Blog Bling

I love using authentic materials to teach Spanish!  Anything really from a Spanish speaking country, author, artist, etc. that serves a purpose--music, newspaper, magazines, news reals, posters, books, etc.  Authentic materials are so rich compared to materials that are just made for the classroom.  Not only is this one of my favorite songs, and Juanes one of my favorite artists, the song deals with vocabulary that students have learned, and grammatical concepts that we are working with such as noun/adjective agreement and order. 

How could a blog be useful in your classroom or professional life?  If you're not sure of the potential benefits, do a Google search for something like "using blogs in the classroom".  

A blog would be useful as a teacher, because I have a large amount of students and parents to communicate with each quarter.  There is different homework for each grade level, different test and quiz dates, and different projects that we are working on.  A blog would be a great place for students and parents to get all of that information.  With the different gadgets available, I am also able to include links to useful websites, videos, lists, and other fun/informative features.  It also allows students and parents to comment and ask questions that I and others would be able to respond to. 

Go to http://mvtrainings.weebly.com/blogging-web--social-media.html and view some of the blog options.  Which do you think would be the best option for you? 

After watching all of the videos on different types of blogs, I now know that there are several options available.  Before deciding which would be the best option for me, I would have to decide on the purpose of my blog, and the age group that I intend to use them with.  For example, right now I like Google Blogger because that is what I have the most experience with so far.  However, Kidblog would be a better option if I was using blogs with my 4^th and 5^th grade students because of the safety features, and because I have to approve the comments and posts before they show up as public on the blog. 

For my older students (6^th, 7^th, 8^th grade) I like the options provided on Weebly, but most of all, I like the visual appearance and layout.  However, like with so many things, there are so many more aspects to consider than the physical appearance.  The other aspects make me think that Edimodo might be a better tool for students. 

Welcome Campers

*  What motivated you to become one of our campers?
I wanted to take this class to learn more about tools available on the Internet that I can use to communicate with students and parents.  I have over 600 students, and I spend a lot of time on the phone and e-mailing and am looking for a better way to efficiently communicate with a large amount of people.

I feel like I have a slow learning curve when it comes to using technology comfortably and this class will help/force me to practice using a lot of technology this summer and encourage me to learn more about the Web 2.0.

*  What you hope to learn about in Summer Camp 2.0?
I hope to learn more tools to help me become a more efficient communicator, more ways to grab and maintain my student attention, and hopefully become more comfortable with using them.

*  What is one cool thing you're hoping to do this summer?
 I am going to Mexico!  I want to speak Spanish all day!  I also want to do some cleaning projects around the house, since I am not working.  I like to stay busy and productive!