Blog #2

I found the tools that we learned about in class very helpful. I especially liked Yahoo Briefcase and Yahoo Groups. I think that being able to create a web page that parents and students can go to for information about our class will be very useful in the future. I will definitely be using the Yahoo Groups tool in my career as a teacher. One of my biggest fears about becoming a teacher is the possibility of not knowing what the heck I am doing, so Yahoo Groups will be an extremely valuable tool in getting advice and ideas concerning curriculum and classroom management.

The "Teaching for Understanding" article made a lot of sense to me. In my past a lot of the information that I learned was just that...facts that I memorized and then immediately forgot after I was tested on the information. This article stresses the need for students to understand information in order to be able to put their knowledge into action. Prior to reading this article I hadn't really considered that preconceived notions affect how and what a student can learn. I like the idea that by using technology in the classroom you can reach and then challenge every student. The technologies outlined in this article make it possible to relate the material being taught to every student in a way that is relevant to then; thereby, reaching every student regardless of their background and learning style. At the same time, once a student's learning style is assessed you can use technology to make sure that each student is challenged in an engaging manner. I intend to save this article so that I can refer to the various programs mentioned when planning my curriculum in the future.

I also learned a lot from the "Netiquette" article. Although I have always found chain letters annoying, and so never inflicted them upon my friends and family, I never knew that they were illegal. Furthermore, a tip that I found useful was to, when replying to an e-mail, always include the original message so that the receiver has some way to reference what you are talking about. Also, I think it is a great tip to always include some form of signature when writing an e-mail to someone so that they can quickly assess who you are and in what context you are writing to them. Finally, and most importantly, I will always re-read my messages before sending them to make sure that I am portraying myself the way that I intended in order to avoid misinterpretations and to always put my best foot forward.