In answer to the question about posting the podcast on teacherweb...... I was able to do that using the blog page there. In the same way that this editor (blogger) has an icon to add a link - teachweb has the same thing. I added in a link there. So I think this works.
Janet
Friday, June 27, 2008
Podcast At Last
My podcast is a self-introduction aimed at my statistics students. Ok, so this isn't the best thing in the world, but it is a start. Getting this uploaded was not as easy as I thought. OurMedia doesn't really give you much on instructions, other than use SpinXpress. SpinXpress did the upload, but didn't really tell me where everything went. Ok, so maybe I'm not looking in the right spots.
http://ia311337.us.archive.org/3/items/JanetRicePodCastforWeb2.0class/podcast.mp3
http://ia311337.us.archive.org/3/items/JanetRicePodCastforWeb2.0class/podcast.mp3
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Week 3 Reflections
Well here we are at week 3 - podcasts.
1. Create a personal definition of ‘podcast’ with particular attention to what it is, its purpose, and how it is created or is different from other audio/video formats.
A Podcast or "personal on-demand webcast" is an audio and possibly audio/video file that is uploaded to a server from whence it can be retrieved on demand by anyone interested. In the same sense that blogs can be subscribed to, regular podcasts can also be subscribed to so that notification of new 'casts are sent automatically to subscribers, who can then listen to them at their convenience.
2. Listen to podcasts:
I looked through Learn Out Loud and saw some interesting things under history and social sciences. My problem is that I absolutely loath being read to, I am very text oriented and very visual and just words without action puts me to sleep. I like reading by myself because I can start and stop and go back and figure things out - listening doesn't do it. My husband is the audio book person - he listens when he drives, but it just puts me to sleep. So, I listened to a view podcasts and drank coffee, but couldn't find it in my heart to get excited about this.
3. Create your own podcast.
I'm working on it - I've written a script and am waiting until later when everyone goes to bed so I can do this uninterrupted (and without laughter). I'm doing an "introduce myself" thing for my stat kids. What would be neat would be to be able to put the audio with a powerpoint presentation. I looked into that, and found instructions, but they seem to take signing up for more software that I won't to goof with right now.
4. Please share any really great outside podcasts that you find with your colleagues in class.
I didn't find anything that really hit me as wonderful. Sorry, this one just isn't going to be my thing. Give me a book and I'm happy. I did like the selection of things at Learn out Loud - someone has recorded lectures by Robert Ingersoll, for goodness sakes. How esoteric can you get?
Then consider these questions: “What qualities/features do you find common among the best podcasts?
Topic for me is the first thing I look at - is this podcast something about something I'm interested in. Nice that one can get all those NPR shows, but just not what I'm interested in. The various student podcasts are interesting just from the standpoint of the idea that they can be done.
Does my podcast share any of these features?
My podcast is probably not all that good - other than that it is about me, so of course I'm interested. As for anyone else......
How might podcasts be useful in your classroom or your practice in education?
I'll have to think about this one some more. Math is such a visual thing - at least for me. I can't talk without a marker in my hand - that's why I love the SmartBoard - powerpoint, and a markers, what's not to like. Audio alone is just not that useful. My powerpoints for statistics go on line anyway on my teacherweb page - and I'll do that again next year. I'm not sure how a podcasts would help. Then again I may be putting my own visual style ahead of what my audio based learners would like. But, really, how can you talk math without graphs or equations? On the other hand, I can see a good comedy routine with reading equations - anyone out there remember Victor Borge and reading punctuation marks? There is a joke in their someplace.
On the other hand, some of the best times I remember in lit classes were when we did plays or "radio" productions in class. I can see where doing that sort of thing as a podcasts would just be fun - a good way to get kids to write and present their own work - and show it off to parents and friends (in a more controlled manner than they will do themselves on YouTube).
Can podcasts be uploaded to TeacherWeb in addition to your blog space? Um, I think so - I looked at the teacherweb blog page and it looked like you could insert a link. So I'm going to try that as soon as I've got a podcast
More later. I do promise the podcast by Friday.
Janet
1. Create a personal definition of ‘podcast’ with particular attention to what it is, its purpose, and how it is created or is different from other audio/video formats.
A Podcast or "personal on-demand webcast" is an audio and possibly audio/video file that is uploaded to a server from whence it can be retrieved on demand by anyone interested. In the same sense that blogs can be subscribed to, regular podcasts can also be subscribed to so that notification of new 'casts are sent automatically to subscribers, who can then listen to them at their convenience.
