a great way of getting students' creative energy flowing and getting their minds engaged. As far as me using mashups like this personally, I am positive that there will be some situation in which I will be craving some sort of neat tool to add a neat spin onto something I'm working on, and I will, indeed think: "There's an app (or maybe a tool) for that!"
Let's use Flickr, which we explored the possibilities of in the last post, as an example. Numerous mashups involving Flickr have surfaced, and can be accessed here. Mashups are programs that are used in conjunction with another service to create a new tool, entirely. In Flickr's case, mashups with the site find ways to utilize the site and its images in new, creative ways. For example, I used http://metaatem.net/words/ (which searches Flickr for pictures of letters, so you can spell things, essentially) to create this:
Personally, I had a lot of fun choosing which letters to put where, and am satisfied with this product! I think that students would have a lot of fun with tools like this for Flickr, and that mashups for other sites carry the same potential for brightening up otherwise standards curriculum. I think that applications like this one are a great way of getting students' creative energy flowing and getting their minds engaged. As far as me using mashups like this personally, I am positive that there will be some situation in which I will be craving some sort of neat tool to add a neat spin onto something I'm working on, and I will, indeed think: "There's an app (or maybe a tool) for that!"
A Thing: The 7th One. (Flickr.)
When it comes to tools as far as photo-sharing goes, it can be hard to differentiate between all the websites out there. Tinypic, Photobucket, Pinterest, Instagram, Shutterfly, Picasa, Flickr? If you're finding yourself stressed out, overwhelmed by the choices, and wondering why people didn't just stick to those glossy-paged binder photo albums, then fear not. Today, we'll be shedding some light on a nice, helpful corner of the photo-sharing universe beyond the crafting scissors and the glue. Like all other things, all of these sites have their pros and cons. However, as square one, this post is going to be focusing on only one of these websites. Want a hint? It's a good one, and it's coming to you live, straight from Yahoo! (Flickr.)
Did you ever hear that sharing is caring? Cause it is! One of the greatest tools you can use as far as sharing your memories and experiences with others is a photo-sharing tool. And one of the greatest photo-sharing tools you can use is Yahoo's Flickr. This website offers a nice balance of professionalism and recreation, and allows you to network with other photographers by sharing your work, and sharing in others', all while interacting with Flickr's clean and organized interface.
As an educator, I believe that Flickr would be a useful tool to introduce students to. I believe that challenging students with creative projects is a great way to throw some variety into what can be a bland classroom experience. Perhaps, a teacher could find ways to incorporate photography into their lesson plans, and have the kids upload their assignments to Flickr. As for myself, I have had a personal Flickr account for years, now (it's been the best photo-sharing site I've worked with, so far).
Did you ever hear that sharing is caring? Cause it is! One of the greatest tools you can use as far as sharing your memories and experiences with others is a photo-sharing tool. And one of the greatest photo-sharing tools you can use is Yahoo's Flickr. This website offers a nice balance of professionalism and recreation, and allows you to network with other photographers by sharing your work, and sharing in others', all while interacting with Flickr's clean and organized interface.
As an educator, I believe that Flickr would be a useful tool to introduce students to. I believe that challenging students with creative projects is a great way to throw some variety into what can be a bland classroom experience. Perhaps, a teacher could find ways to incorporate photography into their lesson plans, and have the kids upload their assignments to Flickr. As for myself, I have had a personal Flickr account for years, now (it's been the best photo-sharing site I've worked with, so far).
See? However, I really strongly fancy the idea of a classroom Flickr account. Or a school or grade-level Flickr account, maybe. The classroom teacher, or principle, or class sponsor could act as a moderator to the group, and students could add their own photos to it, or perhaps they could email the photos to the moderator, and they could post them, to avoid any questionable content making it onto the site in the first place. That would be a nice way of promoting community in the academic environment, don'tcha think? I do!
So, go explore those other photo-hosters, if you want to! Like I said, they all have their pros and cons. I enjoy Flickr because it offers the perfect balance of seriousness for my purposes. It's not designated strictly for professional photographers, nor is it a breeding ground for meme images and 100 x 100 animated avatars, so it's a good match for me. If you have any concerns about putting your photos out there, try not to worry too hard; you can make your photos private, if you please, and you can set the copyright allowances however you want to! If you ask me, all of that sounds like a recipe for one great photo-sharing tool!
