Welcome to EDC921 - USING BLOGS AND WIKIS TO FOSTER LITERACY
This is our class blog. It will serve as our discussion forum, connection to each other, and the main webpage you will be accessing. Early this semester I will give you a detailed lesson on blogs and their use in the classroom, but for now you only need to know a few things.
This forum can be viewed by anyone, but will only allow the participants of edc921 to interact with it. When you would like to respond to someone or comment upon a session, just click on the 'comment' link below each of my postings and choose the 'anonymous' button under 'choose an identity'; and
In the left-hand margin you will see links to individual lessons (accessible every Tuesday).
If you need to contact me then please email me at DaveFontaine1@gmail.com.
This blog, in addition to its use as an interactive communication tool, will also be where you can access and download your weekly sessions. The presentation links to the left will be accessible on a week-to-week basis (Tuesdays). When attempting to download always choose 'save' rather than 'open.' The syllabus is also linked there. Google has a free service that allows you to just upload any Word document and with one additional click it gets published online with its own URL. The course syllabus is an example, and we'll practice with this tool before the semester is over.
One more aspect that will be unique about this course is that I support a completely collaborative teaching philosophy. Following that mindset, I will keep your assignments, comments, and reflections viewable and accessible to future participants of this course. The 'goal' is for future participants to gain from the collective knowledge of your experiences, use what you have done, and incorporate new ideas into their classroom.
The bonus for you, of course, is that this information will also always be accessible for you. This way, in the future, many semesters from now, you may revisit this site and benefit from the ideas of all participants. In this way---YOU will gain from all the 'learning speedbumps' of those that have come before you--even though they are not currently enrolled in this course. You may read past participants' profiles here.
Before we go any further I would like each of you to practice using this forum and introduce yourself. We will be spending the semester together, so it is important to learn as much about each other as possible. Click on the 'comment' link below this posting, then you may click the 'anonymous' button and write a few paragraphs about yourself. (If you are feeling bold you may sign up for a Blogger account now and use the 'user name' that you create when you 'comment' rather than choosing 'anonymous.')
Please include:
-your name
-email address (so that you may contact each other directly if needed),
-your educational background,
-teaching history,
-current teaching position with location, and lastly
-what you hope to come away with when this semester is over, along with any additional information about you that you wish to share.
After you have finished posting this profile, come back to this page and click on the 'Session 1' link (in the left-hand margin), download it, and view it. When you are finished with the session please click on the 'comment' link again and add any comments, insights, or reflections you have for Session 1.
Sometimes it takes a little while to get the hang of using this forum. I have taken this into consideration by reducing the workload of the first session. Its primary goal is to make sure everyone is on the same page and skill level before we sink our teeth into the meat of this course. Everything here is protected by Creative Commons. This means that you have complete authority to download, save, share, and use all of the lessons in your classroom, but are prohibited from any commercial uses.
You will notice that each slide of the PowerPoint presentation has the narration transcribed in the 'notes section' of each slide. This is because we have teachers from around the world (China, Alaska, California...) taking this course. (And they may need help understanding my "Ro-diland" accent) but more importantly, it allows you to take these slides and use them in your own classroom.
Good luck this semester! I look forward to working and collaborating with you.
Dave Fontaine
25 comments:
Lynne Deakers
hbdeakers@verizon.net
The hb stands for Huntington Beach, CA where I live with my husband. I have worked in the school library for 20 years. Started out as a volunteer Mom. This is a Catholic school with about 650 students Pre-kinder through 8th grade. I pretty much taught myself about running a school library. I have always been passionate about libraries. I originally graduated from UCLA with a bachelor of science degree in nursing and worked at Children's Hospital in L.A. for seven years. Then took time off to help raise four children while my husband completed medical school and a residency. I started volunteering in the school library when my youngest was in kindergarten and loved it. I took on a part-time position to help "run" the library and over the next 8 years took on the job full time with one computer to manage the collection. I had many mentors along the way. I hired a full time aide and went back to school part-time and got my MLIS over a 3 year period graduating from from UCLA in 2001. I was then given a faculty position which is my present job as Librarian/Technology Coordinator. I taught adults when I worked in nursing; I teach and collaborate with faculty on curriculum and the integration of technology into the classroom and I teach students information literacy skills in conjuction with assignments required for class. In October of 2007 I attended AASL conference in Reno and got a taste of Web 2.0 and want to learn how to implement it here at my school and teach teachers how to do so. I hope to come away from this class with a better understanding of blogs and wikis, their use and how I can apply them in my every day teaching. I want to learn about the ramifications of using them with students, privacy and copyright issues, etc. I am very excited to get more in touch with the concepts of Web 2.0 and am very excited to have the opportunity to take this class online. Just a side note. I am travelling with my husband this week in Eastern Canada so I may or may not be able to access the internet at our next stop. I will return to California late Sunday night and pick it back up then if not before.
