MACTE 2008

BLOGGING IS HOT!!!

If you are reading this blog...it may be because you are attending a session on Friday, July 25, 2008 at MACTE

Goals for the Session:

1. Participants will examine the concept of Blogging.

What is Blogging? According to Wikipedia A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Edublog An edublog is a blog written by someone with a stake in education. Examples might include blogs written by or for teachers, blogs maintained for the purpose of classroom instruction, or blogs written about educational policy.

Introduction to Blogging

What is a Blog?

Kathy Schrock's Ed Tech Blog

2. Participants will compare online Blogging sites.

Blogspot

WordPress

LiveJournal

Edublog

3. Participants will evaluate teaching strategies of Blogging.

Outside the Cave

Student Blogging

Blogs in Education

Top 100 Education Blogs

Blogs are Changing Education

4. Participants will summarize benefits and issues of Blogging.

Legal Issues

Benefits of Blogging

Economist's View

Issues of Blogging

5. Participants will create a personal, classroom, generic Blog.

Choose a free Blogging site provider

Let's create!

IC3 Certification

Mississippi is working on a plan to redesign education in the state. Please visit Redesign website for specific information. One of the newer licensure requirments for many of the redesign curricula areas is for the educator to obtain certification documenting technology literacy. The IC3 Certification is being administered all over the state of Mississippi to fulfill the requirment.

It has been an AHA moment to educators when they determine their computer literacy based on IC3 Certification. Many are being successful when they sit for the three exams, but many are facing the task of retaking one, two or all of the exams a second time.

If you find yourself being required to obtain the IC3 Certification here are some ways you may prepare.

Find a cohort group from your school that may need the certification also and start a study group. There may be an IC3 certified teacher in your area who can find study materials such as textbooks, online tutorials, and/or applications and help you prepare.

Many community colleges, vocational centers, and district schools in Mississippi are offering training sessions to help educators as they prepare to sit for the exams. Make a few phone calls to find a site nearest you.

Being a "seasoned" teacher, I have to admit I was not required to take a Basic Computer Class while working towards my education degree. To prepare for the IC3 Certification, enrolling in a computer class offered at a local institution of higher learning may be the ticket!

Students that walk in our classrooms are usually ahead of us educators technology wise. So, let's continue to prepare ourselves with technololgy skills as we move into the 21st Century.

What Can We Do?

It has amazed me what all I am learning by visiting educators' blogs around the world! Technology best practices, free online tools, professional learning at my finger tips. I couldn't wait to share this learning venue with everyone I could contact in MS! So, I sent an email out through Blackboard B.R.I.D.G.E. sites. Several issues were made apparent to me!

1) Some districts in MS are blocking any email that is associated with a distribution list (more than one receiver in the TO line)

As an avid email receiver, I understand the desire to block un-elicited emails offering everything from millions of dollars from foreign countries, a PhD...earned in two weeks, and offers of great pharmaceutical savings. But, what can we do to ensure educators receive factual, informative emails concerning their curricula, teaching strategies, and/or professional learning opportunities?

2) Some districts are blocking blog sites (catagorized as Social Network sites)

Forgive me if I over dramatize with this scenerio! Walking with children through a mall parking lot and grabbing them when they came close to being hit by an on-coming car, did NOT lead decision makers to do away with automobiles. Children are taught, and taught, and taught NOT to walk in front of a passing car! We as educators have the opportunity to teach, teach, teach safety on the Internet Highway.

It was dissappointing to receive email after email from teachers who couldn't view the sites I had sent them with great teaching strategies. As fate would have it...I received an email from EdTECH Listserv (great PD for me!!!) inquiring if anyone remembered reading a post from a renound presenter who was presenting at the JFK Presidential Library. As the email stated, in the middle of his presentation, he clicked on a site to share at the conference, and it was blocked.
Andy Carvin replied to the email and reported it was him. He then sent us through email to his article he had written concerning the issue. Take a few minutes when you can and read his thoughts. Interesting Read!

After reading his article, I decided it would be a great read to send on to those who had emailed me with concerns about not being able to read the professional learning blog (the site we are on now) I was developing. Guess What! They emailed me back that the site was blocked and they could not read the article...it is posted on PBS - Teacher Site. Again, what can we do?


3) Some teachers in those districts are wondering how to get to the good info!

I copied the article into Word, saved as a pdf and sent it back to the teachers.

I would love for conversation to begin concerning how to ensure educators are able to receive mass emails (especially from Blackboard), can receive teaching strategies from EXPERTS around the world, and possibly allow teachers the discernment to allow students to visit some of these sites.

Let me hear from you!

I may as well get started

I am not sure where this exercise will lead, but I am drawn to begin! It doesn’t take me long to write due to the block I seem to have about writing…but if you let me talk, that is another story. I am going to approach this as if I am sitting down talking with a group of wonderful educators!
As I was researching the whole BLOGGING experience I came across so many great articles…or should I say Blogs. The one I want to point to in this conversation, was the winner of the Edublog most influential post.

The author, Karl Fisch, posted a statement that he had written in 2006, but did not post until 2007. I can understand his reluctance to point fingers at hard working, busy, standards laden educators…but I am going to be brave and post his statement!

If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it’s equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn’t know how to read and write. ..Karl Fisch
(visit his blog and read the entire entry! )
http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/09/is-it-okay-to-be-technologically.html)

OK…what say you? (thanks Bill O’Reilly) Is this too harsh? Is he out on a limb that has no substance? I would love to hear your thoughts concerning the state of technology skills in educational arenas. (click on the link COMMENTS at the end of this post)

When I think of the technological strides that have occured in the last 5 years, I wonder how to ensure students in classrooms are being exposed to up to date information. I have the opportunity to work with teachers to motivate, inspire, instruct, and collaborate about technology. How can I best use my skills to move the mountain of technology fear in some educators?



What did you think about the short video that speaks to an important idea…are we paying attention to what our students ALREADY know and apply with technology? The video is from YouTube website.

My goal for this site is to allow educators access to a site that may give them help as they embrace 21st Century! Please feel free to respond to any and all blogs as they surface! Pass the address to anyone you know…we are in this together!