Martha Stewart, the purveyor of all "good things," recently had a show featuring bloggers and how they engage in their writing process. On her own blog, Martha posted a how-to about starting your own blog, which I found really interesting both as a researcher and teacher. With mainstream celebrities like Martha Stewart now endorsing and even encouraging the creation of blogs, do you think they will be looked at as a legitimate and meaningful print source? As you engage in this blog, do you think you would ever create posts of your own or even create your own personal blog space? What blogs, aside from this one, do you read if you read any at all?
Ray Rohmer is the chair of Strong American Schools as well as the director for ED in 08. He keeps a blog and recently posted a YouTube video from a roundtable in Colorado, asking where the national will is in terms of education. He takes the position that, without focus in this area, we are at risk of becoming a second-class nation. Take a look at the video - warning: it's decently shaky, but definitely not Cloverfield shaky - and express your thoughts. Do you feel as though candidates have made their education agendas clear or have they been glossed over in favor of other platforms, such as the "polar bear syndrome?"
Indiana University is sponsoring a video contest through the Celebrate IU Website. Use your creativity to create a 60-second or less video and upload it to the YouTube Celebrate IU group. There are cash prizes and cash is always good.
Last, but definitely not least, I noticed this piece of clip art on the Indiana Department of Education's website:
Such an interesting image. Thinking about our visual literacy conversations, what are the implicit meanings this image evokes about the ISTEP?
As always, comment with questions.
19 comments:
I loved the post about Martha and the ISTEP picture. As far as Martha Stewart endorsing blogs, I am not sure how I feel about them. I like the idea of using it for a class, but as far as just having one for my own personal use I don't know if I would have one because I do not know if anyone would really care to read it. I do have a couple friends who have traveled and lived over seas for 6 months-1 year and they had blogs to keep everyone up to date with what was going on while they were so far from home which was a good idea. I just do not think anyone would want to read about my everyday life. With that said, I still think blogs can be extremely useful in the classroom to discuss different topics.
I thought the ISTEP picture was very interesting. Most kids cringe when they hear about ISTEP and the picture does not give students a reason to think differently. The bite marks on the eraser and pencil make it seem as if a child was so nervous, confused, and bored while taking the test that he/she felt the need to snack on their pencil. The way "Shhh" is shown on the picture shows that everyone has to be quiet all the time and nothing exciting and fun can ever happen. Overall, it just proves how boring and dreadful the test can be. It is a perfect image to describe ISTEP.
I have to admit I am not a huge fan of blogging just for fun. I don't see myself really getting into and staying on top of it. However, I do see the educational value of a class blog for many reasons. For one, class time is sometimes too short for everyone to share their thoughts and feelings. Blogging gives them the opportunity to say what they didn't get to in class and see how others feel about the topic too. If it turns out to be a big discussion on the blog it can be brought into the class for deeper discussion. Also, it is a less threatening way for shy students to participate. Some students find talking in front of their peers intimidating. It may be easier for them to participate in discussions without having the whole class looking at them. I know I sometimes get nervous in front of the class and as a result mix up my words and start to not make sense. Therefore, class blogging may be exactly what some students need.
I don't know if I would have a blog about just my everyday life, because as Jessica said, I do not know if anyone would read it. When I go to New Zealand, I might have one because I will be overseas, and far away from everyone that I care about. By creating a blog, people could still hear news of what is going on in my life, and I think it would be interesting for others to learn about life in another country. I think that blogs are a great idea in the classroom because you can create a class blog that can be used by yourself and students. At the same time, parents could look at the blog for recent information about what is going on in class with their children. Most children in the elementary grades really enjoy technology, and it can enhance things that you are trying to teach in the classroom. It is always good to provide different outlets for students to express their thoughts and feelings, and I think that a blog is one outlet that could be used.
It was interesting to hear about Martha Stewart and her blogging. I think blogging is a great idea for the classroom, but like jess said i wouldn't want to make a blog about what was going on in my life. If I needed to keep in touch with people I would rather email or just call! However, it would be a great way to keep parents and other family members updated on what is going on in the classroom! The visual was very interesting. It reminded me of how stressful taking ISTEP's were. It makes me think of a child biting on the pencil because he/she is so nervous and stressed!
