SpOnkiFonki

The Educational Leadership article in ASCD, explained the effectiveness of blogging in a classroom environment.  I agree with what was said about students in this generation are constantly on the web, chatting, surfing, and blogging.  The idea of connecting what students normally do with writing in class s is a great idea.  With support from the school community of commenting on each other’s blog entries, students can be motivated to write more.   I think it’s a challenge to start a blogging community in the classroom, but once it is up, I can see how it may engage the students, causing them to read more and write about their thoughts.  Students can also share the reading strategies that they used while reading.

One important aspect that teachers may want to cover is the security and privacy issue of blogging.  Real names of people and names of location (such as schools) should not be mentioned.  This is strictly for the safety of the person and for those affiliated.  Integrating curriculum content and technology should be on the minds of teachers.  To not do that in this day and age is just wrong.  Welcome to the 21st century!

Article:http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/mar09/vol66/num06/Reader_Responsiveness_2.0.aspx

This is a Mali unit plan that integrates the fine arts and technology for the second grade.  Lessons can be adapted and be easily modified for individual’s classroom and students.  The unit consists of poetry, money, economic terminologies, and study of Mali.  By integrating the fine arts and technology students will be able to retain information and be engaged in their learning.

Please click on the following link: http://tat.clairvoy.com/tiki-index.php?page=Fine%20Arts%20and%20Technology%20Integrated%20Unit%20Plan%3A%20Mali

Kid: Why is the sky blue? Why do cows moo?  Why do I have to eat broccoli?  Why are we flushing the fish down the toilet?

It’s the WHY questions that really matter.  The WHATs are easy to figure out (well, at least most of the time).  Like a student who may wonder why he is learning what he is learning, a teacher will have to know why she is teaching what she is teaching.  As it is shared in Clairvoy, it is important for teachers to learn strategies and apply them when needed.

Let’s define the word strategy: it’s a careful plan or method toward a goal (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strategy)

If that’s the case, why not have teachers share these intentional and thought provoking methods to reach the goal of teaching the students successfully.  And Clairvoy is a great place just for that.  It is a community of educators respectfully sharing ideas with other another.

Gone are the old days where teachers are loners and survivors at what seems like a deserted school.  It’s time to share and care!