"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." - Confucius

Reflections on ED 3120-01

An ongoing assignment in my social studies methods class was to keep a blog throughout the semester. This blog was used to share information pertaining to the class, my fieldwork experiences, and my everyday life.

Below are the links to the blog posts that I have commented from my fellow group members' blogs. The blogs I chose to comment on contained information that I thought was important and relevant to my own success.

Madison's blog - Socializing Our Future Leaders

Lindsay's blog - Keep Calm and TEACH ON

Alex's blog - Changing Tides and the Wave of Education 

I enjoyed this assignment throughout this semester. I never have used a blog before, so it was a little difficult for me to stay on task and remember to update on a weekly basis. I think that this is a great way to informally reflect on your life and classwork.

I think that you would be able to use blogs in your classroom as a way to keep students on task throughout the year, as well as inform parents on what is happening in the classroom. Students can use blogs as a journal or even for assignments. The teacher can assign a particular reading and post questions on his/her school blog for students to comment and reflect on.

For someone who has never blogged before, I think this is a great video to watch. Blogs in Plain English breaks down what a blog is in a simple way, without getting into any fancy technological talk. I think this video would be a great introduction to use in the classroom as a way to familiarize students with the concept of blogging. 

There are a plethora of resources out there for teachers and students to use. To work to the best of our ability, we need to use these resources and skills gained from using them. You need to have a reason to implement the technology though. You cannot simply say that you want students to use a blog simply to use a blog. Blogs can help students with their metacognition. They can help spark conversations and increase their writing skills. Technology can help students to succeed in ways that they never have before. As the above picture states, "technology is a tool, not a learning outcome." 

Personally, I think that there is no point in going against using technology. You should hop on the technology train and take it as far as you can go.