Joanne Didriksen
jdidriksen@helena.k12.mt.us
I live in Helena, Montana--where I have lived most of my life. I have 5 children ranging in age from 20 to 8. My husband runs a few small family businesses (car washes and storage units) here in Helena and I am a high school English teacher.
I graduated from Carroll College in 1992 with a BA in Writing and went back the following year to gain my BA in English Broadfield for Secondary Education. After a few years substitute teaching, I finally secured a position teaching sophomore and junior English at Helena High School. HHS is a fairly small school with a student body of 1600. Although I love teaching, I also have a passion for working in the library and working with technology, so I made the decision last year to go back to school to become cerfitied in Library.
I am currently enrolled in an online Library Media Endorsement Program through the University of Montana-Missoula and the University of Montana-Dillon in order to gain my certificate in K-12 Library Media. Once I gain this, I plan to continue pursuing my Master's Degree in Education with a focus in Library Services.
I hope to come away with a more refined understanding of Web 2.0 capabilities and applications. I already enjoy blogging and using podcasting; I have even dabbled a little in setting up webpages for my students to access scheduling and such. But, I know I need to know more about integrating the lastest technology into my instructional methods. I hope to gain skill in using technology myself and incorporating technology into my lessons from my work in EDC921.
Lisa Kiernan
lisam.k@cox.net
I live in Warwick, RI with my husband and 2 children, ages 4 and 6. Currently, I am a 4th grade teacher at Washington Oak Elementary School in Coventry, RI. Before becoming a teacher in Coventry, I held a variety of positions. My previous employment/volunteer opportunities range from teaching the Junior Achievement program, mentoring, and finally as a counselor at a residential school for troubled boys. Once I graduated from Rhode Island College with a bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education, I became a Special Educator in Coventry, I am currently finishing my 9th year.
I have worked with many different grade levels ranging from grades K-5. I was a Special Educator for 4 years before switching into the elementary classroom. I have been a classroom teacher for 5 years, starting in 3rd grade, moving up to 5th grade, and now settling into 4th grade. We are the largest elementary school in Coventry with a little over 500 students in PreK to grade 5. At Washington Oak, we have 4 of every grade level, 8 ½ special educators, and we are also home base to the some of the elementary therapist staff in the town.
Washington Oak is one of two schools in the state to receive the HP Grant. Every 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teacher in my building (16 teachers) has a tablet PC, printer/scanner/copier, and a projector for use in their classroom. I have incorporated a laptop cart, a Smartboard, and a document camera that we have available in our building into my lessons. I am always looking for new ways to effectively integrate technology into my everyday teaching. I have created my own web page to keep parents informed on what is happening in my classroom. I look forward to learning how web 2.0 collaboration tools will help me reach more students.
Ami Sinclair (Widman)
Widman.ami@gmail.com
I live in Cumberland, RI with my husband. We just got married this past Saturday. I am currently a high school special education teacher at Cranston High School East. I currently have three resource classes and 2 resource classes. Next year I am moving back to full resource. I have been at East for three years. Prior to East I taught at Valley Community School, also in Cranston. This was a behavioral school for middle and high school students. My responsibility was to teach every subject to 9th – 12th graders. I spent most of my time getting the students to stay in their seats and not swear at each other. This caused me to seek another job where I could do some teaching.
I graduated from Salve Regina University in Newport, RI with a bachelors in elementary/special education. I received my masters from Providence College in special education.
I am always trying to find new ways to get the students interested in their education and thought that this course on blogs and wikis would be helpful. I became some what familiar with blogs in the class, Using the Internet for Teaching and Learning, and thought that this would help me better understand blogs and wikis.
Brooke Strachan
brookestrachan@wheelerschool.org
I currently live in Providence, RI and am a Lower School Librarian (grades 3-5)at the Wheeler School in Providence. Wheeler is an independent day school for N-12 students.
