Exploring technology can be a bit intimidating, but after attending class and reading about the world of blogs and wikis, I’m excited about the opportunities of using technology in my classroom. Yesterday in class I learned that RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication which means, time saver. This is a RSD, a Real Simple Definition. Instead of checking each blog for updates, the new information is sent to me through a feed. So if my class is checking many weblogs for information each day, we could purchase software (aggregator) to help sort the information and send it to our class. This way we are saving time by checking one site only. I like that.
This leads me to weblogging in the classroom. At first I thought, how different could a weblog be from hosting a class website? Most of my “teacher friends” resent having to upkeep their class website. It is just more work and parents don’t even look at it. Well, weblogging is very different in that the students are contributing to an interaction of ideas. They are independently thinking and having conversations commenting on others’ thoughts. This is very exciting.
In some ways I feel like the “Digital Immigrants,” fumbling around the internet, wanting to print everything off it. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to make mistakes, ask questions and learn about these tools from my tech savvy group and Dr. C. My desire is to close the gap, as much as possible, between myself and my students in order to promote the most effective learning with the use of technology.
