Learning never stops

I got a chance to read several fascinating blog rolls  and use Google reader for the first time.  Its definitely easy to post RSS feeds using google.  I do have an RSS feed reader already established through bloglines.com.  But, I must say that I prefer using google reader since I currently already use gmail, the calendar, docuements and the web tools hosted by google .  I don’t know why I never thought of trying google reader out before.

I did come across two interesting feeds which I have added to my google reader and  which will be quite useful  as I design a new science curiculum this year as well as find more meaningful  ways to use technology in my classroom.  You might want to take a look at the second link listed which addresses the ways schools communicate with their consituents as well as a discussion about 21st centery decision making.

http://www.diigo.com/list/fletcher3836/science-general- Shaun Fletcher’s Science list

http://www.digitalchalkie.com/   Catchy paragraph – Email is for old people.

I am always excited to witness the wonderful possibilities that technology has to offer.  Web 2.0 provides us with a different way of thinking and doing.  No longer is technology (computers, the web, etc…) an afterthought in the way we teach but an integral part and an extension of how we teach.  Our students communicate in ways that we never imagined and the way they share their thoughts, ideas, knowledge is changing rapidly.  The challenge is to make sure that we as educators embrace these new ways of communication in order to enhance our teaching and to facilitate learning.  Learning now more than ever has become a collaborative process which is no longer teacher centered.  The times I have steered clear of teacher centered teaching are the moments when I have witnessed the most learning.    The simple task of blogging has allowed my students to share their thoughts on new science research, comment on the thought of others and give their viewpoints in a non-threatening environment.  As I begin to utilize some of this new technology with my middle school students, I do have concerns about several aspects of social networking particularly cyber-bullying.  I constantly question the pros and cons of utilizing such sites as Facebook with  young people who are in the different stages of physical and emotional development.

As I watch the videos and read the articles about Web 2.0, I am inspired and even more determined to question the way I think, teach and do.   Change is good and needs to be embraced.  I can do this if I continue to keep my students at the top of my priority list.

As I begin this process at such a late stage, my greatest challenge will be to create a substantive and useful learning toolbox which I will be able to use throughout the year in both my teaching and my administrative duties.  I hope to spend enough time on each task to be able to grasp the intricacies of all the tools I am expected to utilize.  Fortunately for me, I love to play with technology and, therefore, am not fearful to try, to experiment and to make mistakes.  My goal is to become acquainted with all the tools presented in this course so that I can continue to develop my  skills and incorporate what I have learned into the Science course I will be teaching which, by the way, will  become a full on-line Middle School science course by the end of the school year.

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