Twitter

Twitter is a very interesting social networking site that we have been learning about. I have done a lot to learn about twitter in these last few weeks. Usually social networking sites come pretty naturally to me, I have a Facebook and a Myspace. However, twitter is a lot different than the usual websites. It took me some time to figure twitter out, it's much more than just posting whatever you are thinking. One of the first things I did when I made a twitter account was look for an app for my ipod touch. I found TwitterFon which is free, and allowed me to read other people's tweets wherever I was.

Being able to tweet almost anywhere was pretty interesting. This also allowed me to practice tweeting more often. I also followed a bunch of people to help learn about twitter. Christinadotcom was particularly helpful, she was one of the only people that responded to my tweets. Following Mr. Chamberlain was also very helpful. I also followed the Twitter_Tips which turned out to be a great reasource. I checked my Twitter a few times a day. However I feel like I didn't tweet or respond to other people's tweets enough. I think if more of my friends joined I'd be more outgoing on Twitter.

Despite my lack of tweeting I still believe that Twitter could definitely be a great reasource for teachers. At first I thought that Twitter was silly and would never have a place in education. I was wrong, and the more articles I read about Twitter, the more I began to see its merit. I liked the example in an article I read of students asking questions through Twitter while a teacher lectured. I think Twitter would be a great tool for creating a classroom communtiy. If every student had an account they could keep in contact outside of the classroom and help eachother with homework, projects, ect. I think I will definitely use twitter as a teacher. I will encourage students and their parents to contact me via twitter anytime the have a question. Keeping in touch is very important, with all the new technology coming out there is no reason not to take advantage!

Podcasts Galore!

I had a lot of fun listening to some of the podcasts done by our class. The first podcast I listened to was "Using iTunes and Google Earth in Instruction," by Dr. Shaw, Bryn Jarvis and Miranda Hill. The second podcast I listened to was "Websites for Elementary School Teachers," by Mary Davis, Matt Quimby and Johnetta Dixon. The third I listened to was "How Technology is Used in the College of Education," by Carol Perez, Christina Moore and Michelle Ward. The fourth I listened to was done by my group, "The Pros and Cons of Wikipedia," by Courtney Rose, Annie Hutson, and I. All the podcasts were great but could also use a little bit of improvement.

I noticed in one of the podcasts the group did not introduce all the members first, instead they waited until each person was done with their piece. Introducing themselves in the middle of the podcast disrupted the flow of the conversation and was a little awkward. I also noticed that in most of the podcasts one person spoke and did their piece, then the next person would go, and so on. There was very little interaction between group members, for example commenting on what others say or asking eachother questions.

I think my group's podcast was decent but there are a lot of things we could have improved upon. First of all, we all, at some point or another, sounded like we were reading a script. Our dialouge should've flowed a little more naturally. Also are podcast was short compared to the other ones in our class. We should've added more topics to talk about. Another thing I would have fixed, there was little interaction between group members, it did not sound like an actual conversation. Overall I think my group and all the groups did a great job. If we all could go back and do them a second time I know they would be even better.

Blogs in the Classroom

Using blogs in the classroom was a new idea to me when I first started the EDM 310 class. At first I thought that blog use in the classroom would just be basic. The teacher just posts homework assignments to remind students and let parents know. As the class progressed I learned so much more about blogs, and realized that there are so many uses for them. They are definitely a great tool to use in the classroom and can help teachers accomplish many things.

The are many positive aspects to blogging in the classroom. One huge benefit of having blogs is the communication it facilitates. The teacher can communicate with the students even outside of class. If they have a question on the homework they can leave a comment about it. That's extremely helpful because other students may have the same question but were to shy to ask. Blogs also help students communicate with each other. If every student has their own blog then they can comment on each others. Also, it helps parents communicate with the teacher. They can ask questions about assignments, or just ask how their child is doing in class.

Another positive aspect of blogging is that it is fun! I think most students would love creating and customizing a web page about themselves. I think they would also love sharing their ideas with their classmates and the teacher. It will be fun for them to be creative and to do something out of the ordinary. Also since blogging is so much fun they will be more engaged in it. They will be willing to read what the teacher says because it will not feel like homework.

It's hard to think of any negative aspects to blogging. The only negative thing I can think of is that not all students will have access to a computer at home. These students may feel left out of a crucial part of class. One way to remedy this is to schedule regular trips to computer lab. Also if there are computers in the classroom the children could work on their blogs during class. I think blogs are a great tool and I will definitely use them when I am a teacher.

"Growth" vs. "Fixed" Mindsets

I had the pleasure of watching the video podcast, "Growth" vs. "Fixed" Mindsets in Learning by Standford University. The video was very interesting and introduced a concept that I had never heard of before, "Growth" vs. "Fixed" mindsets. These are two different mindsets that can effect students while they are learning. The growth mindset is where students believe that their intelligence is meant to be developed throughout their life. This development occurs through going to school and a passion for studying. In contrast the fixed mindset is where students think that intelligence is fixed and they are stuck with what they have. When these students do a task they think about if it will make them seem smart to their peers.

In the video, they talked about an interesting study that shows how important the growth mindset is to learning. In the study they separated students into to groups. One group they taught study skills and the growth mindset, and the other group they just taught study skills. The results for each group were drastically different. For the first group, learning about the growth mindset made a huge difference. Their grades improved and they were more excited about the learning process. Conversely, for the second group their grades continued to drop, they had no motivation to use the study skills they were taught.

This video podcast is very important to me as a teacher. This is great new information that I will definitely be able to apply in my class. Teachers need to teach the growth mindset. Although some students will realize it naturally, others may fall into the fixed mindset if we do not help them. If teachers stress the growth mindset students will be more interested in their education. Also they will be more intrinsically motivated when it comes to their schoolwork, they will not just do it for the grade. Students will be more motivated to exercise their brains outside of the classroom as well. The growth mindset is definitely very important and I am glad I learned about it.