A Thing: The 6th. (Grooveshark.)
Beware: The following post may prove to be passionate, because the tool we are about to discuss is a very specific Web 2.0 tool, and it's one of my favorites on the Web! (Grooveshark.)
In this tech-savvy sea we're all being forced to sink or swim in, there are tons of tools that can be used for media organization, sharing, and discovery! There are wads of websites designated for photos, artwork, videos, literature, and music alike! As I mentioned, above, one of my favorite 2.0 tools is Grooveshark--a site used for uploading, organizing, sharing, discovering, and listening to music! For those of you who have never heard of it, there are three other well-known music tools I will compare it to: iTunes, Pandora, and Spotify. For me, at least, the evolution went like this:
If you look at the chart, you may be wondering why I'm writing about Grooveshark and not Spotify when the only difference is the lack of ads. I will tell you why, right now: I am a diehard music lover in such a huge way I'm not even sure that there are words around that can adequately explain it. When I listen to an album, I am a completely rapt listener. I am not just doing it because I kind of think the music is neat. For me, listening to music in and of itself is an experience, and nothing frustrates me more than some grating ad popping up at some unappreciated and inopportune time, during the album's course. That is why I prefer Grooveshark over Spotify. Sure, I could purchase a membership to Spotify, but hey, I'm a broke college student; what do you expect?
The only downfall of Grooveshark, for me, is that the music is user-organized, and therefore may not be completely accurate, as far as things like track names or listings go. However, this can be remedied with a quick stop at Wikipedia, Google, or any other easy source of information (and some discretion). But for me, not having ads is worth it.
In this tech-savvy sea we're all being forced to sink or swim in, there are tons of tools that can be used for media organization, sharing, and discovery! There are wads of websites designated for photos, artwork, videos, literature, and music alike! As I mentioned, above, one of my favorite 2.0 tools is Grooveshark--a site used for uploading, organizing, sharing, discovering, and listening to music! For those of you who have never heard of it, there are three other well-known music tools I will compare it to: iTunes, Pandora, and Spotify. For me, at least, the evolution went like this:
- iTunes is a tool used to organize and listen to music you own.
- Pandora is a tool used to listen to interactive radio.
- Spotify is a tool used to organize and listen to music you do or do not own, and listen to interactive radio including music you do or do not own.
- Grooveshark is a tool used to organize and listen to music you do or do not own, and listen to interactive radio including music you do or do not own, without the interruption of ads.
Below, is a chart comparing the features of these tools:
However, don't let the chart influence you too much. There is value in ALL of these applications, and it really just depends on personal preference.
If you look at the chart, you may be wondering why I'm writing about Grooveshark and not Spotify when the only difference is the lack of ads. I will tell you why, right now: I am a diehard music lover in such a huge way I'm not even sure that there are words around that can adequately explain it. When I listen to an album, I am a completely rapt listener. I am not just doing it because I kind of think the music is neat. For me, listening to music in and of itself is an experience, and nothing frustrates me more than some grating ad popping up at some unappreciated and inopportune time, during the album's course. That is why I prefer Grooveshark over Spotify. Sure, I could purchase a membership to Spotify, but hey, I'm a broke college student; what do you expect?
In an educational environment, I think that Grooveshark could definitely be of use to a teacher! I think that music is an excellent way to stimulate children in a learning environment. It can be offered as an incentive for good behavior, and used as a means of inspiration in a prompt situation for a class with a creative nature, such as Creative Writing, Art, or Theatre. It could also be a good resource for Music teachers or teachers whose classes cover topics relating to music, for they could use it to play relevant songs for students. Whatever situation arises in a classroom that requires free music, and fast, Grooveshark could help!
I invite you, readers, to look into, not just Grooveshark, but all of these media tools, and decide which one best suits your needs. I also invite you to tell me which one is your favorite, in the comment section, and why. Also, just a note: I compiled the table, myself, so if you feel that any of the information represented in it is inaccurate, feel free to let me know!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
A Thing: The 5th One. (2.0.)
