Helpful websites for the year!

Parents, here are some helpful websites for the students. Also we are going to be working with these websites through out the year!

http://agutie.homestead.com/files/index.html
http://scholastic.com/MagicSchoolBus/
http://www.ecarter.k12.mo.us/dept/elementary/fourthgrade/ccrites/englishpage.html
http://www.kidscomjr.com/home_flash.html

What are my thoughts to social networking?

I personally believe that too much technology is being used in the classrooms today. I feel like we are really veering away from simply just reading a book or sitting down and having quite time. I think technology can be an excellent source for education and teaching, but I also feel like teachers are not dependent on the technology and what if the computer crashes or our electricity goes out? The teachers today should still be able to improvise and able to teach the lesson with the knowledge they have. I think technology has improved so much in the last ten years and if we really knew how to work it, teaching it in the classroom might be better.

What limitations are there?

Although blogger is an excellent tool to use for the classroom, it also has its downfalls. Blogger is primarily just for posing things and not very good for discussions. If the students had a question they would have to pull up a whole new browser to e-mail the teacher. Blogger could improve by allowing discussion boards. Also blogger does not offer a lot of educational information; it doesn't reference any other websites for help unless I offer them as the teacher. Blogger is more of a "facebook" type social site where students come and get information. There might be better sites where we could post information and also other links might be readily available for the students to help them with their work.

What are the benifits to using this tool?

Blogger has many benefits. Blogger is beneficial for the parents of the classroom, the students and also the teacher. The teacher can use blogger to easily post work on the site, weather it was work from that day, or work that a student has missed. Blogger makes it easy and simply one click and the work is online for literally everyone to see, this tool also makes it easier for the parents to keep up with the students. Posting everything online makes it so everything is clear and precise and there is no confusion. By posting work online, discussions or just simply the lecture from the day it makes students more accountable for their work. Blogger allows everyone to see what has been done and it's special just for our classroom, so it's nice for parents to think we have our "own" website just for our classroom. To sum it up blogger is beneficial for all, the parents, students and the teacher. This tool makes work easier on everyone.

How can I use blogger in my classroom?

Blogger can be used in and outside of the school room. Outside of the classroom blogger can be used for parents to log in and out and be updated constantly, and more specifically updated just for our classroom. Blogger is a personalized message from me just to the parents of 2012. The blogger site give background information about me, I can post where I went to school, what my educational background is, all the questions that parents want to know and ask during open house. Inside the classroom the students could also use blogger to learn more about their teacher, but also we could post websites on blogger specifically related to what we are learning. Using websites like delicious we can all share and tag our information together and have a blog to create and post the sites on. Blogger gives the students a chance to be creative and let their own personality shine through by creating their own personalized site. Blogger gives the students a chance to really play with technology, but not overwhelm them with it. Blogger is so easy to use and a great site to help students share thier ideas with!

Welcome parents of 2012!

Welcome parents to the class of 2012! I am overjoyed to be teaching your young ones! I believe we are going to have a wonderful year here at Parsley Elementary School. Not only are the students here simply amazing but the staff and parents of Parsley are nothing but supportive. If you’re not familiar with our school fill free to ask me anything and also Principal Rector is available Mondays through Fridays in office 213. I am really looking forward to an educational, yet fun filled year with the students. I have many field trips planned and activities I think they are going to enjoy. Don't forget open house night is next Thursday at 7 pm; I look forward to meet each and every one of you there! Thanks so much for your support, Megan Wolkomir

Where I went to school!

                                                   University of North Carolina Wilmington