The Istep image really intrests me. Looking back at what we did in class about visual literacy this picture is almost demonstrating that the isteps are hard and or stressful. This seems to be portrayed because this particular student is bitting on his or her pencil. It is kind of a known thing that when someone is nervous or stressed they bite on nails or pencils or something of the sort. Although some students may no think they are hard and the image could be portrayed in a different way to them. I think it could also mean that students should prepare for them since this image shows signs of nervousness or stressfulness.
I thought this posting was interesting with the blog comments and Martha Stewart's new blogs, along with the picture posted. I do not blog on my own time, outside of class discussions but I could see myself doing it as I get older. I think they can be a nice form of communication, but I have not found myself using them yet. It would be interesting to get involved with one that was teachers when I have a job, and be able to discuss new lessons or ideas on something that is good/bad in the classroom. That might be nice to have as a resource. It is also good for class discussions within the classroom, for the kids who do not share well with others so they can type instead.
The picture posted was a perfect way to describe ISTEP. Stressful and boring, hence the teeth marks on the pencil, and quiet, not engaging students whatsoever or helping them learn. With the black background everything stands out so much and it just reminds me of how boring and monotone ISTEP is. Reading, answering questions, filling in the bubbles, listening to your teacher read the instructions, just sounds uninteresting. It makes me sad that students have to go through that because it makes learning sound so boring.
I look at blogging as keeping like a public diary. Personally I don't think my life is interesting enough to keep people wanting to read it, but if I traveled or did some important maybe I would. I have a family friend that keeps a blog because their daughter has a very serious heart condition and its just a great way to keep everyone updated and informed instead of making all those calls everytime something happens. I also love the idea of keeping a blog so that parents of my future students can read and stay updated with pictures and blogs about our daily life at school. Helpt them to feel more involved.
Secondly, that ISTEP picture made my cringe. So weird how something as simple as a pencil with teeth makes can instantly tell you exactly how every student feels about ISTEP testing. Makes me nervous for them.
I agree with everyone else in saying that it is quite interesting to hear Martha Stewart endorsing blogging because she doesn't seem like the type to do so. Personally I don't write my own blogs, neither do I read blogs other people write. Maybe it is because I haven't come across any I find interesting enough, but then again if I don't read them then how would I know whats interesting, and whats not? However, in my future classroom I would like to create a classroom blog for both student and parent access. It would be used to keep the parents updated on what we're working on in class as well as give the students more personal access to technology and answer any questions they have for me that they may have thought of once school was dismissed. Overall I feel blogging is a great idea and definitely with Martha Stewart talking about it, I'm sure a lot more people will get into it.
I really like the idea of blogging. It's not like it's hard or anything and it is a fast and easy way to communicate with co-workers, classmates, teachers, etc. I had to create my own blog for one of the technology classes last semester and it was very simple to do. I think it would be great to have a classroom blog for my students and their parents to have access to. School newsletters and other important information could be posted and the parents could have the chance to look at it whenever they wanted.
This is the first time I have ever used a blog and so far I have found it really interesting and engaging. I like how we are able to use our own time to read over relevant issues regarding this class. As students are becoming more and more technology knowledgeable it is important for future teachers to understand technology. This blog pushes me to get online and use technology each week. I like that it shows me how to use the web in the classroom. Blogs are only becoming more popular and it's great to see people like Martha Stewart take time to promote them.
Blogs...where to start?? Personally, they do not interest me, but I think they are a great way to communicate and convey information about ANYTHING. This is the first time I have used blogging for classroom use; I do not blog on my own. As I get into my student teaching and professional teaching job, I can see myself using a blog more often. It would be neat to blog about my experiences as a pre-service teacher. Other students (pre-student teaching) could use my blog as a guide to learn about what is in store for them in the future. I would also like to have a classroom blog when I am hired. This way my students would be able to communicate with each other about material that they are learning. Their parents could be involved as well...they would be able to keep up with what their child is learning in my classroom. As for now, I will continue to use this opportunity to learn more for my future blog usage.
