BP3_Twiducate

Twiducate is an educator’s version of Twitter. It claims to be a safe, invite only type of an environment where educators can readily and informally communicate with students.

At the start it seems fairly simple to use. Easy “sign up” steps and a user friendly interface allows a new user to figure out some of the features quite easily.  Teachers are the managers of the site and therefore are the ones to distribute usernames and passwords. This is probably the nicest feature as it keeps the group private.

Once the teacher profile is complete (very general questions), one can begin adding students by clicking on the “Students” tab at the top of the page. One could also add other teachers – this could prove very effective if working in a cluster, team or co-teach model. These names can be managed at any time allowing the flexibility of adding new students or deleting ones who have departed.

The interface is extremely easy to use and seems to follow the general “blog post” format. Textual edits such typeface, alignment and even adding photographs appear at the top of the blog box.

Other tools Twiducate offers are an “Important Dates” tab where teachers could input due dates for projects, tests, etc. There is also a section for “Class Bookmarks” where pertinent websites could be posted for student resource.

There are a few things that make this a quality product for teachers:

1.     Closed private setting so that others cannot corrupt a class discussion.

2.     Extremely easy and logical interface layout – everything is located where one would think it would be.

3.     The important dates and links pages offer more of a resource than simply the online discussion forum.

4.     It appears to be a very stable site. I’ve used it and “pushed” the limits by uploading heavy materials and photographs and it hasn’t crashed. That’s always nice. J

I would like to utilize this in my 11^th grade History of the Americas classes. I’m not sure how valuable it will prove to be because of my students’ limited access to the internet and technology, but I feel it is certainly worth trying. I am going to start with posting exam or essay hints. The hints will inevitably help the students on the assignment – that way maybe more will find a way to log on! Eventually I would love to have a discussion forum on there where I could actually facilitate and grade students’ discussions online and incorporate it as part of the class.

I suppose there are a number of sites that operate like this one – Wiki, moodle, Ngrade, but the easy to manage interface is sort of endearing. The only thing that is really annoying is the login procedure where the user may have to watch an advertisement before logging in. 

BP2_iGoogleScreenShots

So... I created this igoogle page several months ago and haven't visited it since. I'm not entirely sure of its value as an online organizer - it would seem that most people could recall their most frequently visited sites.

I mean, half of this stuff I hardly use at all. I don't use Facebook - I have a hard enough time answering all four email accounts and returning phone calls! The last thing I really need is another medium with which to be contacted. As for Twitter - no one really needs to hear my babble. The link to the Yankee's website is useful. So is the weather. 

The screen shot above may work out nicely. This Action Research Project that is focussed on student usages of technology and the learning outcomes does have a myriad of potential resources and links. I suppose this igoogle business may turn out to be organizationally beneficial. I think I could still probably just log on to the Yankee's website when so motivated though.

This is the tab that will prove the value of igoogle to me! Already I have a list in my iPhone of all the new accounts I've created as a result of this EMDT program. This will help me keep them straight!

I can see the value of organizing ones online life; I just personally have not required it yet. I do wonder if it could be a valuable tool for my students as they continue to struggle to use technology in an effective manner to increase their learnings. Maybe I could create a gadget to remind them of their homework!
I'm looking forward to having igoogle as my homepage for a month to see if it truly does make my internet experience simpler.
Regards.

BP1_WelcomeToMyBlog

Take a trip over to the east side of a former industrial impoverished city. See the garbage in the street and the abandoned factories lying there as relics from a better time in this seaside New England city.  Still heavily populated, without being heavily employed, this city teeters on the edge.

Then walk into the east side high school. Alive with everything adolescent. Laughs, tears, learning and struggling. Truly there's never a dull moment. This blog is not only to share some funny stories, but also to show that this school on the hill could indeed be the shining light of a city that so desperately needs some progress.

Future posts will include accomplishments of students and the current topics of study. Specifically, progress on interdisciplinary projects and the development therein will be regularly shared.

Another frequent topic of future posts will be sharing the status of technology integration in a “failing” urban school. While many teachers and students are excited to use technology to better express their understandings, the school remains tragically underfunded and the technology that does exist it underutilized and poorly maintained.

It is important for the public to understand that there is true need and motivation for schools to nurture the Twenty-first Century learner. A Twenty-first Century learner is one who is collaborative and works in several mediums to communicate and share his understandings. All schools should aim to educate and nurture these learners, but for schools on the low end of the achievement gap, the task seems daunting.

This blog will continually discuss the education gap and hopefully shed light on the successes in one school that is deemed “failing”.

Thank you for your initial interest. I hope I can entice you to read on in the future weeks.

Regards