2. Listen to podcasts:
I looked through Learn Out Loud and saw some interesting things under history and social sciences. My problem is that I absolutely loath being read to, I am very text oriented and very visual and just words without action puts me to sleep. I like reading by myself because I can start and stop and go back and figure things out - listening doesn't do it. My husband is the audio book person - he listens when he drives, but it just puts me to sleep. So, I listened to a view podcasts and drank coffee, but couldn't find it in my heart to get excited about this.
3. Create your own podcast.
I'm working on it - I've written a script and am waiting until later when everyone goes to bed so I can do this uninterrupted (and without laughter). I'm doing an "introduce myself" thing for my stat kids. What would be neat would be to be able to put the audio with a powerpoint presentation. I looked into that, and found instructions, but they seem to take signing up for more software that I won't to goof with right now.
4. Please share any really great outside podcasts that you find with your colleagues in class.
I didn't find anything that really hit me as wonderful. Sorry, this one just isn't going to be my thing. Give me a book and I'm happy. I did like the selection of things at Learn out Loud - someone has recorded lectures by Robert Ingersoll, for goodness sakes. How esoteric can you get?
Then consider these questions: “What qualities/features do you find common among the best podcasts?
Topic for me is the first thing I look at - is this podcast something about something I'm interested in. Nice that one can get all those NPR shows, but just not what I'm interested in. The various student podcasts are interesting just from the standpoint of the idea that they can be done.
Does my podcast share any of these features?
My podcast is probably not all that good - other than that it is about me, so of course I'm interested. As for anyone else......
How might podcasts be useful in your classroom or your practice in education?
I'll have to think about this one some more. Math is such a visual thing - at least for me. I can't talk without a marker in my hand - that's why I love the SmartBoard - powerpoint, and a markers, what's not to like. Audio alone is just not that useful. My powerpoints for statistics go on line anyway on my teacherweb page - and I'll do that again next year. I'm not sure how a podcasts would help. Then again I may be putting my own visual style ahead of what my audio based learners would like. But, really, how can you talk math without graphs or equations? On the other hand, I can see a good comedy routine with reading equations - anyone out there remember Victor Borge and reading punctuation marks? There is a joke in their someplace.
On the other hand, some of the best times I remember in lit classes were when we did plays or "radio" productions in class. I can see where doing that sort of thing as a podcasts would just be fun - a good way to get kids to write and present their own work - and show it off to parents and friends (in a more controlled manner than they will do themselves on YouTube).
Can podcasts be uploaded to TeacherWeb in addition to your blog space? Um, I think so - I looked at the teacherweb blog page and it looked like you could insert a link. So I'm going to try that as soon as I've got a podcast
More later. I do promise the podcast by Friday.
Janet
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
RSS Feeds - oops forgot the questions
a. What RSS reader did you chose and why?
I'm using Google - Google is my home page anyway and it seems like a good no frills reader.
Social Science Science Statistics Blog from the Institute of Quantitative Social Science at Harvard http://www.iq.harvard.edu/blog/sss/ - my expertise in statistics is in engineering and science. The social sciences are the other part of the world and I'm trying to learn more about how statistics are used in that arena - as well as finding papers and documents that I can get my kids to look at.
Teaching Statistics http://statteacher.blogspot.com/ - this is a blog from an AP stat teacher. I'm teaching grade level statistics, but she has some of the same problems I do - late homework for one. She also teaches geometry and she's trying some of the same ideas with her stat kids.
c. What made you chose those blogs?
I chose those blogs because they were in areas that interested me.
Janet Rice
I'm using Google - Google is my home page anyway and it seems like a good no frills reader.
b. What “non-classmate” blogs did you subscribe to?
http://wordpress.com/tag/precalc/feed/ - this one doesn't have a fancy name, but it is a collection of clever things to do with precal students. I'm always looking for good ideas in that area.
http://wordpress.com/tag/precalc/feed/ - this one doesn't have a fancy name, but it is a collection of clever things to do with precal students. I'm always looking for good ideas in that area.
Social Science Science Statistics Blog from the Institute of Quantitative Social Science at Harvard http://www.iq.harvard.edu/blog/sss/ - my expertise in statistics is in engineering and science. The social sciences are the other part of the world and I'm trying to learn more about how statistics are used in that arena - as well as finding papers and documents that I can get my kids to look at.
