Week 6 - September Fischbowl Blog

Karl Fisch makes some very good points about teachers needing to be technology literate. On his blog he says:
"If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to
make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago
who didn't know how to read and write."
When I first say this statement I thought it was a little harsh. But when I really started think about it, I think I really do agree with what he is trying to say here. Everybody knows that learning to read used to be a privilege. The same goes with computers. When computers were first starting to be used by the public, they were really expensive, so the only the rich were able to purchase computers; kind of like cell phones. But, now the prices are really down and more and more people are joining the computer train. So, Mr.Fisch is saying you wouldn't want a person who couldn't read to teach your children 30 years ago, and you wouldn't want a teacher today who didn't know the basic operating skills for running a computer.

Mr.Fisch also makes a good point about teachers already having a lot on their plates. Just because computers are cheaper now, doesn't mean people will know how to use them. People have to be taught. They can't learn it over night. Children today are growing up with computers, so naturally, children are going to know how to use computers better than some adults. I have heard a lot of people say children learn more and better things than adults; this is why a lot of foreign countries teach second languages to elementary aged children. So I think it will take more than an average computer class, designed for younger people, to teach a generation that doesn't understand computers. I also have this pet peeve with technology. Technology changes everyday; new and what some would say, better programs are created everyday. I think this is one of the main reasons people have such a hard time learning how to use computers. I think if we could find one program that works and stick with for, I don't know - a year (Oh my God, "Arrest that woman and send her to the crazy house!!" says the computer programmers). But seriously, after a while the computer train begins to look daunting, even for a semi-decent computer person, much less a person who has never used anything but a typewriter.

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Week 5 - International Classroom Blogs

Click Here

The BSA Junior School Blogs
This blog is really cool. It is for the British School of Amsterdam. The blog is linked into their main school web page. This blogs if for the Junior school age children. This blog if for the children and their parents. It announces news and homework, and it uses pod casts. It also has a place for parents to get letters that their child didn't bring home like they were supposed to. This blogs has links to other blogs, as well as other internet links. I thought it was designed very well. Check out thier blog!
BSA Junior Blog



The Class Going For a Swim
Room 9 Nelson Central's Blog 2007
I found this blog doing a blog search through blogger. This blog is based from New Zealand. The teacher's name is Rachel Boyd. The blog has all the things it is supposed to, to be a blog, like links and posts. But what I found really neat about this blog, is that the children from the class all post blogs. They have blogs about their projects and homework assignments. I think this is a really great idea. They also have a visitor map, where the person visiting their blog can click where they are from. Very cool! Check out this blog!
Room 9's Blog

Classroom Blogs

Inside Marissa Ochoa's 3rd Grade Classroom
Marissa has taught school for six years. She currently teaches in Poway California. She uses this blog through Scholastic's message board blogs. She has this blogs set up for anybody to see. She posts blogs weekly. The blogs are all about projects her class is working on, field trips, current events, and holiday art creations. She uses lots of pictures. My favorite blog she had was where she told all about her trip to Las Angelos for J K Rowling's Harry Potter book signing tour. Harry Potter books are my favorite. I really liked that she shared her life with her students. She also gave classroom organizational tips to teachers who might also be reading her blog. To visit her blog click here: Marissa Ochoa's Blog


Inside Jill White's 1st Grade Classroom
Jill teaches exceptional children in grades 1st through 4th. She uses this blog by giving the viewer an incite in how she runs her classroom. Each blog she posts is about some kind of activity her class did along with pictures so you can visualize. Then she also gives a description of the lesson so that if any teachers are reading her blog they can use her ideas. One idea that I found particularly interesting was her Arctic Studies Week. She made an igloo for her students, by using plastic and duct tape, so her students could see what it was like to live in an igloo. Very cute idea. These are a couple the pictures:















I really liked her blog. I think she has a lot of good ideas for making learning fun. You should really check out her website: Jill White's Blog

Week 3 - Access

Access is one of the most intriguing things I found while looking at the ALEX website. Alabama has done a great thing with this program. This could be very useful in schools that don't have the ability to offer higher end courses to their students. From what I understand about Access, there would be an actual Alabama qualified teacher, teaching the class, but would be "distance" teaching. Access would be a great resource for those children looking to take college prep classes. Also, helps students learn how technology can be used.
Access enables students from different cities to discuss what is happening in the class. This would really help them when it came time for college. Access is also used for remedial courses. A student could sign up for extra help in a subject they didn't understand fully. While I am an Elementary Education major and not a Secondary major, I think this could be really useful for me. In my Special Education class we discussed the highly gifted children or children with extremely high IQ's and one of the questions we asked was, how can you teach this child and help them grow and use their high IQ? I think Access could be a great answer for how teachers can enrich those children because they would have the ability to take classes that they would be interested in and wouldn't be board with things they already know. Children don't learn at the same rates, something "No Child Left Behind" fails to realize, but Alabama has come up with a good way to help bridge the gap "No Child Left Behind" created.