Thing #6 - Web 2.0 Tools

I selected Kickresume as my site/tool from the list of Go2Web2.0 tools. This website helps users create an original CV that will help them land that dream job.  I really liked the layout of this website, it was easy to read and navigate. I really appreciated the "contact us" section where they genuinely explain their ideas and goals for the website. They also readily accept criticism and ideas from their users to enhance the site; now that is a sign of a good business. I also liked that they linked their site to facebook. This makes creating a profile easier and it's a way of showing your friends a cool resource you found. The only drawback to the site that I found was it is currently running in BETA version, which I guess, from what I gathered, is a slower platform with a few hiccups.

Kickresume.com is a simple website but one of the cool features is that you can save your CV on the site and come back and edit it whenever you need to. You can also save your original CV as a PDF file to your personal computer.

Kickresume could truly benefit students in high school who will soon be going out into the "real world" and looking for jobs. Integrating Kickresume into business class curriculum would be easy. However, it could also be added to any upper level ELA class as a business writing assignment.

Thing #5 - Perspectives on Web 2.0

Regarding Steve Hargadon's Web 2.0 Is the Future of Education, his viewpoint is dreamy but I don't think it will work. According to Mr. Hargadon, Web 2.0 is considered the read/write interface of the internet. This includes blogs, wikis, social networks, podcasting, and video/photo sharing sites. The basis of Web 2.0 is on social integration and collaboration, which I'm a big fan of. However, I don't think this technology classroom is doable with the current platform for our public education system. There is a grave disparity between resources available to high and low achieving schools and transforming the school systems to be completely reliant on technological immersion would only exasperate those issues. I also feel as though relying completely on technology takes away the human element of learning through dialogue and real social interaction. Communication isn't just what you say; it's facial expressions, body language, voice inflections, and tone. All these nuances of communication are lost in the cyber world. Lastly, it's utterly frightening that my own children may be plugged into this technologically dependent society. No society should be wholly dependent on their creations. Rather, humans should depend on their minds and stick to their roots regarding social interaction. To sum it up, use the technology and information to help students learn but don't let it consume you.

I believe School 2.0 means entering students into a cyber education program. Ironically, progressing into the future with technology-based education (School 2.0) means we would be regressing in society. Educating students doesn't stop with gaining knowledge. Children gain wisdom and build character through the hidden curriculum ingrained through the present-day public education system.

In the sense of making schools completely technological, administrators and teachers across the nation are going to be pressured even more to perform.  There will be new technological standards that may not be able to be met due to a lack of resources.  Overall, School 2.0 would be producing technological zombies and wizards rather than competent young adults.

Thing #4 - Commenting and Community

Commenting on other blogs helps create a sense of community through dialogue.  People learn, share, and grow through dialogue and collaboration.  People post blogs about what they are interested in and hearing other people respond to their interests fosters a sense of community and acceptance.  This online interaction is crucial to sustaining a blog.  You want to know people are hearing what you have to say and you want to hear what people have to say about your blog.

One interesting point on commenting I found was this: "Are you listening to the voice of your readers?"  A great blogger will respond to their followers comments.  Another interesting point to commenting I found was that there is a proper way to comment.  You should never be demeaning or use sarcasm.  Also, never attack the blogger.  Words are a powerful and should be used with care.

5 Classmate Blogs: 

I selected the blogs of my classmates (listed below) somewhat superficially.  Mr. Braem's 23 Things was on the top of the sidebar list.  Prufrock and Roll seemed very creative and interesting.  23 Things from Mrs. Cruise had gotten pretty far along in her blog of 23 Things.  23 Things had a great naked avatar.  Last but not least, I am friends with the author of KHS Chemistry 23 Things.  

Mr. Braem's 23 Things: http://mrbs23things.blogspot.com/: I commented on the fact we both had "play" as our easiest habit for lifelong learning.

KHS Chemistry 23 Things: http://khschemistry23things.blogspot.com/: I commented on her avatar.  I liked the fact that it was simple like she claimed to be.

Prufrock and Roll - 23 Things: http://prufrockandroll23things.blogspot.com/: I shared my support for her idea that technology won't and shouldn't take over the classroom.

23 Things from Mrs. Cruise: http://cruise23things.blogspot.com/: I made a comment relating to some pictures she made through Image Chef because they resonated with me.