Okay, kiddies. In this post, we're not going to discuss a conventional tool, now, you hear? (Not that the tools we've discussed so far have been conventional, either. This one is just even more unconventional than usual, in my opinion.) Today, we are going to discuss a conceptual kind of tool that will assist you in advancing on your journey through the web, teaching, or whatever else you may be here for! (2.0.)
What does the term Web 2.0 mean to you? If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you may want to whip out your nearest online or up-to-date encyclopedia. (Or, if you're a lazy bum, just click here.) After doing some research on the topic, myself, (which was actually a bit more extensive than the lazy bum Wiki-option) I have come to several conclusions about the concept of Web 2.0, the first of which being that that phrase is, in my opinion, perfectly cute and clever. While some people may be bitter towards the moniker, due to the fact that the Internet never really had a technical version-update, or switch to BETA, I raise my metaphorical glass to whoever came up with the phrase.
You see, to me, the term "Web 2.0" is, like Ian Davis says, "Web 2.0 is an attitude, not a technology.", which is definitely another conclusion I have drawn about the matter. The change from what would, theoretically, be classified as "Web 1.0" and Web 2.0 is not a change in the internet, itself, necessarily, but rather a change in its users. Internet-users are constantly expanding the massive network's potential, and finding new ways to improve how we put it to use. This includes finding ways to make internet usage more appealing, and expanding the audience that the Internet can cater to (that includes making it all more user-friendly for people who aren't exactly well-versed in programming of all sorts.)
To put it compactly: I see the Web as a tool, and Web 2.0 as a sleeker, easier-to-use version of the tool that makes it possible for more people to use it, and for those who use it to use it with less effort and more freedom.
With that being said, the term "School 2.0" represents to me the importance that educators seize the opportunities that are provided by Web 2.0 and the ever-advancing technology around us. It would be a waste not to take advantage of tools with such potential to assist teachers in teaching and students in learning, and to me, that is what School 2.0 is all about. It is about not falling behind the times and using resources as best as we can.
For schools of the future, this will mean paying attention. It will mean that a requirement of growing-necessity for educators will be an aptitude with, and a willingness to adapt to the evolution of technology. It will mean that teachers will have to become innovators and utilizers of the Web, who will strive to ring it out for all its worth to students.
So, what is the moral of the story, then, for all of you educators, and aspiring-educators, alike? Keep up with and make use of the tool of 2.0!
What does the term Web 2.0 mean to you? If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you may want to whip out your nearest online or up-to-date encyclopedia. (Or, if you're a lazy bum, just click here.) After doing some research on the topic, myself, (which was actually a bit more extensive than the lazy bum Wiki-option) I have come to several conclusions about the concept of Web 2.0, the first of which being that that phrase is, in my opinion, perfectly cute and clever. While some people may be bitter towards the moniker, due to the fact that the Internet never really had a technical version-update, or switch to BETA, I raise my metaphorical glass to whoever came up with the phrase.
You see, to me, the term "Web 2.0" is, like Ian Davis says, "Web 2.0 is an attitude, not a technology.", which is definitely another conclusion I have drawn about the matter. The change from what would, theoretically, be classified as "Web 1.0" and Web 2.0 is not a change in the internet, itself, necessarily, but rather a change in its users. Internet-users are constantly expanding the massive network's potential, and finding new ways to improve how we put it to use. This includes finding ways to make internet usage more appealing, and expanding the audience that the Internet can cater to (that includes making it all more user-friendly for people who aren't exactly well-versed in programming of all sorts.)
To put it compactly: I see the Web as a tool, and Web 2.0 as a sleeker, easier-to-use version of the tool that makes it possible for more people to use it, and for those who use it to use it with less effort and more freedom.
With that being said, the term "School 2.0" represents to me the importance that educators seize the opportunities that are provided by Web 2.0 and the ever-advancing technology around us. It would be a waste not to take advantage of tools with such potential to assist teachers in teaching and students in learning, and to me, that is what School 2.0 is all about. It is about not falling behind the times and using resources as best as we can.
