When I started to get interested in integrating technology into my teaching and learning I kept hearing about how the conversations and making connections were a big part of it. My friend Chris encouraged me to start blogging and to be honest I couldn’t understand why I would do it. I thought that by blogging I would be like one of those people who like I the sound of their own voice so to speak. You know the type. Well I began anyways just to see where it would take me. Well it took an interesting turn this past weekend. I had the most unusual response to a blog post ever. I got a phone call. I was really shocked when I listened to the message. The voice at the other end had read something I posted and wanted to post it on his site and asked me to write for him in the future. We share a common interest and goal. And there it is: making connections and conversations.

Image from Tom Purves

Catholic education
Blogging
Conversations
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Well I know I haven’t been active for a while, but I have to plug the thing that really got me going with tech integration into my classroom. I stumbled across the K-12 Online Conference last year and was glued to my computer learning about all these cool things that I could use with my students. So I wanted to plug this year’s conference and encourage all of you to check it out. There are going to be some great educators presenting much incredible stuff this year. I can hardly wait!

k12online07
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Well today was the end of the first week of the second semester and I have taken the leap into making my classroom a technologically integrated classroom. And I do this in a classroom with no technology, well, except for a TV (that isn’t connected to anything: cable,dvd-player, vcr) and an overhead projector. I have asked my students in my three classes to sign up for blog accounts. I started with my Grade 11 class and by the end of today about a third of the class had created blogs that I could access and the rest were in the process of creating their blog and some were having a little difficulty, however, I think this is not because of anything they are doing but because of some minor issues they are ironing out at learnerblogs. I asked my two Grade 12 classes today to sign up for blogs over the weekend, so Monday will bring some more links to add to the Blogroll.

I must admit, I was somewhat hesitant, and, somewhat nervous in taking this leap. I am heading into uncharted waters. I wonder how is this going to change my comfort zone? How is this going to change what I have been doing in the classroom since I started teaching in 2000? Am I going to have to change everything? Is this going to be more work for me on top of the already heavy workload? But along with these fears there is also excitement. Like the kind of thing you feel as you approach the top of a roller coaster before the big drop and the rush. At any rate I think this is one teacher’s step in making Chris Walsh’s wish come true.

My class blog can be found here and you can find the links to my student blogs there.

Stay tuned, coming soon the class wiki.

web2.0
student blogging
education technology
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