23 Things: http://spinnock.blogspot.com/: I tried to give advice on how to correctly upload her avatar to her blog.

2 Alternative Blogs:

The two alternative blogs I chose (listed below) talk about things I am interested in.  One is a blog of a guy who has Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and the other is a blog about running.  I made one comment on the CF blog to encourage the man going through such a tough ordeal. 

http://runsickboyrun.blogspot.com/: I made one comment on the CF blog to encourage the man going through such a tough ordeal. 

http://naturalrunningcenter.com/:  I made a comment regarding a book I'd read about barefoot running.

Thing #3 - Using Blogs in My Classroom

Blogging is a great tool for communicating with my students as well as parents and colleagues.  By creating a classroom blog I can always keep students up to date on assignments, classroom updates, and any reading material I find of interest to them.  I could post questions daily about the current topic in class that students can comment on and, consequently, comment on each other's work as well.  Keeping a classroom blog will also help students who may have been absent find out what homework they may have.  Another way to use blogging in my class would be to have the students create a digital portfolio, posting their best work for the parents and peers to view and comment on.  This feedback is a great opportunity for students to develop. A student portfolio would provide a record the student could look back on for the entire year.

As many other teaching professionals have done, I can also create a blog for professional development purposes.  I can post about books I've read, lessons I've taught, and classroom management practices I've used among many other things.  Additionally, I can post ideas that I have for addressing common core principles and share these with my team at school.  Other teachers can post on my blog to foster an atmosphere of teacher collaboration.

A more creative way to use blogging would be to share a blog with students, peers, and colleagues as a platform for various interest groups related to science.  Blogging about relevant science issues, debates, and findings would not only help inform my students and the public on what's actually going on in the scientific community but it would help me to, per se, stay on top of my game.  Additionally, if some of my students are very passionate about a particular topic of interest I could allow them to edit and add posts to a blog reflecting their enthusiasm for the subject.

Thing #2 - Creation of My Avatar and Blog

Before Thing #1 I hadn't had any experience writing blogs and only minimal experience with reading blogs. The blog reading I did partake in was very irregular and consisted primarily of looking over the shoulder of my fiance as she perused through our old college friends' blogs. So basically, I know what they are and I know the premise for their writing.

My posting name is "Wes Mc". This still identifies me enough for people with whom I want to share in my blog experience but it leaves a level of anonymity for people I don't know whom just happen to stumble upon my site. The name of my blog is "Mr. M's 23 Things". I thought this was simple and to the point and again makes me semi-anonymous to random viewers.

Creating my blog was a rather easy process. Although it did take a little bit of time to get set up in the system with a new gmail.com account and get acclimated to the blogspot.com template, I thought it was a relatively quick procedure for integration into the blogosphere. I'll put it like this, blogging is definitely something I feel comfortable carrying into the future with me as a learning tool now that I've done it once before.

My avatar was created to look like me and reflect my personality. I wanted to create a real life representation of myself because I don't see any reason to pretend I'm somebody I'm not. My avatar has soccer gear on because coaching soccer is when I'm most in my element. I love coaching and so does my avatar. My avatar is has an almost ridiculous smile because I like to laugh, a lot. I try to find joy in my life and make others laugh in the process. The only problem with the avatar program could find was that I couldn't change the skin color for some reason. I am Caucasian so the stock "white" avatar wasn't a major problem, but I definitely don't suffer from albinism. Needless to say, I probably need to spend a little more time on building my avatar.

Thing #1 - Life Long Learner

The lifelong learning habit that is hardest for me is to "begin with the end in mind".  Truth be told, my mom always says I like to fly by the seat of my pants.  Obviously, I'm not a very effective planner (never have been) and I know that is something I'm going to have to really work on in order to reach my full potential as a teacher.  I need to practice making goals, both short term and long term, and finding the means to reach those goals in a structured manner.  I know I have great ideas and aspirations, but they would probably come to fruition much quicker with a little bit of foresight.

The easiest lifelong learning habit for me is to "play".  Matter of fact, I'm probably too good at this habit.  Now don't get me wrong, I am a hard worker.  However, it's not hard for me to unwind and relax a bit.  I love kids, which clearly bodes well for my career path, and I think the reason I get along with kids so well is the fact that I can still be one.  I am an adult with all the responsibilities of an adult but I still have that playful sense of a child.  In fact, my intuitive, child-like nature is mostly to blame for what drives my lifelong learning.

This first post went rather smoothly.  I haven't ever blogged before so this is all new to me, but I'm pretty apt when it comes to technology so I haven't really had any trouble so far.  I look forward to using Web 2.0 tools and seeing how they can benefit my classroom.  I know teenagers love technology and the more comfortable I am with different technological interfaces the more I can relate to my students.