The ISTEP picture is very interesting!! I am not going to write my thoughts or concerns because they are pretty much the same as what everyone else says :)
I thought the post about Martha Stewart and the endorsing of blogs was very interesting. I feel that blogs really are a very good print source. Through this class I have seen how a blog can clarify informatin and spark more learning on specific subjects. This blog has helped to clear up information about specific topics that maybe I didn't fully undersand in class. If I am teaching a class of older students such as 3-6 grade I can see myself integrating a blog into my classroom. This blog will be monitored very carefully to make sure the students aren't participating in any type of activity that isn't allowed but I feel that the blog will be a place where more learning outside or inside the classroom can take place.
I think it's so exciting that technology is being integrated into classrooms in such interesting ways. It really can enhance and improve a child's education and I am looking forward to finding different ways to make lessons fun and exciting using technology. I particularly think that blogging is a really interesting way to share information and have meaningful educational conversations. I think the way that we blog each week really makes us rethink what we have been talking about in class and find deeper meanings in and connections to the material. When I do have a classroom of my own, I plan to use different forms of technology (such as blogging on the computer) to make my lessons relevant, interesting, and meaningful for my students.
From my experiences, i would have to agree with Martha Stewart. Blogging is something new to me, but already i can see so many possibilities which it could bring to a classroom environment. For one it gets the students actively involved in technology. Many kids are very unfamiliar with this and it could provide a great oportunity to get associated with technology. Also i feel it just works in creating a community feel for a classroom. Students are able to add to and ask questions about others comments. Its a wonderful learning tool and i am glad that i am finally getting involved.
I think the ISTEP picture illustrates that schools are placing test scores as their priority. Teachers and school administrators plan their lessons around standards and tests. The bite marks indicate how stressful test taking is for students. Students become nervous, anxious, and scared when taking tests, therefore this is a great image. Personally, I think schools and teachers are focusing way too much on test scores and standards. My mentor teacher confirmed my thoughts that fun is being taken out of the school day. I believe students should be excited to come to school and to learn. I hope that I will find time to still have fun lessons and have time to teach all subjects. To do this I predict alot of planning of integration of multiple subjects will be needed. To sum up, this ISTEP picture illustrates what testing is about and as a future teacher I hope to make my classroom about more than just tests.
I think the blog idea could be fairly beneficial for teachers if they use it in an appropriate fashion and if they could find some way to get kids excited about it.
For example I would think the blog could be put to good use for a unit of study. If they got someone from overseas to contribute to a blog and then the students could contribute as well. It could be a "centers" activity where the students each week reply to the blog that an overseas student replies to as well. The teacher could solicit the topics and the students could bounce off her ideas and models.
I would possibly use the blog for my classroom or for a way to keep in touch with maybe my student teaching classroom while I am in Australia. It could be a cool tool to leave my classroom with and possibly my supervising teacher would be enthused about it.
I would like to comment about the istep picture at the bottom. This picture shows the obvious pressure placed on students to do well on this test. The "shhh..." comment shows how serious it is and the nail biting on the pencil shows how nervous this test makes students feel. I was actually just talking with my host teacher today at our field experience about the istep and she could not stress enough about how much she "hates" standardized testing. She talked about some of her kindergarten students would just get so stressed. She discussed how she believed their to be other better options for evaluating our students.
I found the ISTEP picture interesting. It clearly depicts not only how nervous students get for the test, but also the teachers. It gave the feel that their is severe pressure in regards to the test and everyone involved is nervous and anxious to see the results.
Thank you for posting all this information on the blog, it is very helpful and a great resource to new and useful information. I would first like to comment on the ISTEP picture. I feel that this picture portrays an accurate image of how students and teachers feel when this test comes around. Teachers are nervous and stressed about teaching and preparing the students to take the test so that they will pass and the students are nervous and scared that they will not do well or are unprepared. The bite marks on the pencil show students possibly not knowing an answer or trying to think in the time alloted for this test and biting on their pencil as a sign of nervousness.
Next, I want to talk about the Martha Stewart blog and her thoughts. I like the idea that she is putting the word out there about blogs and think it is a good thing for people to know. I don't think that I would personally start a blog of my own unless it had something to do with school or a project but I feel that it is a great way for someone to express their opinions and beliefs and to gain others opinions.
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