Thing 7: Flickr

Today we learned how to use Flickr. This would be a great program to use in math with the Geometric Project that we do. Instead of posting photos of real world geometric shapes on a poster board, students could find real life photos and use annotation to describe the geometric shapes in the object.

Thing 5

I like Google Reader. It makes it a lot easier to see what people say about my blogs. I am still learning and hopefully I will get better at this stuff as time goes by.

Chapter 3 Creating a Product

Because we now know that L-directed thinking is not enough to make it in todays society, we must find ways to help our kids be successful in this forthcoming Conceptual age. By letting students combine the best of two worlds, R-directed thinking and L-directed thinking, we are giving them the tools they need to be successful in the world. We must find ways to let students creatively express themselves. Kids have so much to share and teach us about how they want to learn...we just have to give them the opportunity.

Homework: Read Chapter 3

I understand that our society is changing and it has been for many years as explained in chapter 3. People change and lifestyles change due to our new inventions and our government. I feel with new inventions comes new challenges that we must all face and learn how to deal with effectively. Educating our children in this new "conceptual age" is one of the most important challenges that we face today. For those of us who have been teaching for a while this may prove to be more difficult. A lot needs to change before we will begin to see more technology used in the classroom. Due to the public knowlegde of how well a school district performs on standardize testing, pressure is put on all involved to "make the grade". I think once we see a change from that direction we will feel more comfortable and at ease exploring new options for educating our children.

Thing 4 How I feel about commenting

I like sending and receiving comments on blogger, but I really need to practice. I am afraid of sounding like I do not know what I am talking about. I want to feel comfortable commenting in my own voice.
Hearing what other people have to say about my posts helps to create a connection with them. This is important so that you feel you have someone to talk to when you need insights on certain topics.
I think this is an important tool for students because they feel less threatened to ask questions or post comments online.

Thing 3 Adding Gadgets

I added gadgets to my blog page today. I added "About Me" and ListLink. I added the list link so I could keep track of my favorite math web sites and share them with other viewers. I think I have to add a link to the list before it will show up on my blog page.

Thing 2: Thoughts about Web 2.0

Technology is here and changing everyday. Kids are keeping up with the changes faster than most adults. As teachers we must use this technology to intrigue kids to learn. Web 2.0 is a great way to let students learn in a way that is fun and comfortable to their generation.