Blog 6 - Chapter 8&9

              During my read of chapter 8, the focus was mostly on the teacher/student communication via blogs or wikis. One of the key areas that stuck out to me was the use of "instant messaging" for student/ teacher contact. Personally, I like the idea of a blog or wiki way more than an instant message. I feel that students today would not seperate "friend" talk with "teacher" talk when using instant messaging. While it would be a fast way to contact, I think sticking with emails or discussion boards would be better for both parties.
             This chapter also discussed the importance of teaching interactively. There are so many ways to keep the thoughts moving in the students minds after class. An example would be to post a discussion board topic or post suggested further readings on a specific topic online. I agree that students would benefit from the extra time and thought on their own and open up more of a broad understanding of the subject matter.
                Chapter 9 spoke about using POWER POINT. I use powerpoint for many of my lessons. I create my lessons in a more interactive way by posting my questions or charts onto the smart board. It is a simple program to use and many teacher programs with lessons that you can download using it. As the chapter discussed, it is way more visual for the children.
                 Using video in the classroom is another way to bring visuals into learning. Watching video clips or educational movies can enrich the text book in ways that simple "lessons" could not. I also really liked the idea of the "concept books." The concept books are great especially for ELL students. Using digital photographs in concept books are a great way to enrich topics.
Class Questions:
1) Does your school offer you/ Would you ever push to get the backings of a digital camera for your students? This way they can create their own movies or find their own visuals?
2) Brain Pop Jr. is a video page that I constantly use to enrich my lessons, does anyone know of another page like this one that is just as good?
3) What is your opinion of Movie making by students, in the lower grades, to help enrich their learning?