Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts (1-3)

It seems every time I read something for this class it becomes even clearer to me how important the role of technology is in our classrooms today. This idea was certainly made even clearer to me after reading the first three chapters of Blogs, Wikis, & Podcasts. One of the main points I took from the first chapter, “The Read/Write Web”, was that we, as educators, are faced with a difficult dilemma. Schools, as a system, have been slow to react to the changing world around us. Technology has become an essential part of the way students communicate and learn. At any given point of the day a student might be texting, facebooking, and IM-ing all at once. What this means is that, as educators, we need to find ways to use technology in the classroom to benefit and help them learn. In turn, the use of technology should keep the students focused and ready for the read-world. The world is now a technological world and we need to keep that in mind while preparing students for the future.

In the following chapters about weblogs I was intrigued by all the different ways I could incorporate weblogs into my classroom. I thought it was a great idea to use blogging for discussions or reflections in classrooms. One example used in the book was in a 5^th grade classroom. To me, this was a specific example of how our world is changing because when I was in 5^th grade I didn’t even know how to use the Internet and I most definitely did not know what a blog was. Another way I learned I could use the web in my classroom is to post assignments. I think posting assignments online is a great idea for several reasons. One reason is because if it’s online a student can’t lose it. Also, it could be easily accessible to students’ parents.  One of the main things I took out of the first three chapters of this book is that technology is always changing and as an educator I have to continue to educate myself to ensure I’m preparing my students for the future, not the past.