• How can you use blogging to communicate with school stakeholders?

Blogging can be used to communicate with school stakeholders very easily. Because it is online it already has many advantages because of the convenience factor. Anyone with internet access can log in and respond to posts. This allows individuals the ability to participate in discussions and give ideas and opinions even if they are not able to attend school meetings and events. I believe staff can easily participate as well because they can add their thoughts and ideas to discussion threads. Ultimately it proves to be a great way to connect stakeholders without having formal sit down meetings and taking up everyone’s time. Someone can post an idea or thought and see what others think about it while never having to actually meet with anyone. I really feel it is a time saver and promotes individuals to share new ideas. People may feel more apt to share something because they do not have to speak in front of anyone, just type their ideas for others to read.

• What are the concerns of blogs and blogging in education?

The major concerns of blogging in education are the possibility of students responding inappropriately. Because it is on the internet there is really no way to monitor what gets said on the blogs. Of course the site creator can log in and delete student’s posts but unfortunately this is sometimes too late and the damage is already done. Teachers need to be very strict with policies dealing with what is said on the blogs. Students need to be trained on online etiquette so they understand what is appropriate, and inappropriate behavior while using blogs and other services similar to them. Grades can also be lowered for talk that is not positive in nature and appropriate for the learning of all students. For the most part I believe teachers can stop the negative behavior from happening if they are constantly monitoring and reminding students what expectations they have.

• What is the educational value of blogs and blogging to the 21st century learner?

There is so much educational value to blogging in the twenty first century. It allows students the ability to not only use technology but to become very familiar with it. Blogging allows students to gain a firsthand knowledge of how technology can be used to help them in their everyday lives. Blogging allows students to communicate and comment on anything they choose to. This can be so valuable in the classroom because it can be done anywhere. If the student is at home and would like to comment on a book he/she is reading in class they are able to do this. The teacher can post questions and reflections for the students to answer and for others to read and review. The possibilities are endless with blogging. Students are also able to create their own blogs to use. It is amazing how simple and quick it is to create your own blog. This would be a great project idea to research different topics, or just a daily share time where students could post and respond to other student’s thoughts and ideas. The best aspect about blogging is that it gets student’s involved with technology in a fun enhancing way that will promote higher level thinking and encourage technology use among students.

• What did you learn from this course…about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?

This course has really taught me to not “dog it until I try it.” I did not like technology before the course and did not want to use it in my classroom. I did as little as possible just because I did not understand how to work many technology tools and it was just an uncomfortable foreign area to me. As I started learning about the benefits of technology in the classroom it became very evident just how important it really was. Also, as we created our blogs and participated in different activities that required us to branch out and experience technology first hand it really opened my eyes to the importance of this incredible tool we have available. As a leader I realized there are things that teachers are going to be resistant to. It is my job to show them the benefits while making sure they feel comfortable with themselves as teachers before expecting them to start anything in their classrooms. I am so happy I was able to experience this course and to learn so much about technology. I can’t wait to start a new project with my students incorporating many different tools that all involve the use of technology.

• Were you successful in carrying out the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

I was very successful in carrying out the course assignments. I really feel that this was so successful for me because I had many resources to learn more information from. Much was learned from the class but also from the technology specialist at my school and other friends in my district that deal with technology tools in the classroom. They had great ideas and guided me through many questions and projects I had to complete. It is very helpful when you have someone to guide you through the process to make you feel comfortable doing it alone without any one there to help. Teachers tend to not try things they are unsure about and technology seems to certainly be one of these problems. One of the obstacles however was the lack of knowledge I had dealing with many different technology tools. I was not aware of the many uses and the simplicity there tools brought to their users.

• What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?

The area that I still feel uneasy about is the amount of training I have received in technology tools. As much as I want to incorporate all the technology into my classroom, I want to feel comfortable doing it. I do not want to fear the tools that I am using not working in my classroom when I am in the middle of a lesson. This seems to be a fear for most teachers and why most teachers do not use much technology in their classrooms. They feel it is unreliable, and at times I have to agree with them. As much as I enjoy technology and the great things it does for students learning, it can sometimes be a huge pain. When I am in the middle of lesson, the last thing I want to happen is for the computer to freeze or shut down and then I lose all my teaching information. I really think this fear is what keeps teachers distant from technology still today. I would like there to be more training for teachers so they feel comfortable using technology all the time in their classrooms.

• To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

I think what I have learned from this class is very relevant to what I do in my own school because I work at such a high technology campus. Our principal expects teachers to use technology on a daily basis because we have so much available to us. It is nice to have the tools to enhance my teaching by using the technology as a supplement to my daily lessons. I feel as if I have learned new information that will really help me this year because of the required use of technology at my school. I feel more comfortable using some of the tools and I actually am feeling very encouraged to start blogs and other communicating pages on the web for students to share ideas and talk about different topics covered in class. The relevance of what I learned will really assist me not only as a classroom teacher but also as an administrator too. I understand the importance of technology in the classroom and I know what a reasonable expectation is for teachers. When I am an administrator I want my teachers to use as much technology in their classrooms as possible, but what is considered doable in their busy schedules.