Teaching Statistics http://statteacher.blogspot.com/ - this is a blog from an AP stat teacher. I'm teaching grade level statistics, but she has some of the same problems I do - late homework for one. She also teaches geometry and she's trying some of the same ideas with her stat kids.
c. What made you chose those blogs?
I chose those blogs because they were in areas that interested me.
Janet Rice
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday Night Blog - Showing off Quilts
Summer is going so fast I can't believe it. My guys are watching "When We Let Earth" - which I remember as current events, not history. So I've decided to play with my blog and try posting pictures. My first love is needlework, but lately I've taken to quilting, so let's see if a few pictures can get posted here.
This first quilt is one that was done or my church. I did the design work, but the embroidered blocks were done by a whole bunch of people that I coerced into stitching. I learned how to write instructions doing this project - and that's helped me in writing things for my students. I also learned that elderly dogs will eat anything in baggies - the project squares were packaged in baggies and one stitcher's dog decided the embroidery had to be a snack.
This next quilt is a mosaic quilt from an 1857 pattern in 
Godey's - even though it does look like a tessalation exercise for a geometry class. This is the quilt top before it was put together, taken Nov. 2006. I finished the quilt just this spring. That's me holding the quilt and grinning. Ok, I'm really proud of this one - it is completely hand pieced and hand quilted. What I learned doing this project was that patience attains all things. It is quilted one hexagon at time and if a large task is broken into small manageable bits it can be accomplished, no matter how daunting it seems at first glance.
That's enough showing off for the moment. Since this is summer I've got about 4 projects lined up - a hand sewn apron, a new 1860's dress (in the most beautiul blue plaid I've ever seen), another quilt for my church - and a quilt for my own bed at home. And this class.
Janet
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Week 2 Reflections
So we're into the second week of this class - RSS Feeds. This one wasn't as easy for me because I'm fighting hardware (I think)
What did you learn?
I've learned what is meant by an RSS feed -which is something I didn't know before. But I've also learned that it isn't as straightforward as it first seemed. First, at least some sites don't have a "subscribe" option or the RSS button. I've figured out several work arounds - primarily using the "discover rss" tool in explorer. But then (and this I think is where I'm fighting my own hardware) asking to subscribe takes me to MS explorer's feed set up (which acts like bookmarks). I don't like that because it seems to be computer specific and I use several different computers (school desktop, school laptop, home desktop, computer in any public library when I'm on the road). Ok, so I exported the feeds for explorer to google, but as I had more stuff I'm going to use google and just cut and paste the feed url.
Something tells me there is a better way to do this, but right now I don't know what it is. And I do need to try subscribing using the laptop, which seems to behave differently.
How will you use what you have learned?
The question is how might I use this. First I need to figure out how to add the "Subscribe" Icon to my blog page. Right now it has some sort of "subscribe (atom)" which makes little sense. Then I could set up a blog and send out a note asking parents to subscribe - or if I were clever enough do this before school starts so the information could go home on my first day papers. On the other hand, I'm not exactly a passive person - I think for class communications email is still better because it is a push mechanism rather than a pull ("don't tell me you didn't get the word, I know you got a note"). Have to think about this one.
How did you feel about this tool?
This one I'm not so sure about. I've got so much information coming in anyway, that I'm not sure a new source is needed. If I found a blog I really really wanted to follow I could see using it. I don't like that it takes fidgeting and figuring out what to click on the subscribe and the lack of commonality.
What do you not want to forget about this tool?
I don't want to forget the things I figured out about how to subscribe (even when it isn't clear cut) and how to finagle google and explorer.
How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
Hum, I'm not sure about this. I can see using it to communicate, but I'm not seeing a clearcut advantage over email right this moment. On the other hand, I've got smart kids - maybe come Fall I should ask them. I am curious as to how this is used in a collegiate setting. My job is to get my little weasels ready for a college math class and getting them familiar with tools they will see in college is part of my job.
Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Again the should question. How much should we depend on technology that isn't universally available. In particular most of us can look at our rolls and TAKS failures and figure out the economically disadvantaged often seem to go together. How much technical savvy can we expect from our parents - both in general and for our at risk kids in particular? I'm going to feel my way through this one. But my stat class this fall with start with a class survey and I'm adding a question on internet access to it. One, I'll find out who has access and two, it just makes a good survey question ("how many different ways can we display this information")
What questions do you still have about this tool?