For schools of the future, this will mean paying attention. It will mean that a requirement of growing-necessity for educators will be an aptitude with, and a willingness to adapt to the evolution of technology. It will mean that teachers will have to become innovators and utilizers of the Web, who will strive to ring it out for all its worth to students.
So, what is the moral of the story, then, for all of you educators, and aspiring-educators, alike? Keep up with and make use of the tool of 2.0!
A Thing: The 4th One. (Communication.)
Ever been in a situation that you felt uncomfortable or uncertain in, just because you weren't entirely sure what was happening? You have, haven't you? And it's not a good feeling, is it? Yeah, I didn't think so, either. However, you, me, and everyone else who agrees are all in luck, because there is one tool that will remedy those uncomfortable, uncertain situations just as long as you put it to use! (Communication.)
Let's talk about communication on the internet--specifically in the blogosphere. On the web, communicating generally occurs in the form of what surfers (of the net, not the sea) call "commenting". For those of you who are intimidated by the concept of commenting: Don't be. It's just like talking to someone, in person! You just get the bonus of unassumed proper grammer and a typing-muscles workout.
If you still haven't warmed up to the concept of commenting, let's think for a second about why it's important. In the blogosphere, you're going to be dealing with a bunch of writers, and as the Blue Skunk Blog says, "Writers like knowing that they have been read." Commenting is your way of letting bloggers know you've been reading! It's just as important as communicating in person is! Let's talk metaphors. Analogies, maybe. Commenting is to the Internet as replying is to real, in-person life. If someone spoke to you, and you listened to what they said, but instead of replying, you just stared blankly at them, how do you think that'd make them feel? How would you feel if someone did that to you? Reading a blog post and not commenting is the equivalent of that blank stare! Don't be a blank-starer--comment!
On a quest to eradicate internet-equivalent blank-staring (and to complete my assignment), I went on a commenting spree through five blogs of other students at my school, and two blogs outside of our community. To give you an idea of what makes and makes for good commenting here is a list of who I chose to comment on, and why:
Let's talk about communication on the internet--specifically in the blogosphere. On the web, communicating generally occurs in the form of what surfers (of the net, not the sea) call "commenting". For those of you who are intimidated by the concept of commenting: Don't be. It's just like talking to someone, in person! You just get the bonus of unassumed proper grammer and a typing-muscles workout.
If you still haven't warmed up to the concept of commenting, let's think for a second about why it's important. In the blogosphere, you're going to be dealing with a bunch of writers, and as the Blue Skunk Blog says, "Writers like knowing that they have been read." Commenting is your way of letting bloggers know you've been reading! It's just as important as communicating in person is! Let's talk metaphors. Analogies, maybe. Commenting is to the Internet as replying is to real, in-person life. If someone spoke to you, and you listened to what they said, but instead of replying, you just stared blankly at them, how do you think that'd make them feel? How would you feel if someone did that to you? Reading a blog post and not commenting is the equivalent of that blank stare! Don't be a blank-starer--comment!
On a quest to eradicate internet-equivalent blank-staring (and to complete my assignment), I went on a commenting spree through five blogs of other students at my school, and two blogs outside of our community. To give you an idea of what makes and makes for good commenting here is a list of who I chose to comment on, and why:
- Tori Hickman's 23 Things: I commented on Tori's post because I saw that she'd supported me by commenting on a post of mine, and wanted to do her the same courtesy! Returning the favor of commenting is kind of like a way of saying "Thank you for listening! I'm listening, too!" or maybe giving someone an e-fistbump.
- Rand's 3040 Reflections: I left Brionna a comment because I wanted to encourage her. Her post voiced her anxieties surrounding creating and maintaining a blog, and I wanted to send her a comment that would assist in motivating her to stick with it! I wanted to send her a virtual pat on the back of sorts.
- Maultbay's Blog: I was immediately drawn to Brittany's blog because I know her, personally. I left her the comment because I liked a point she had brought up in her post, and wanted to let her know. I figured she deserved a quick "I agree!", and wanted to give that to her!
- Moran's Blog: I decided to leave Saifir a comment because her blog title caught my eye. It was like a glint in the sifter! It included a pun (I am a sucker for puns, by the way), and I was compelled to read the post following it, because of it! The next natural step was to comment! I might compare to a gold star, internet edition.
