my.uen.org - a great tool!

Today in class, we were able to take a look at the my.uen.org website. I found it very useful and interesting. It's nice to have a place where I can keep all of my things organized and in one place. It seems to be relatively easy to use, and I look forward to exploring it more.
I like that there are so many links and tools available. I never thought that I could use Wimba as a tool to have outside speakers talk directly to my students! I think that will make reading more meaningful to students when they can interview the author.
I also really like that you can build lesson plans, find lesson plans, and get different video tools. I feel like technology can be used in so many ways to help children understand different concepts. Plus, it is more fun for the students - it will add variety to their day... and to mine :)

Blogging in the Classroom

I think that blogging can be an effective tool for children in the classroom, their parents, and teachers themselves!

A blog would be another fun way to bring literacy into the classroom. In this age, computers are going to be a big part of a child's life. Children like computers! Especially when they can personalize their own pages, and see their friends pages. Instead of competing with computer time, I can use this to my advantage. I can have them post different types of writing: poems, short stories, etc.. Not only will they have theirs posted, but they will be able to read their classmate's work as well. I believe that this will connect the student's to each other as they will be more likely to read each other's work when it is on a computer.

Concerns: That students would rely on what others are doing
rather than coming up with their own creative ideas... Anyone have any thoughts
on that?
Safety measures: Before setting up the blogs I would make sure
that the children know the dangers of giving out specific
information on the internet. As I check their blogs for their
writing, I can double check that they are being safe.

A blog can serve as a tool to connect teachers with parents:

• Class posting showing what we will be doing for the week to keep them updated
  
• Post pictures of their children doing projects that they could view (with parental permission of course!)
  
• Post different activities that the parents can do with their children at home to extend what we are learning in class.

I think it would be a fun way to stay connected. Plus, if parents are connected to the blog, they can keep a watch on their child's blog as an added safety measure.

I also would like to follow other teacher's blogs. I liked looking at some of the blogs that were already online. I am still learning and I know that it will be helpful to me to see what they have done. This is a great way for teachers to stay connected and share ideas with each other!