Still have questions about making it work. What do you do when there isn't a button or a subscribe? How do I stop my computer from defaulting to explorer when I subscribe? How do I put the pretty button on my blog page so subscribing is easier? I'll be working on those as the week goes on.
Janet
What did you learn?
I've learned what is meant by an RSS feed -which is something I didn't know before. But I've also learned that it isn't as straightforward as it first seemed. First, at least some sites don't have a "subscribe" option or the RSS button. I've figured out several work arounds - primarily using the "discover rss" tool in explorer. But then (and this I think is where I'm fighting my own hardware) asking to subscribe takes me to MS explorer's feed set up (which acts like bookmarks). I don't like that because it seems to be computer specific and I use several different computers (school desktop, school laptop, home desktop, computer in any public library when I'm on the road). Ok, so I exported the feeds for explorer to google, but as I had more stuff I'm going to use google and just cut and paste the feed url.
Something tells me there is a better way to do this, but right now I don't know what it is. And I do need to try subscribing using the laptop, which seems to behave differently.
How will you use what you have learned?
The question is how might I use this. First I need to figure out how to add the "Subscribe" Icon to my blog page. Right now it has some sort of "subscribe (atom)" which makes little sense. Then I could set up a blog and send out a note asking parents to subscribe - or if I were clever enough do this before school starts so the information could go home on my first day papers. On the other hand, I'm not exactly a passive person - I think for class communications email is still better because it is a push mechanism rather than a pull ("don't tell me you didn't get the word, I know you got a note"). Have to think about this one.
How did you feel about this tool?
This one I'm not so sure about. I've got so much information coming in anyway, that I'm not sure a new source is needed. If I found a blog I really really wanted to follow I could see using it. I don't like that it takes fidgeting and figuring out what to click on the subscribe and the lack of commonality.
What do you not want to forget about this tool?
I don't want to forget the things I figured out about how to subscribe (even when it isn't clear cut) and how to finagle google and explorer.
How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
Hum, I'm not sure about this. I can see using it to communicate, but I'm not seeing a clearcut advantage over email right this moment. On the other hand, I've got smart kids - maybe come Fall I should ask them. I am curious as to how this is used in a collegiate setting. My job is to get my little weasels ready for a college math class and getting them familiar with tools they will see in college is part of my job.
Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Again the should question. How much should we depend on technology that isn't universally available. In particular most of us can look at our rolls and TAKS failures and figure out the economically disadvantaged often seem to go together. How much technical savvy can we expect from our parents - both in general and for our at risk kids in particular? I'm going to feel my way through this one. But my stat class this fall with start with a class survey and I'm adding a question on internet access to it. One, I'll find out who has access and two, it just makes a good survey question ("how many different ways can we display this information")
What questions do you still have about this tool?
Still have questions about making it work. What do you do when there isn't a button or a subscribe? How do I stop my computer from defaulting to explorer when I subscribe? How do I put the pretty button on my blog page so subscribing is easier? I'll be working on those as the week goes on.
Janet
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Week 1 Reflections
What did you learn?
This week I learned about basic tools for establishing a blog - and how basically user friendly and easy it has been made. I also some ideas for using blogs as a method for communicating with a class or with parents, as well as a way of communicating with other teachers.
How will you use what you have learned?
I will likely use some of the tools I found looking at other math teacher's blogs. Currently I use TeacherWeb - and I'm not sure if a blog would be a better tool or not. I need to assess this as time goes one. For example, in statistics, the powerpoints are posted on teacherweb. Would it be better to post them day to day on a blog? I use email extensively - and again, I'm not sure if a blog could replace that - also, what I might do is make the Blog Page in teacher web my main page since it is easy to update.
How did you feel about this tool?
Blogging is a nice tool - I just have determine if it fits my applications. A hammer is good tool for pounding nails, not all that good for turning screws. Blogs can be a good tool for communication, if they are used properly. I just have to see how it will fit in my overall scheme. I am also deeply concerned with the digital divide. As we depend more on computer communication, do we risk further disadvantaging economically disadvantaged students. If we depend on blogs and email, what are we saying to kids whose families can't afford internet access. I know the kids can access the internet at school, but then what am I saying to their parents - and I automatically excluding them from participating in their student's education.
