Chapter 8: Communicating and Networking with Websites, blogs, Wikis and More
1) The chapter gives a few different ways to communicate with your students, for example blogs, email, teacher websites, online discussions and Wikis. (Wiki comes from the Hawaiian work "quick", I found that a fun fact the textbook stated). The textbook also gives a chart explaining when it is best to use each of these computer-mediated communication forms. I recently gave my students my email address (my school where I work gave me this email to use), though my school does not have my password I found it safer to use the school email and would never use a private one. I work in a high school and the problem with privately communicating with students of this age group is that sometimes they use this private communication for other means. Some of my students even said is this email only to hand in the project? The text states on page 210 that many schools worry about student and teacher communication through online social networks. I learned about the website Ning.com and how you can use it to make your own social network to only invite certain people into it. I went to the website The site was great, however it was $49 for a regular site, and $100 for a business one, etc. As a teacher it is hard to have communication with your students outside of the classroom, in a safe and proper way. How would you implement communication with your students outside of the class, which websites do you believe are safe to use, which communication methods would you use?
2) The text stated that 36% more student success was achieved when parents had internet based communication with teachers and the school. The problem however was that this occurred in areas with higher income, education and parent involvement. Overall, parent involvement was better when the information was found online. I work in the South Bronx, and my students are able to access their grades through a site called Powerschool. They always come in to class saying that they saw their grades, and are either happy or not. I believe that when parents and students have this access, they are more likely to be involved and stay on top of their grades more. How do you implement parent involvement? Do you use the internet?
3) Page 214 of the text really hit home with me. The text states that 4 out of 10 students in high school never write a paper of more than 3 pages and that by the end of high school many students are writing unsophisticated work or immature. In my classroom I assigned my honors class a 3 page, 5 paragraph comparison essay to write over the spring break. All of the students flipped out saying that it was too much writing (double spaced mind you). I found this appaulling because I though the assignment was easy. The text stated that 60% of teens use text, online blogs, Facebook, etc to write daily but do not see that as "real" writing. I tend to agree with this fact because, though they are writing they are not writing properly, therefore this is not helping them. How can you as a teacher improve this problem with students writing? The text stated that many social studies/history teachers never have their students write, how can you as another subject matter teacher beside ELA promote writing in your classroom?