Sharing with Friends

Yesterday in the copy room, I talked with a first year teacher who was beginning a new unit on space and the solar system. She was there copying worksheets for students to do about the planets and the sun. "I want to do something different. I'm tired of lecturing."

"You should send them to Space Place from NASA," I said. I went on to explain the activity I did with my class that explores wants and needs of astronauts on a long space journey. I felt it was a very worthwhile project. Post-activity writing revealed comprehension of zero gravity environments as well as the need to work together with others.

"What was that website again?" she asked as she left. "Just check my website for First Grade that links from the our school site," I said. "Click on 'Rocket trip to Mars'". All this made possible through my adventures in EME 5405 Internet in K-12 Instruction.

This class, and particularly the annotated bibliography on best technology practices for emergent readers, has opened my eyes to the possibilities. I look forward to collaborating with other teachers to find activities and resources that support our curriculum and goals for higher level thinking. I also hope to be able to give input to my district's technology policy, especially in the areas of web publishing and professional development.

So as this class is coming to an end, will I continue to use this weblog? Yes. I plan to use this as a place for posting my ideas. I can send colleagues here for details, links, and results of my forays into the land of technology integration. Hopefully, their comments will help me the same way the comments of classmates have.

A previous blog talked about "stealing" ideas from other teachers. For the most part, teachers have big, generous hearts, and they are glad to "share" what works. I hope to be able to continue sharing with my friends nearby and in cyberspace.