William Chamberlain's blog post "Am I becoming a digital luddite?" is a post about organizing your online documents and "baggage". His question in his post is "Do teachers who are new to online digital tools have the advantage of no online baggage? Will my inability to move from platform to platform hold me back? Am I becoming a Digital Luddite?" These are all great questions to ask yourself as a teacher. It is important to be oraganized as a teacher; in the real world and also in the virtual world of technology. Being organized with documents, blogs and tools on your computer is just as important as having all your papers filed neatly in a file cabinet in your classroom. I think organization is a main key of becoming successful as a teacher. If a teacher is not organized he or she can misplace students papers or tests, important information, or not have the tools he or she needs for class that particular day. Organization is important and I think everyone can find a online tool that fits their personal needs.
Mr. Chamberlain,
My name is Kaitlyn Parker. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in the EDM 310 class. I agree that it can be difficult to keep yourself organized and to also keep up with all the new tools online being created every day. I have learned about many different tools that are online that can help keep yourself organized. There are many organizational tools out there and I think once you find a tool that works great for you continue to use it. Just because there are new tools coming out all the time does not mean you have to use them. I found that www.symbaloo.com works great for me. I can personalize it to my needs, pick what websites I want on my profile and set it as my home screen. This allows me to navigate all the websites I visit regularly easily and efficiently. I can put almost anything. I have my blog for EDM 310, Gmail, social media sites, music, and even the weather. Find what works for you and your needs and utilize it. I do not think that just because something is newer then something else is it necessarily better. This being said, I do not think that you will be held back just because you are not using every brand new tool that is created. I enjoyed your post and am excited to read more of your blog in the near future!
Sincerely,
Kaitlyn Parker
Thanks for the comment Kaitlyn. I remember when online was a wild and wooly frontier where there were very few apps and virtually none of them were alike. Now we have apps that are just like apps from before but with a tiny spin. I am all 'meh' about it.
Becoming a curmudgeon and pointing out that tools are just tools doesn't make one an online superstar. :)
In William Chamberlain's blog post "More thoughts on blogging(with or without students)" is a post focused on blogging and writing. He talks about the importance for students to read and write. He says he makes his students write whether they want to write or not. He also talks a little about online safety and gives a website that is great for students. Kidblog is a website for students blogs that is safe and simple. Comments coming in or out of the blog can be set to be moderated. It says on the website that over 3 million K-12 students use kidblog. I enjoyed his post and it gave me ideas for my future students and how to let them blog safely.
Mr. Chamberlain,
Great post! I think it is important for students to be able to read and write and blogging is a great way to practice. I also think it is great that you make your students write whether they want to or not. I want to look into the website you mentioned. I want to have my future students blog in class and www.kidblog.org seems like a good way to keep students safe and to also moderate their blogging. Sincerely,
Kaitlyn Parker
EDM310 University of South Alabama
Well done. As you know Mr. Chamberlain taught me the power of commenting on blogs. He is a great friend of EDM310. There is a prize awarded every year called the William Chamberlain prize. It recognizes an outstanding EDM310 student. The 2013-14 William Chamberlain prize will soon be awarded.
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteI love Mr. Chamberlain. He always Tweets the best stuff and always seems to be Tweeting. Anyway, I'm glad you found his posts helpful. Sometimes I, too, fear I'm becoming a "digital luddite" because I get stuck in my online ways. It often comes as a shock to me to discover that people are still innovating online and be creative!