I Love Education Technology........NOT

I do love education technology mostly because it can take any lesson and make it interactive. However, there is one thing I hate about education technology and that would be Chalk and Wire. At first I hated the fact that it was one more thing that I had to do in the first technology class. I hated how it had to be constructed a certain way with the picture in a certain area. I hated how much we had to write about what we did and why and how it lived up to standards. In general I hated every single aspect of it. Then Damon brought up the idea that instead of standardized test that each students should keep a portfolio to show their work through out their academic career. I agreed strongly that having a student show a project that they put time into shows way more about what the child has accomplished as opposed to a test, especially with the theory of multiple intelligence being one of the things that drives my philosophy. Because of the discussions we have had in class I now understand how important a tool like Chalk and Wire can be to the educational process.

Blogging in Education

I think outside of the box. I always try to find new and interesting ways to help educate my students. A blog is perfect and ideal for this type of scenario. For example in a blog I can put a list of different science related links on a post and allow my students easy access to these sites with out having to remember the addresses. Another thing a Blog can do for a classroom is allow students who have missed the day to see what went on in class. A teacher can blog about the assignments and things that were covered in class. This will let the absent student know what needs to be competed before the next class or will other students to review material. Parents will also like the idea of a classroom blog because it will allow them to see what is being learned in a particular class. Some blogs even allow comments. These comments can then be used to help aid in in-class discussion or even help encourage peer to peer learning. One student might have a question and will post that question on the comment area. Another student might be reading the blog and may be able to answer that question for the student by leaving the answer in the comment area. If worse comes to worse I as the teacher will be able to see the comment and know that the student needs help in that area and will be able to provide assistance.