3 Always Learning

Within this past week I was introduced to the website www.edmodo.com. The website is very similar to Facebook but intended for teachers. I think Edmodo is a great site. With it, I can set up a private page for each class I teach. With a password, each of my students parents will be able to see the page and feel safe about their child's privacy and protection. On the site I can post pictures of my students, updates for the parents, and anything else related to the classroom. I can even put up assignments. I can definitely see myself using this tool, I haven't found a negative about it yet!

While reading Teaching, Learning and the web, I came across a Blog section. I thought this was a great tool to use in the classroom with my students. At first when I came across this I figured the students I want to teach would be to young for a blog, but as I read the section I learned there are blogging sites like, Kidblog and Edublogs that are designed for elementary age students. I would have to go have a lesson about etiquette, protection, and maybe even set up a time where I could take all of my students to the school library so everyone has the tools needed to blog. It would be neat for elementary students to create this and be able to go back when they are older to see their work from youth.

Making a newsletter on Word is not as easy as it would seem. Dividing the page into columns, adding word art, pictures, everything I did to the newsletter somehow messed up the layout of the page. It was a fun learning assignment, just very finicky. Although it took a lot longer than I thought, I did gain some useful skills. I figured out how to divide the page into columns, and make a banner span the top of the page that faded color. This assignment will definitely come into use when I have my own classroom.