Thing 3

http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/21340 is a link that will bring tears to your eyes, but also warm your heart and give you the inspiration to continue doing what you do. The blogs title Making a Difference says it all. It is an inspiring story from TeachLearningBlog. It tells the story of a young man named Abel, who through no fault of his own ended up in a very unfortunate set of circumstances. With both parents making poor choices, he started following their example at an early age. Through technology and the gift of a laptop, this young man was able to turn his life around and sit before us today as a nursing student in college. He attributes his entire success on technology and a supportive teacher. The blogs writer was right when he said, "I know that technology alone will not accomplish our goals, but partnered with a good teacher or mentor or coach, technology can reach students like Abel."

Thing 2

Blogging is a wonderful tool to give you the insight and opinion of another. While most opinions will be substantiated with facts, the majority of blogs are simply the writers opinion and preference on a particular matter. That in itself is what makes blogging so inviting. What is desirable for one may not be for another. When reading a blog, you want to remember that the writer is not the final say in the matter. This is why reading the comments on blogs are also very important. Comments will offer so much to the original blog that it's not uncommon for the originator of the blog to comment as well, sometimes with a new perspective or view on the matter. It's very easy to get defensive when someone makes a negative comment on a blog that you feel very strongly about. Common courtesy can go a long way, remember this when reading/writing and commenting on blogs. The beauty of blogging is that it offers an insight to things from a very personal nature.
I loved the comment made on the Teaching Brevity blog. http://students2oh.org/2007/12/16/teaching-brevity/ "The mark of great writers is not how many words they use, but which ones." Blogging allows us to to use our words in a very powerful and productive way, especially in a classroom. Students are more willing to write their feelings, fears and emotions down than they are to speak them. As the educator, we must be willing to sometimes read between the written words to see what the student is actually saying.

Thing 1-B

Web 2.0 has given the Internet a whole new meaning, purpose and use for everyone. I love the comment by Tim Berners-Lee - "It's not a web of computers, it's a web of people" Where the Internet was once nothing more than a glorified "yellow pages" or encyclopedia it has now become the lifeline for many people. People of all ages are involved with blogging, Myspace, Facebook and many other types of networking that allow active participation and involvement. Where a student once may have struggled with a homework assignment, they can now log on and simply post a comment and have help and support from their friends and even teachers. Knowing this information, I did the one thing I swore I would never do. I created a Facebook account. :) I have been amazed at the number of students who will "message" me who otherwise would have never called or even emailed me for help.
Web 2.0 allows the educator to challenge students to bigger and better things. Years ago, my report on a given topic would have required poster board, die cut letters and encyclopedias. It would have also consumed the entire space on my kitchen table. Students now create PowerPoint presentations and actually have fun doing it.
It's a lot easier to get a student to complete an assignment when they are enjoying the work.
Web 2.0 has given educators the advantage of meeting students right where they are, while still providing a solid education.

Thing 1-A

My name is Patty Nelson. I am an EBD parapro at YES. I began my career with the Barrow County school system in 1999. Dr. Roy Morgan was the principal at BES and I was a substitute teacher. Our numbers in SpED grew and Dr. Morgan approached me one day asking if I would consider coming on as a full time SpED parapro. When YES opened the following year, the SPED numbers leveled out and I was asked to take a position in kindergarten. I worked in kindergarten for 7 years, was a Title parapro for 1 year and am currently on my 2nd year as an EBD parapro. I am blessed and very fortunate to say that I love my job!! As a SpED parapro, I am always trying to find new "ways" or "techniques" to help the children learn. I was blessed this past year to have children with autism in my class. Their facination with the computer and internet was the inspiration for me taking this class. I hope to better utilize the resources and information that is available to me via the internet. I'm excited to see how Web2.0 will help me to do this in the classroom.