What do you not want to forget about this tool?
What I don't want to forget is how easy it was to set up a blog. It really didn't take much work at all - and I even liked the first template I used (since it has a certain 19th century look).
How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
Now those are good questions, aren't they? My answer right now is that I'm not sure. I'll be interested in what others think and how they might use this tool. Precalculus is a college prep math class - it is not the sort of class where math journals and so on are appropriate - my kids need to survive in college classes where how they feel about anything is not relevant. Statistics on the other hand is a writing class as much as a math class. Perhaps blogs could be used to get kids to discuss problems, perhaps giving each teenager a chance to have their own student blog might be worthwhile? Perhaps there is a way to have them establish a blog on a particular topic as a project might be worthwhile?
Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
And that questions goes back to the question of the digital divide. How do we use technology in the classroom - and teach kids to use the available tools themselves - without giving further problems to kids from families where money is tight and internet access is a luxury? Also, how do I use computer tools without making them just tricks - to truly enhance learning. My students will be in college classes in the next year or so - so I'm hoping to see how blogs and other tools are used at a collegiate level. Perhaps someone whose collegiate experience is more recent than mine can help me on that one.
What questions do you still have about this tool?
In terms of the practical application, blogs seem fairly straight forward. I like the ease of use, I like the ease of uploading pictures and videos. But use I have lots of questions about how to use this in a classroom setting to help my kids learn.
This week I learned about basic tools for establishing a blog - and how basically user friendly and easy it has been made. I also some ideas for using blogs as a method for communicating with a class or with parents, as well as a way of communicating with other teachers.
How will you use what you have learned?
I will likely use some of the tools I found looking at other math teacher's blogs. Currently I use TeacherWeb - and I'm not sure if a blog would be a better tool or not. I need to assess this as time goes one. For example, in statistics, the powerpoints are posted on teacherweb. Would it be better to post them day to day on a blog? I use email extensively - and again, I'm not sure if a blog could replace that - also, what I might do is make the Blog Page in teacher web my main page since it is easy to update.
How did you feel about this tool?
Blogging is a nice tool - I just have determine if it fits my applications. A hammer is good tool for pounding nails, not all that good for turning screws. Blogs can be a good tool for communication, if they are used properly. I just have to see how it will fit in my overall scheme. I am also deeply concerned with the digital divide. As we depend more on computer communication, do we risk further disadvantaging economically disadvantaged students. If we depend on blogs and email, what are we saying to kids whose families can't afford internet access. I know the kids can access the internet at school, but then what am I saying to their parents - and I automatically excluding them from participating in their student's education.
What do you not want to forget about this tool?
What I don't want to forget is how easy it was to set up a blog. It really didn't take much work at all - and I even liked the first template I used (since it has a certain 19th century look).
How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
Now those are good questions, aren't they? My answer right now is that I'm not sure. I'll be interested in what others think and how they might use this tool. Precalculus is a college prep math class - it is not the sort of class where math journals and so on are appropriate - my kids need to survive in college classes where how they feel about anything is not relevant. Statistics on the other hand is a writing class as much as a math class. Perhaps blogs could be used to get kids to discuss problems, perhaps giving each teenager a chance to have their own student blog might be worthwhile? Perhaps there is a way to have them establish a blog on a particular topic as a project might be worthwhile?
Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
And that questions goes back to the question of the digital divide. How do we use technology in the classroom - and teach kids to use the available tools themselves - without giving further problems to kids from families where money is tight and internet access is a luxury? Also, how do I use computer tools without making them just tricks - to truly enhance learning. My students will be in college classes in the next year or so - so I'm hoping to see how blogs and other tools are used at a collegiate level. Perhaps someone whose collegiate experience is more recent than mine can help me on that one.
What questions do you still have about this tool?
In terms of the practical application, blogs seem fairly straight forward. I like the ease of use, I like the ease of uploading pictures and videos. But use I have lots of questions about how to use this in a classroom setting to help my kids learn.
Some Blogs I Found
Looking over the list of blogs for education, the supportblogging link, I found two that were particularly interesting.
Higgy's Blog was set up by a high school math teacher. He has some great ideas for using videos in class (at least as a way of getting the student's attention). I also like the idea of having a class scribe post notes for the day - hum, maybe this is a way to use the camera feature of the intelligent classroom - designate a notetaker, have them photo their notes and upload. (On the other hand, how do you handle a kid with disgraphia in this setting?) But I hadn't thought about using videos in precal.
