Google Reader

I feel like Google Reader will be a beneficial tool for me as an educator.  It is a way to have all the blogs that I like compacted into one space.  Rather than needing to visit each individual blog, I will be able to stay up to date with Google Reader.  As I find more blogs that I like, I will be able to keep up with them more effectively.

Diigo...

How have I not known about this before now?  I finished setting up my Diigo account, and I really like the tools it offers.  I LOVE the capture and highlighter options.  I am excited to find ways to use this in my classroom; as well as, to store great websites I find when doing research for lessons.

Blogging in the Classroom

One of the biggest reasons I can think of to use blogs in the classroom is for a fast, easy reflection from students.  In my classroom I have used blogging as a way to gather feedback from students on the success of different lessons, to gauge understanding of content, and also to learn more about the students in my room.  Through a quick blog post from my students, I was able to gain valuable insight into the comprehension of a new math concept that was introduced during instruction.  I spend a great deal of time thinking about how to do things better, and using a blog to gather feedback was very beneficial to how I taught my students.  My only wish is that I had used my classroom blog more consistently throughout the school year.

In addition to being a powerful reflective tool, blogging can be an outlet for students who don't really like to write.  Students think that when they are typing a blog post, they aren't writing.  They don't realize that expressing thoughts and ideas through a blogging is sneaking the writing past them. :)  Students enjoy the instant publication of their thoughts on a blog after they click "submit." 

I am sure that I will find many more as I continue to search, but here is a blog that I found that I like.  I like how this teacher was able to balance the use of content related, and non-content related, posts throughout his school year.

Here is the link: http://blogs.dalton.org/edinger/

I am hoping to use my classroom blog more consistently, and more effectively this year.  My reasoning for posting the link is to help keep me accountable for using it more often. :) 

Here is the link to my classroom blog:  http://branson.k12.mo.us/blog/clarkt/