Thing #3

Blogs can be a very effective teaching tool, especially with middle and high school students. Kids communicate mainly through technology these days, and while personal communications is always best, we as teachers must find ways to reach out to students, and we can by using technology to our advantage.

Some of my teachers in high school would add their students on Facebook, and if they had any school-related announcements, such as test dates, they would just post it on there. I wouldn't use my personal Facebook profile in that manner because I don't think that's professional, and it's important to keep your personal and professional life separate. However, a class blog would be a great way to communicate with your students and give them web 2.0 tools to learn.

I plan on having a class blog for my students. I would have the syllabus and schedule on there. I would give them study tips and other websites that would be beneficial for their learning. I would also do "On This Day in History..." posts. I think it's cool to learn about what happened every day in history. One of my history teachers in high school used to write down famous people's birthdays on the board, and that's something else I could incorporate into the blog. I plan on using PowerPoint in my lectures, so if they miss class or didn't catch something on the slide, I could post them on there so they would have them at hand. Also, kids might feel more comfortable asking questions online than in the classroom, so if they ever need my help after the school day, this blog would be a great way to reach me.

 Just writing this makes me more excited to be a teacher! I cannot wait to be a teacher and to have my own blog and teach my favorite subject all day!