ADMS647Summer2010

I really, really liked this article because today's teens love MTV and I think they can totally relate to what this show/article is saying!

Wow- this is going to be a great show! I think if students see what really happens to those who are affected by sexting that they will think twice before sending out a nude picture or message that may affect someone's self esteem and reputation in the long run.

These are hilarious! Wish I had that much creativity.

Virginia Technology Plans

Just a small look at what I've done with my weblog in history class. It's been awhile since I've used it. Virtual share has been my major tool lately.

This is a great way to use a blog to support your students...having them post their learning as comments allows them to share their ideas and learning with the whole class rather than just the teacher. What's Virtual Share?

VirtualShare is a server in Henrico County that we use to share files with our students and they can drop their files to us. Very soon Henrico will drop that in favor of SchoolSpace (a division of Angel which I believe was bought out by Blackboard).

Gateway for educational research. Wish I knew about this during the research class!

This site would have been GREAT during our educational research class! WOW! Thanks for sharing Garry!

This is the article I referenced in my blog this week. It is definitely a way to help increase the proper use of the Internet!

I think all schools should offer a parents internet education. I really believe that some parents have no clue what really goes on when their children get on the internet.

Wow! This is good, but this mom sure has a lot of time on her hands! I do agree that this should be something or something like this that all parents should do cause they don't have a clue what their kids are up to.

We have the capability to do this in Henrico with SchoolSpace but have yet to take it to the level that North Carolina has. I would like to see HCPS leading the way with online credit courses for struggling students.

Garry, We do offer online English and History classes through a program called Compass Learning for struggling students. It is new this year and seems to working well.

This article discusses how social networking leads to groupthink.

I liked how the author posed the question: "Will you expand your mind and increase your creativity more by talking to people just like you or with people who are different?" It is so true. In order to expand your mind and learn about different things it's necessary to go and explore areas of the unknown .

Hey guys...I found this site to be very helpful, especially for those parents who have absolutely NO CLUE what is going on even if they are looking at their child's acivity. Felt this tied into our blogging this week...but this is more geared to the drug side of technology use (which is so depressing)

It is just plain sad to me that kids go online to find "new" ways to get high! Keeping the parents educated is the key to keeping kids safe. It has to start at home. I know as educators we also play an important role, but parents have to constantly monitor what their kids are doing on the web.

I like how there are several different categories parents to use as resources. Cell phones, social networking, and even music.

I liked how the article mentioned that being technology savvy isn't the only skill necessary to succeed in the 21st century and how it is just as important to teach problem solving and analytical skills.

I agree Shannon! Sometimes I think we get so "technology happy" that we often forget some of the other skills which are equally as important.

I think we also forget that 21st century skills does not always mean "using a computer." Collaboration is a 21st century skill that can be achieved sans a technological device. I feel like that is all we hear....21st century learner, 21st century learner!! Do all teachers, parents and students really know what that means?

This works great in addition to Wordpress to make your classroom material accessible to students at home!

Anyone think this is a bad idea? I am thinking about asking if we can set up a school group.

I think it is an interesting idea. I know that many parents and students are told to "check the school's website" for more information. If there is a FB page with updates, I feel that many more parents/students/(and alumni) will find out the information more regularly. Why fight it, embrace it.

Interesting video!

Garry...thanks for sharing! That is a very powerful video. I really think that all teachers should see that. We have to realize that we need to TEACH our students. There is so much out there to support our teaching and we all need to find it and use it! Thanks for sharing that!

I really enjoyed reading this article and tend to agree! Altough we live in a very technological world and I Iove my computer and all of the great things I can do; it often makes us very lazy and often out of touch with reality.

I do agree that technology takes the personal out of a lot of things. This article reminded me of a quote from "Sweet Home Alabama." When Dorthea says to Melanie "He doesn't want to get ATMs on the account of no personal contact." I also agree with the idea of kids not reading as much or doing as much work and getting lazy about education.

That's it?

What makes one an "established Wikipedia editor?"

Tom's blog is on my aggregator list!

I see a lot on the blog that probably shouldn't be posted due to the fact that it deals with things going on in Henrico County Public Schools. It raises issues with intellectual property and our web posting guidelines. If it can be construed as for one's personal gain, then it's not acceptable. The we and intellectual property guidelines are actually part of policy the last time I checked. Just my thought on it... I do visit the blog to help understand some of the jargon.

I have to agree with you Gary, however, I thought below was powerful: I think about where we spend our money. We're constantly trying to find easy ways out of holes, easy ways to scale metaphorical mountains. We look for processes to remove the chores of thought and decision. Education is floundering. We lost our faith in teachers. It is every politician's easy drum to beat- after all. "Our schools are failing! The enemies are at the gate!"1 Who would argue that our kids don't deserve better? Both parties agree. Education is failing. Our solution is not to work, to spend money and time on our teachers, to help them become better, instead we send our money away, spending precious time testing products of a system we insist is broken. We buy software. We buy content. We buy external experts.2 We buy reputation. We buy "trust" and "quality" because we don't believe either really exists in our schools. Invest that money in our teachers, on smaller classes, on things that have been proven to matter. Make teaching a career that isn't based on martyrdom. Martyrs die flaming deaths. Systems based on them don't last. There are no easy answers. You can't buy, process, software, magic your way out of this. There is no microwave dinner version of educational reform.

Is Facebook really harming our brains? This article seems to think so.

Facebook is making our students more self-centered? I actually lol'd when I read that! I don't think that has anything to do with the reason our students seem more self-centered....

Everything in moderation...

I think that if parent knew and policed more what their kids were watching and /or spent more time with them than TV would not be a reason for kids to be cussing. We all watched some bad things when we were young, but we didn't dare cuss in front of our parents for fear of being slapped! This debate to me is more about bad parenting than bad TV. It is always easy to blame your bad parenting on TB. I enjoy using the F-Bomb just as much, if not more than the next guy (I am a New Yorker), but I certainly do NOT dream of cussing in front of kids.