Blog Assignment 12

The assignment that I think Dr. Strange should have created is a 2 part assignment. The first  post would be at the beginning of the semester, maybe even the very first blog post. The second would be at the end of the semester.
Assignment Part 1(first blog post):
Congratulations! You just graduated and got your first REAL job as a teacher. List 3 ways that you plan to implement technology in your classroom.

This is hard for me to complete because I have too much knowledge in my head now. I'm sure that it would have been something ridiculous about having a computer and a smartboard in my class. That might have been as far as I got..... seriously. I had NO idea what was available or being done already. I have constantly asked myself throughout the semester "How will this assignment benefit me?", and "How can I use this in my classroom?". Now onto part 2 where I have many more interesting things to say.

Assignment Part 2 (near the end of the semester):
Congratulations! You just graduated and got your first REAL job as a teacher. List 3-5 ways that you plan to implement technology in your classroom. Before you start tell us what grade and/or subject you are teaching.

BEGIN ASSIGNMENT
I teach  History to 11th graders and this is how I will implement technology in my class.

1. The very first thing that I would do is create a class website that gives students access to all of the information they need: homework assignments, additional resources for help, a way to communicate with me directly, and a section for parent information.

2. I would also create a class blog that will become a portfolio of our work. I also want students to have their own blogs where they have all of their work in one place and the dog can't eat it.

3. My students will have a monthly current events assignment. They will have to find current articles online and blog about their opinions on these topics. They will also be assigned another student blog to follow and leave comments for discussion.

4. Before every test, I will give my student an opportunity to earn extra credit by blogging about a fantastic question that I have posed to them. Examples: You are President Franklin Roosevelt. What would you have changed about the "New Deal"? or Why is the Declaration of Independence so important and what does it mean to you? These are not fact based questions, they are thought based. I want my student to know the information well enough to be able to think for themselves. I would encourage the use of outside resources as long as proper credit is given.

5. I want to have a large scale, year long project that will all be done online and would encourage the participation of other students from other schools, or in other parts of the world. One idea that I have is a mock Presidential election. I also like the idea of creating a children's book or short movie based on one event in History.

6. I think that textbooks serve a purpose, but I also think that there is no problem with outside sources. I will use any information I can find that will enhance the learning experience for my students such as online videos and podcasts.
END ASSIGNMENT


I think that this assignment will be entertaining and full of self-discovery! It also puts EDMers in the mind frame of how to take action and use what we have learned.
ENJOY!!