Examples of blogs in US K-12 classrooms

An instructor at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey came up with an interesting concept for a classroom blog. Don Ginty is a literature teacher who wanted find a unique way for his student to share their thoughts about the book they are reading in class. This particular blog discusses "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. Students are encouraged to share their thoughts on the book, summarize class discussions, and even include drawings and other artistic interpretations, such as the one shown on the left. In the initial post, Mr. Ginty even petitions the author of the book to come join his online community. The blog can be found here.


Marin Country Day School is an independent K-8 school in Northern California. A duck decided to make a nest in the school's playground, and "Mrs. Daisy Mallard" now has a blog devoted to her. The blog contains writings and artwork from the younger students and even a song about the duck composed by kindergarten children. The younger students must be thrilled about having their artwork online for anyone in the world to see. The example on the right, drawn by a student named Nathan, gives Daisy advice on what she should do when she builds her next nest. "A Duck with a Blog" can be viewed here.

A picture on a blog

More about ACCESS

As I wrote in my post concerning ALEX, ACCESS, or the Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, is a virtual classroom in which students can take many classes that are not offered in their high school. Even home schooled students can choose to take the classes with the approval of their local superintendent. Upon researching their site, I found that both Psychology and AP Psychology are among the classes offered by this program, which greatly increases the possibility that this program will be helpful to me as a teacher.

As a future educator with a lot of experience with computers, I could definitely see myself taking part in this program. It is great that students that go to smaller schools that are unable to offer a vast selection of classes are not held at a disadvantage. This could also help reduce the disparity of education between schools in wealthy and poorer districts. Now children in any type of school could take the exact same class with the exact same level of instruction. I believe ACCESS to be a beneficial program and a great way to utilize new advances in technology.

Reaction to the Fischbowl video

It is amazing to think of how much impact technology has had on the last 10 years. When I was in high school, just 9 years ago, the internet was still fairly new. There was no myspace, no youtube, and though ebay existed it had nowhere near the popularity is does today. Now it is almost essential to have the internet to merely exist in modern American society. I could not imagine a world where I couldn't send a quick email to a friend, dial up movie listings in two seconds flat, or get clarification on things I am unsure about at the click of a button. Just last month, I repaired my motorcycle with a step by step guide I found on the internet. I have also met several of my friends online and it has opened me up to people I may have never had the opportunity for a chance encounter in person. It is staggering that 1 in 8 couples married last year met on the internet, but it is very believable.

I feel, in the next couple years when I become a teacher, that my students will be far more proficient with and dependent upon technology than I could have imagined when I was in school. My senior project dealt with using computers as teaching aides in a time when using powerpoint presentations in classrooms was unheard of. Now, it is a very common tool. As technology grows and the number of computer literate individuals increases exponentially, I believe I will have a responsibility as an educator to stay abreast and fully educated of the current technology. Computers will play more of a role in our lives 10 years from now and it is nearly impossible to predict just how mighty of an impact they will actually have.

Getting to know ALEX

ALEX, or the Alabama Learning Exchange, is a database which allows teachers of the same subject and grade level to upload and share personalized lesson plans as well as useful web links. ALEX also lists the teaching objectives for certain subjects and gives specific examples which can be used in lectures. It provides a consistent place for teachers to swap ideas and find the best way to convey information to their students.

Upon accessing the ALEX home page, the interface is fairly simple. You can search for information regarding your specific subject or merely browse the site. As I had never heard of ALEX before this assignment, I found the help page lacking in basic information about the program itself. Despite this, I was able without much difficulty to comprehend the site and figure out its purpose.

Upon researching ALEX, I found no links or personalized lesson plans for my desired teaching field of psychology. This is understandable because of both the recent implementation of the database and the specialized subject area I wish to pursue. I did, however, find examples and state objectives pertaining to psychology. As the database grows, I could see myself using it to gather information for my lesson plans. But in its current state, it is highly incomplete in regards to my specific field.

ACCESS, or the Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide, utilizes new technology to create a virtual classroom. Students can take advanced placement classes or any other sort of class which is not offered in their school. This is a very effective program because children are no longer at a disadvantage simply because of the school system they live in. I could see this technology being helpful to me as many smaller high schools do not offer psychology. I could teach a virtual class of students who are just as fascinated with the human mind as I am.

Everything about me you didn't want to know and weren't afraid to ask

Hi, I'm John. I stick out a bit in the class being the only guy, but this is one of very few classes I have taken where I don't know anyone beforehand. I have blue eyes, I'm an Aries, I like long walks on the beach... oh wait a second, wrong type of post!

My desired field of teaching is a bit unusual because I would like to be a secondary and junior college psychology teacher. I am very passionate about studying the human mind and the way people think and behave. Don't worry, I don't sit in class analyzing everyone! I am a junior at South and I also work nearly full time waiting tables at a local seafood restaurant.

One of my main interests outside of school is riding my motorcycle. I usually take it to school, but not on days like this when the high doesn't get past 45... brrrr! I also enjoy playing poker, shooting pool, working out, cycling, and I am of course a computer/video game nerd through and through.

I went to high school in Virginia, which is very different from Southern Alabama. Contrary to the opinion of most of my Alabama friends, I am not a Yankee! When I graduated from high school, I attempted to bicycle cross country. Unfortunately, that dream vanished when me and my bicycle were hit by a car in Tennessee and I injured my knee. But I settled down there and began managing hotels. I even invited my high school sweetheart and we eventually got married. Upon her insistence, we moved to Mobile because it was warm and within driving distance of the beach. Unfortunately our marriage did not last, but I loved the area and the great friends I met so I decided to stay. I had always wanted to be a teacher, so going to South was an easy decision, and I have met many great friends here as well.

Well that is assuredly much more than anyone wanted to know about me. If any of you in my class needs help with anything, don't hesitate to let me know.

Yay my first post

I am sitting here in EDM 310 class, but I can't really think of anything interesting to say. So this is my first blog post. Yay, woo hoo, and such...