Thing #4: Why Commenting is Important

Since blogs are designed to be a place where people of common interests share ideas, it is only fitting that blog communication be a two way street. A blog without the ability, or benefit, of comments would really only be a diary that others read, but the writer does not gain the benefits of reader encouragement, feedback or opinion. Comments really are the threads that hold a blog together and create the ability to form a sense of community. Since we live in a time where front porch talks with neighbors don't often happen, blog posts and comments from readers make way for a new type of neighbor communication. Blogs make the way to form a unique neighborhood or community with other people with similar interests and they don't even have to live in the same state. Wow!

With that said, there has to be a common etiquette for having these new "front porch" conversations. I found the comments of The Coolcat Teacher to be both informative and encouraging. I was glad to get some good "how to" tips on the ways to comment, track traffic and add the hyperlinks. I also found her suggestions on how to be a good "neighbor" by writing meaningful comments and warnings about the "Darth Commenter" to be encouraging.

I look forward to tracking and commenting on some other blogs! So far, I have found the following blog that I will track and am still looking......

Class Blogs
1. Lesley Spicer: Mind of a Tennessee Math Teacher - I chose this one because she seems to be in my boat, so to speak. She is a mother of three, works full time teaching high school math and is working on her Masters . I am still undecided between middle/high school and math/science. I hope to gain some insight into being a high school math teacher. (Commented on Things 5 & 16)

2. Blaise Miranda: Miranda's Blog - I chose this one because he is an engineer turned teacher, which I will also be. I am interested get his perspective on the transition. (Commented on Thing 3)

3. Candace Rogers: Roger's Science Spot - I chose this one because of her interest in science. (Commented on Thing 3)

4. Susan Runyon-Davis: Sky Blue Sue - I chose this one because of her interest in math. (Commented on Thing 13)

5. Theres Dezellem: TDezellem - I chose this one because of her different interest in literature. I thought it would be interesting to see the possible different perspective and approach to the 23 things. (Commented on Thing 20)

Outside Blogs
1. Learning 2.1 Blog: I chose this one because it had some other tools that were not explored as a part of APSU 23 things. (Commented on Thing 63)

2. Podcastally Blog: Bytesize Science: I commented on this because I like the format of the podcast when reporting scientific topics

Thing #3: Blog Uses in the Classroom

I can see many great ways to use blogs in the classroom. I can even see having multiple blogs in order to cater to different groups such as my peers, students, and parents. I can foresee immediately using them with parents and students.

For students......
I would create a class blog for posting class and school related information such as calendar of events, syllabus, homework assignments/assistance and test reviews. I would also include links to websites that could be used for added information, review or practice.

I would also ask each student, or possibly groups of students, such as lab groups, to create their own blog. This would be a place for them to create an online portfolio of class work or group projects/labs.

For parents......
I would create an informational blog, but would also emphasize its use for parent networking. This would be a place where parents could post questions or share things with other parents that have helped make their children succeed in various areas. Families today have such full and busy schedules, that learning to know other parents can be difficult. This would be a way to help build a community with the parents of my students.

I definitely look forward to using blogs in the future. There are so many possibilities!

Thing #2: Blog and Avatar Setup

Wow.....I did it! I have read blogs many times before, but have never set one up before. It was much easier than I thought.....and fun!! The Avatar was really easy and fun too. Santa brought our family a Wii for Christmas. Creating the Avatar felt a little like I was making another Wii Me. I chose to create it to look somewhat like me for fun. This week, two of my three children have been working on their science fair projects, so I chose the science fair background. It also works well for my desire to teach math or science one day. I really did feel like I was staying up late "playing" on the computer instead of doing homework. I hope I remember this when I am creating homework assignments for my future students!

I created the title of my blog with my last name as requested, but decided to use "javawithjeannie" as my blog name. I chose this, because most of my work happens when my children go to bed and I am up late working with my coffee close by me. I guess its my own version of "coffee talk". Join me anytime!!

Thing #1: Lifelong Learning

I have really never considered what makes a person a lifelong learner....I guess I have always been of the opinion that learning is constant and happens whether you like it or not. There is really no escaping the fact that learning happens every day. The question then becomes whether or not that learning has a future use or purpose. I still believe that fact and I guess that is why I have always tried to approach learning in a way that is consistent with Habits #1 (Begin with the End in Mind) and #2 (Accept Responsibility for Own Learning). Those two habits are probably the easiest for me and come most naturally. The habit that is the hardest for me is actually 7 1/2 which is to play. That probably sounds really crazy, but I find that it is true for me. I think because I tend to be results or task oriented, I sometimes lose sight of how enjoyable the process can be. I never really thought of myself this way until I had children and really began to see how much they learn through fun and play and just being silly! They show me everyday how important this is for people of all ages. I think this will be key for me to learn to be most effective in the classroom. This is something I will continue to work on for sure!!

One way I see that I can work on this habit during this course is by learning more about the Web 2.0 tools. I look forward to learning more about them because there seems to be so many possibilities, with even more to come! I can already see how learning to use these tools will give me many good ideas for how to help my future students learn while "playing"!!