EDCI 505

WOW I haven't used this site in a while! It was really hard just getting into my old blog because the email address doesn't work anymore!

How is everyone liking the class so far? I've always been an active person on the internet, so it is very interesting to see some of these concepts like social media and classroom technology from an educator's point of view.

I run a blog over on Tumblr. (Fantastic site!) I have read some things that blogs like this aren't really the "fad" anymore. For Module three, I did some research on my go-to site, and found that it was the second most visited social media site back in 2011 and since has been usurped by Twitter, but is still in third place. Just from the changes with Google and what they have done to Blogger, I'm not to engrossed with the layout of this site. It could be because I'm not used to it, but I definitely like the simplicity of Tumblr better. Anyone frequent there?

Anyway, back to the point... It is interesting seeing blogging through an educator's point of view. This is my last education class before I start student teaching, so I have a lot to work with when it comes to ideas for my classroom, and since I'm pretty good with tech, I can't wait to use a lot of it with my students.

We just finished up Module 3, and it was interesting to think about some of those sites could be used for education. I remember in intro ed I really wanted to make a tumblr just for the awesome /random you could add at the end of your blog. I like the thought of having my students do bell/journal work, and I thought that the /random would really be a good way to make sure prompts were well random! I also like to think about ways for the students to be able to have materials at their fingertips, whether it be on a tablet or on a computer. They wouldn't need to be in the classroom or even at school to access the materials. My friends and I play D&D (dungeons and dragons) and to keep all the storylines straight and character information correct, we use Dropbox. All of our character sheets and maps get put in there and then we can access them during the game or at home. After having this technology, I thought about what it would have been like if I had it back in high school, and it is something that I really want to offer my students. It would benefit kids who were absent and kids who are just forgetful.

Has anyone else come up with a really cool idea to use a technology in their classroom?