"So You Want to Be A Teacher" is a blog on teaching by a Texas middle-school band teacher (who is having classroom management problems with his percussion class - who would have thought?) I particularly like his compilation of 50 reasons to teach, compiled from his readers. It's good to know that reasons like "I get to mess with their heads" and "I'm not in a cubical" are not unique to me. I do see this type of blog as a way of getting around the isolation of teaching. We are all so busy, there is little time for interactions with adults - particularly adults who understand the challenges we face. The blogs seem to serve the same purpose that the old time discussion lists (before the spammers discovered them) served - a place where people with similar interests can discuss things.
Higgy's Blog was set up by a high school math teacher. He has some great ideas for using videos in class (at least as a way of getting the student's attention). I also like the idea of having a class scribe post notes for the day - hum, maybe this is a way to use the camera feature of the intelligent classroom - designate a notetaker, have them photo their notes and upload. (On the other hand, how do you handle a kid with disgraphia in this setting?) But I hadn't thought about using videos in precal.
"So You Want to Be A Teacher" is a blog on teaching by a Texas middle-school band teacher (who is having classroom management problems with his percussion class - who would have thought?) I particularly like his compilation of 50 reasons to teach, compiled from his readers. It's good to know that reasons like "I get to mess with their heads" and "I'm not in a cubical" are not unique to me. I do see this type of blog as a way of getting around the isolation of teaching. We are all so busy, there is little time for interactions with adults - particularly adults who understand the challenges we face. The blogs seem to serve the same purpose that the old time discussion lists (before the spammers discovered them) served - a place where people with similar interests can discuss things.
Second Post
What I've learned so far is that I should use the spellchecker feature on this blog editor. I really can type, and I really can spell, but sometimes the fingers get sideways.
I've added the picture of myself that I use on my TeacherWeb page. No, I do not dress like that every day. But yes, I am a Civil War reenactor, and yes, that is a hoop skirt I'm wearing. And yes, I'm properly dressed for a 19th century lady - corset, bonnet, and all. No, it isn't that hot - you can only get so hot in any century and then you pass out. Anyway, I decided that I liked this picture as well as any that I have of myself.
I've added the picture of myself that I use on my TeacherWeb page. No, I do not dress like that every day. But yes, I am a Civil War reenactor, and yes, that is a hoop skirt I'm wearing. And yes, I'm properly dressed for a 19th century lady - corset, bonnet, and all. No, it isn't that hot - you can only get so hot in any century and then you pass out. Anyway, I decided that I liked this picture as well as any that I have of myself.
First Post
This is the first day of the rest of my life...... well, at leat the first day with my name out in the blogosphere. I've spent the morning reading teachers' blogs for the Web 2.0 class and have seen some interesting things. In particular the idea of finding other knowledgeable people to steal - oops - borrow from is intriguing.
On the other hand, I've got a lot of questions. For one, how can a blog be useful in a hardcore math class like precal? Precal is a college prep math class - sorry to say it, but no one cares how you feel in a class like that (other than the normal human interaction). How does blogging facilitate learning in such an environment? I like the idea of interactive discussion, but how well can this work without the specialized symbols we need for mathematics?
For my statistics class, I can see how a class blog might be useful - statistics is as much English as Math in some ways and anything that would get kids talking is a good idea. Since they are used to blogs, the idea of asking them to write something might come naturally.
I worry also about how one can protect children's privacy and confidentiality on an open forum. I can see a closed blog, where one can make mistakes, but the idea of taking risks in front of the whole world is off-putting to say the least.
On the other hand, I've got a lot of questions. For one, how can a blog be useful in a hardcore math class like precal? Precal is a college prep math class - sorry to say it, but no one cares how you feel in a class like that (other than the normal human interaction). How does blogging facilitate learning in such an environment? I like the idea of interactive discussion, but how well can this work without the specialized symbols we need for mathematics?
For my statistics class, I can see how a class blog might be useful - statistics is as much English as Math in some ways and anything that would get kids talking is a good idea. Since they are used to blogs, the idea of asking them to write something might come naturally.
I worry also about how one can protect children's privacy and confidentiality on an open forum. I can see a closed blog, where one can make mistakes, but the idea of taking risks in front of the whole world is off-putting to say the least.
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