- Teaching's a Journey: I commented Kaila to give her a criticism sandwich! I found an aspect of her post which I wanted to give positive feedback on, and an aspect which I had a suggestion for. It's important to give constructive criticism, if you think of it. It's just the web's version of "realtalk"!
- Dane's Education Blog: I stumbled upon Dane's blog and was so impressed by it, that I simply felt compelled to leave a general positive comment expressing my approval of the blog! It was just my pixel-y way of saying "Great job!".
- First-Year Teacher: I discovered Maggie's blog through one of my peer's, read through several posts, and almost-immediately wished to express to the author that I was looking forward to hearing more from her. I wrote up a comment telling her so, just to send her a figurative thumbs-up.
All of these blogs drew me in, in one way or another, and somehow coaxed a comment from my powered-by-Blogger "mouth", but not just everyone that's floating around out in the blogosphere is going to be as eager to comment as me! You might want to consider some tactics to improve the communication between yourself (if you choose to blog) and your readers! Try reading this article by Darren Rowse, if you want to learn about some techniques that can help you tempt your readers to get talkative! Remember: Communication is key--so is commentication!
A Thing: The 3rd One. (Use.)
Alright, so in my last two posts, we've explored some tools that can assist you in your journey (which, if you are reading this, is probably to becoming an educator). But, just knowing what tools might be useful to you isn't enough to make that journey happen; you have to know when, why, and how you can put these tools into action! That's right. There is one very important secret ingredient to making the most of any tool. (Use.)
Let's talk about blogs, again. And let's do it in the context of education. As the description of my blog states, I am an aspiring educator, and I am, indeed, here to educate other inspiring educators as well as educators. So, it's time we got down to business, right? Right. As an educator, a blog can serve as a very useful tool for you and your students. Now, let's discuss the when, the why, and the how!
Q: When should I use an education blog?
A: An education blog can be used whenever you want it to be! (As long as you have access to the internet.) Here are some ideas for how often to update:
Q: Why should I use an education blog?
A: As I've mentioned before, blogs can benefit you in many ways, including providing you with a means to express yourself, share information, and join an interactive communication network revolving around the ideas of yourself and others! As a teacher, you can use a blog for educational or informational purposes. The education blog allows you to provide students with an easily-accessible (as long as they have equally as easy access to a computer with internet connection) resource that's convenient for you to update, and can act as whatever you want it to be!
Q: How should I use an education blog?
A: An education blog can serve a variety of purposes, and chances are, if there is a function you would like it to have, then with a little creativity, you can make it work! Some ideas on how to use a blog for educational purposes are:
Let's talk about blogs, again. And let's do it in the context of education. As the description of my blog states, I am an aspiring educator, and I am, indeed, here to educate other inspiring educators as well as educators. So, it's time we got down to business, right? Right. As an educator, a blog can serve as a very useful tool for you and your students. Now, let's discuss the when, the why, and the how!
Q: When should I use an education blog?
A: An education blog can be used whenever you want it to be! (As long as you have access to the internet.) Here are some ideas for how often to update:
- Everyday
- Every other day
- Once a week
- As needed
Q: Why should I use an education blog?
A: As I've mentioned before, blogs can benefit you in many ways, including providing you with a means to express yourself, share information, and join an interactive communication network revolving around the ideas of yourself and others! As a teacher, you can use a blog for educational or informational purposes. The education blog allows you to provide students with an easily-accessible (as long as they have equally as easy access to a computer with internet connection) resource that's convenient for you to update, and can act as whatever you want it to be!
Q: How should I use an education blog?
A: An education blog can serve a variety of purposes, and chances are, if there is a function you would like it to have, then with a little creativity, you can make it work! Some ideas on how to use a blog for educational purposes are:
- To post students' assignments, daily
- To create a forum in which students can answer writing prompts or other assignments
- To allow students a network through which to communicate and give each other feedback on assignments
- To provide students with a location to access calendars, syllabuses, and other information
- To post homework exercises which would otherwise be printed worksheets (to save paper and ink)
- To share links to websites which could benefit students
These are only a few of the possibilities! Use your imagination; a blog is what you make it, so make it a tool!
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