Mr. McClung is now another acquaintance thanks to my EDM class. He has used his blog in a way that connects his students, the school's academic side, the extracurricular activities of the school, parents, teachers, and even makes it personal by throwing in things that are interests to him. To me he has done a great job with it and after taking an in depth look I have learned a lot.
1. What do you know (or have you found out) about Mr. McClung that is reflected in the way he has constructed his class blog? He's very conscious about how one can use the internet to collaborate and expand. There are tons of links to other teachers and websites that are extremely helpful, he has his blog set up in manner that ties the whole school together rather than just his class. It's almost as if he uses it to connect his classroom to the entire school, community, and even an national/international due to the access of the internet.
2. Comment on what you would say about Mr. McClung as an educator. We have all had teachers who believe that students are there to listen and learn. That teachers are their to teach and that's just how the system works. That is teaching, but an education is something entirely different. An education is where students learn how to learn through many different mediums and with open minds. Just by looking at his blog, I get the feeling Mr. McClung supplies his students with an education that is worth while, rather than teaching and drilling his students with facts they will try to spit back out at him.
3. I asked above that you read Mr. McClung's "rules" and think about them. What do they say about Mr. McClung, his teaching, and his connection with his students? What is your reaction to these rules (and guides) as a student and as an aspiring teacher? He is a very high-energy, collaborative, and involved teacher. He expects the students to be involved, and his class revolves around his students. As an aspiring teacher I hope I can do the same things he is doing. Even by doing silly things as the class-yes game, he brings his students into the lesson and at the same time they're having fun. You can't really beat that. Also the way he explains they will depend on each other to learn is very important to me. It shows he values his students' opinions and ideas.
4. What was the first thing under Everyone needs? Why do you suppose that is the first requirement? A day planner, because everyone needs to learn how to organize their work schedule. If they use this, it will only help them better balance out their school schedule and help them greatly in the future. Although I didn't like it at the time, the teachers I had that constantly told us to use our planners really helped later on. It teaches you how to take on more responsibility with your work.
5. Note the penalties for being late (under Homework). Compare them with my penalties for being late. Comment. You can still get credit for late work. Like our class, you won't get full credit by any means, but you still get some. I think it's good to have a system like that because student are going to turn things in late. Things pile up or sometimes we forget and then before you know it, the deadline has passed. What's good about this system is that there is still incentive to learn the material or do the activity. If there's no credit offered most likely students just won't do it at all and miss out on a potentially good learning experience.
6. Read carefully his paragraph about what he hopes to accomplish with his blog. Comment and apply to your own aspirations as a teacher. It's a collaborative tool. He uses it to link the students, teachers, and parents to things happening both inside and outside the classroom. By posting links and other information in comments he also uses it as a tool for exchanging information for all groups involved. I want to use technology to do the same things for my students. Use it as a way to connect students to teachers to parents to other students and exchange information and ideas throughout the web. What a great way to learn.
7. I asked you to review at least two Useful Links in depth after reviewing all of them. Which two did you review in depth? Describe each of the two. How might each be used? Why do you think each made Mr. McClung's list. I viewed the World War II Propaganda website, and to me that one was really cool. Mr. McClung teachers a history class and I can see this as a valuable tool for homework assignments or class projects. The site just had archives of different posters, advertisements, and other published works from all sides of the war. It would also spark up some great conversations in the classroom. After poking around that one I checked out the Convince Me website. Convince Me is a place where others can start debates, listen in on debates, or supply their side to a debate on any topic one can imagine. There is the fair share of silly ones such as "pirates vs ninjas," but then there are politically active ones and others that are centered around current events going on in the world. It's neat because you only have so much space to say your point. A paragraph or so at the most, so you must be precise and effective. The website provides students a place to see things from different perspectives and hear ideas that maybe they wouldn't have thought on their own. I think both of these made the list because they invoke thought, and both can be used for a variety of reasons.
8. Under Internet Safety I asked you to read carefully the rules Mr. McClung sets forth for safely using the internet. Comment on these rules. Are there any you would add or subtract. Part of me thinks that the nickname thing is a little bit over the top, just because if you have a facebook practically everyone can find out anything about you, but for a classroom setting I understand completely. I think his rules and guidelines a very clear and effective. I sure wouldn't take anything away, and to be honest I can't think of anything to add. Maybe something about not clicking on links in the sides of the webpages they are using. Sometimes those can be questionable.
9. In the C4K part of this blog I asked that you look carefully at one of the categories under which you assigned post was filed. What did you find? Select one of the posts in the category and review it for me. I viewed the Lesson Two - Tryouts post. Apparently many of the student organizations hold big tryouts all at the same time for various activities. This can be quite taxing on the teachers because that will be the only thing students are thinking about during the entire week. Even if they tried out and they get their results at the end of the week, it seems like the only thing that attracts their focus are the discussions about tryouts. It was about Mr. McClung looking forward to an end to all the drama of tryout week.
10. Mr. McClung uses Edublog as his blog host. In some ways it may seem more "advanced." But Blogger has many abilities that we have not covered in EDM310. This leads to this question: Is there anything (or things) that Mr. McClung can do with his blog that you would like to do in Blogger? I would like to learn how to create a layout like his. He has all the tabs on the top and different things all over the place that not only make it look nice, but also make it extremely easy to use. I would like to learn about the different abilities of the different blogging websites and pick one that suits my ideas the best. I also liked the music in the sidebar and the different buttons that make his blog easily navigated. He's got loads of information on there and you can find it ll easily the way he has the page all laid out.
11. In what ways does Mr. McClung make his blog useful to parents, teachers, administrators, students like you, and others? It's useful to them because it extends the classroom out to them. By simply clicking a button they know everything that's going on in their child's classroom, and they can also contact the teacher easily. That in itself is a huge accomplishment.
12. How does Mr. McClung's 8th grade blog differs from other blogs you have visited including other 8th grade blogs? Why the differences do you think? To me his is much more detailed and embedded in the school. Other class blogs seem to be limited to that class only, but what I like about Mr. McClung's is that it opens doors throughout the entire school. He has posts about the talent show and other school fundraisers and it's also focused around connecting parents to the classroom as well. Not to say that the other blogs weren't good, but to me his went a little above and beyond.
I'm really glad Mr. McCLung's blog made the list! I've learned much about the things I wish to learn, and how I will incorporate the idea of a class blog into my future classrooms.
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