Learning to Blog

Ok, I am going to be really honest, most of you have not caught the blogging vibe - but, alas it is a new technology, and hopefully you will gain the vision. However, I must admit there is one group who seems to be on the "write" track, you should check out how they are using their blog:

http://mindtools.blogspot.com/2005/01/learning-experience.html

Here is a little tid-bit from their blog:

Critical Thinking
I am a mother of boys. I will probably never be as computer savy as they are. In fact like many people my age I resist learning how to use technology. I guess I'm afraid of it. Admitting this, I realize how bizare that sounds. What do I have to fear? A discovery that could make my life easier and my projects more professional and successful? It's a totaly irrational fear. I realize that as I become an educator of special education students, it's time for me to embrace techology and use it to help my student become critical thinkers. I recently learned of a group of disabled adults who became involved in a class where they learned computer skills. As they learned these skills some of them opened up in ways that their teachers and mentors had not previously seen. They became more comunicative. Many learned that through this technology they had talents and abilities that were useful even marketable. What a remarkable discovery for them. Research has shown similar results with other disabled individuals.
As a teacher I am committed to using this valuable tool to teach my students. I understand that not all technology is good or benificial, but as a teacher it is my responsiblity to find and use whatever will help my students to grow and progress to a higher level.

There was also a great blog post on the sweetbyu.blogspot.com site, here is a small portion of what they wrote:

Why would/should you use technology as a teacher?
Technology allows a teacher to inhance her teaching. Computers are excellent for children to work at their own level and independently. Children can work at reading,math or other areas on their own and even take tests to assess their learning. This frees the teacher to work one on one with students who may need extra help.
Overheads and Power Point allow the teacher to present information on a screen . This is good for visual learners to actually see the material and understand the information. Math,Science, Social Studies and other presentations help the child to see rather than just see or hear information.
Personal computers allow teachers to create web pages for class information, record the child's scores and planning material, create graphs, and store other helpful inormation. Listening to books on tape allow children to hear the way good readers read and speak.
The internet has a vast variety of information that teachers can easily access for lesson plans and ideas. Teaching children how to use these resourses will allow them to enhance their learning.