Journal #1

Journal #1
Shifflet, Rena, & Toledo, Cheri (2008). Extreme makeover: updating class activities for the 21st century. Learning and Leading in Technology. 34-35. Retrieved on July 13, 2008, from http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/pdf2html.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjheil65.googlepages.com%2FJournal1.pdf&images=yes

This article talks about how classrooms today should upgrade their technological activities. There are so many Web-based activities and tools that one can access for free. It is thought that by using the social networking sites, the students will be more inclined to stay focused on the activity. There are programs that offer many document writing tools (essays, spreadsheets, presentations, etc), which can be posted to a website or to a blog and can be accessed by other people. Creating a blog for class should be for academic and not personal purposes. When the class is involved in social bookmarks, they will have easy access to the websites they need without being on the computer they saved the site to., as well as accessing other’s bookmarks. Students are also encouraged to upload their photos to a site where they can access them from any computer. There is a possibility of misuse of Web-based activities, but we can always use the misuse as an example of what not to do. As technology continues to advance, we need to teach our students to be knowledgeable.

Q: Will printers be a thing of the past and blogs become the new way to submit all work? A: I think that this is definitely possible. There are people out there fighting to slow down paper production. This would be a good way to keep all the work organized. Plus, it would be fairly easy to check for plagiarism.


Mader, Jared, & Smith, Ben (2008). Blogging right along. Learning and Leading in Technology. 36. Retrieved on July 13, 2008, from http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/pdf2html.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjheil65.googlepages.com%2FJournal1.pdf&images=yes

This article talks about how a blog can help to tell if a student comprehends the class material being taught. It enforces them to think about the topics covered and actively interact with other students. They can be asked to write a weekly blog discussing what occurred in the classroom, where they should make specific references to class. Each student will be responsible for a certain amount of time that they should be online working on the blog. Photos should be used to remind those who are visual learners. This way everyone gets the reminder in case they need it. If the teacher sets up the blogs to send an e-mail when a change is made, they can easily keep track of what the students are doing. This will help the teacher stay organized and be able to grade easily. Other students can help monitor others as well and help fix mistakes that their classmates have.

Q: What about the students who do not have internet access at home?

A: There are libraries that offer internet access. Schools also offers internet access. They can go over to a buddy’s house who does have the internet. There will also be time allotted in the classroom to work on the blogs. This way everyone will have a chance to get as much done as possible inside the class where they have the guaranteed access.