Facing "Darth Commenter"

Well, it has happened...I have faced my first "Darth Commenter"! I was glad that the "23 Things" training had discussed this aspect of blogging with us so that I was prepared to handle the situation.

At first, I was very upset that the DC had treated the blogger so terribly with the disrespectful comments (I was a commenter on the attacked person's blog). When a few of us other commenters offered support for the blog writer by pointing out that none of us were in the same situation so we really couldn't completely understand, the DC attacked us as well!

It is truly amazing that people can be so narrow minded to believe that their point of view is the only one that could possibly be correct :^( However, thanks to my "Things", I was able to respond to the DC and tell her that I would "respectfully agree to disagree" with her.

Of course, taking the respectful tact just made her angry causing another "written assault", but I felt better and knew that I had continued with the spirit with which we were intended to blog. I think it's great when people can discuss opposing views of a topic intelligently and respectfully, but the DC definitely put my patience to the test. :^)

Blogging with Students

I'm really interested in using blogging with my class this upcoming year, but I'm a bit nervous about it too. Have any of you used it with you class and if so, how did you go about it? Did you have to get special permission from parents? Did you just set up the blog and let them respond to your posts or...? Thanks for sharing your ideas! :^)

TeacherLingo and Blogging

TeacherLingo is a site for teachers to get together and talk about anything and everything. We exchange ideas, swap advice, commiserate, and just generally gab. It has several different categories of blogs, such as Elementary Teachers, High School Teachers, ESL Teachers, etc.

The blog I started on TeacherLingo is Ms. P.'s Place. Stop by to chat, check out some other blogs while you're there, and start a blog of your own.

If I don't watch myself, I could easily become addicted to these "Things". Wonder if my district has a treatment program for that, since they are responsible for getting me "hooked"?? :^)

Happy Blogging!

Come on, Comment!

Ok, I'm really seeing what you were trying to get across to us about commenting on people's blog entries. "Lurkers" definitely outnumber those who comment. On the TeacherLingo blog I started, I have had some posts that have had over 300 views, but only averaged 3-8 comments. I'm finding that there seems to be a core group of bloggers that are also good commentors and these are the people with whom I am engaging in really good conversations. So come on people, come on in and comment!

Learning is Del.icio.us!

Ok, even more success with sharing my learning from "23 Things"! Several of my "blog buddies", for lack of a better term, from TeacherLingo have been trying out del.icio.us after reading my post about how it is helping me organize resources for my students. They are truly excited about using it and many of them will begin their first year as a "real" teacher this fall. Just wanted to share how the life long learning message is really getting out there to people outside our district and outside the state.

People are Flickring!

Some of the people outside our training that I have been blogging with are really excited about some of the sites they have found on Library2Play. One of them commented that due to my posting about what I learned with "23 Things" that she woke up this morning thinking about Flickr and how to use it to show pictures when she gets back from a trip she is taking. Yeah, Kickball Captains, your life long learner message is spreading!!

TeacherLingo.com

If you haven't visited TeacherLingo yet, you should. There are a lot of really good discussions going on there. I also liked visiting Mr. Teacher's blog. Check them out because they are really good opportunities to practice your commenting!

Sharing What I've Learned

I've been spending some time "talking" to a few other teachers through another blog and have been sharing all the incredible things I have learned by participating in "23 Things". I included a link also to Learning 2.0. All of the responses have been positive and some of them have even begun to explore some of the items. I hope this helps pass on the knowledge I have gained and encourages others to continue their lifelong learning goals.

Thing #23 - Summarize your thoughts about this program

I have to say that this is the most worthwhile training in which I have participated in a long time. I really enjoyed being able to set my own pace and work when it was convenient for me.


Question answers:

1. My favorite "Things" were hard to narrow down, but I finally managed to pick only 4. Blogging was great and I think I will be continuing to use it both professionally and personally. The Google Tools/Trading card maker were great and I know I will be using them with my students. Google Docs is going to be helpful for communicating with my team and I think my kids will be able to use it on several different projects. Finally, I picked Del.icio.us because it is such a time saver. I am planning to get back to it in the days I have left and put together some more groups of items to use with the curriculum.

2. "23 Things" has really had an impact on my goals as a lifelong learner. I now have more tools in my technology arsenal that should be able to enhance my teaching and my kids' learning. It has really reaffirmed my love of learning. I have a message from a fortune cookie that I received my first year of teaching when some of us went out for lunch and it says, "The best teacher is also a student." I keep this fortune taped to my desk year after year because I truly believe in its message. This training has been a perfect example of how teachers are still students.

3. I think what surprised me to most was the amount of tools that are available for free. I know we haven't even scratched to surface of what is out there and I can't wait for more.

4. I'm not sure how to improve the program. I could say make it easier by explaining things a little more step-by-step, but that would take away the challenge and that would make the learning not as worthwhile. I find that I like learning more when it provides a bit of a challenge, even if I grumble about it a bit at the time. Keep up the outstanding work and I'll try to advertise it more too.

5. I would most assuredly participate if another program of this type was offered. I have gained so much information and my confidence in using technology has been boosted quite a bit. I can't wait to tell other teachers from my school about this training.

6. "23 Things" - Most worthwhile useful staff development training the district has ever offered.
"23 Things"- Fabulous and worth the time.

7. Comment on other blogs? Ok, ok, I'm going!

Thing #22 - Nings

I thought Nings were interesting and very similar to other "things" we have looked at like wikis. I think they are a great way for people to be able to communicate with others both professionally and personally. I can see myself using a Ning as a way to talk to other teachers about various educational topics, getting ideas for lessons, and generally talking to others who understand what a teacher goes through on a daily basis during the school year. I think older students could also benefit from using a Ning to discuss group projects, ask each other questions on things they don't understand, and generally establishing a group of people to talk to who share their hobbies and interests.

I liked looking at the Librarian Nings and reading a few of the entries about what they see as the future of libraries and their uses. Of course, I related a bit better to the Ning for Teachers because they were discussing curriculum, parent involvement issues, etc., that are very relevant to my daily school year life. It's great to be able to communicate with others who "get me" and understand the educational issues we, teachers and librarians, face with trying to improve the learning of our students.