After graduating from college in Iowa I lived in Minnesota where I ran a before and after school program in a large surburban public school. I then moved to Mexico for a year and upon returning to the states decided to go back to school to become a librarian. I got my MLIS at URI and began working at Wheeler the September following my graduation.
I am excited about this course. I echo Lynne's desire to examine copyright and privacy issues when using these technologies, especially with younger children. I also hope to develop a blog and/or wiki that has a true educational purpose while at the same time sparking the kids' creativity and excitment.
Lynn DiTusa
Lditusa@narragansett.k12.ri.us
I love long walks on the beach, dinners by candlelight, and fluffy kittens. I am a Capricorn...WAIT! WRONG BLOG!
Hi, everyone! I am graduate of the school system in Coventry, Rhode Island (1989), and of Rhode Island College (1993). After graduating from RIC, I was fortunate enough to begin teaching in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Certified in English for grades 7-12, I began my career teaching grades 9, 10, and 11, which was a challenge since I was only a few years older than my students. Two years later, I shifted to Narragansett Pier Middle School, where I have been for 13 years. Of those 13, I taught grade 7 ELA for ten years, and I have been teaching grade 7 and grade 8 ELA on a looping team for three years.
After 15 years of teaching, I have become pretty set in my ways, so I am interested in switching things up a bit and learning more about different tools and strategies. Also, since I have quite a bit of time left in this profession, I need to learn more about the technology and all it has to offer because it is such an integral part of the profession now and will continue to be in the future. There is so much information literally at our fingertips, and I want to help my students take advantage of the opportunities that are only a keystroke away.
Amanda Lovett
amandalovett9@gmail.com
My name is Amanda Lovett and I am a first year teacher. My degree is in Elementary and Special Education which I recently received from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. I am currently a sixth grade Special Education teacher at Gaudet Middle School in Middletown, Rhode Island. I have previously taught Extended School Year as a Special Education teacher for fourth graders making the transition to fifth grade.
I am currently in the process of obtaining my NY teaching certificate (which I will hopefully have by August). I will be attending St. John's University in Queens, NY this fall to get my Master's in Library Science with a concentration to become a school media specialist. I am currently applying to schools for teaching jobs at the elementary level in Manhattan, Queens, and Long Island. So, I'm also asking for contacts! If any of you teach, have taught, or know anyone who teaches in any of these areas and oculd help me out id be forever grateful!
I took EDC 920 last semester and learned a great deal of interesting and practical information. I felt that EDC921 was something I couldn't pass up before I move. I hope to learn as much as possible for my future as an educator and as a media specialist.
Jill Schaal
jschaal@twcny.rr.com
Hi everyone,
I live in Oneida, NY with my husband and two children-Howard is 16 and Tessa is 12.
Like a number of you, I have a special education background but mine is in early intervention. I have taught at the local ARC on and off for the last 20 years. During the off years I was a very active volunteer at my children's schools especially in the libraries. Both LMSs that I worked with encouraged me to change my career and join them in the field. So last August I graduated from SU once again with another masters and my certification in school Library media science. I am currently looking for a position in a nearby school district.
I do not have a lot of experience working with blogs and wikis so when I saw information about this course I knew that it would be perfect.
I know that there is a lot of potential for students of all ages and abilities to be successful with this technology but am not sure of the best way to present it. I feel confident that this course will help me figure out how.
Jeannine Walsh
rid01139@ride.ri.net
I live and work in Newport, Rhode Island. I started my career as a first grade teacher after getting my degree in elementary education from Rhode Island College. After two years of teaching first grade I felt that I needed a better understanding of teaching children how to read so I went back to school to get my master’s in reading. For the past six years I have been a reading specialist in the elementary schools. As a reading specialist in Newport, we have the opportunity to do many things on a daily basis. We coach teachers who ask for assistance, are a resource for teachers and administrators. We give workshops for parents and colleagues and most importantly provide small group or one-on-one instruction to students in need.
I am currently on leave (just this school year) to spend time with my seven month old and three year old boys. I will be returning in September to hopefully share all this great information on Web 2.0 that we will be learning.
It looks as if I am the novice of this group and with this technology. I have never used a blog or wiki. I actually had to look up their definitions before I signed up for the course, sad huh? When this class is over I hope to come away with an understanding of this current technology and be able to use it as a resource on a regular basis. I would also like to share the information with colleagues who are as unfamiliar with this newest technology as I am now.
Cheryl Simmons
casimmons11@cox.net
Hello,This is my first online course. I’m interested about the content as well as the entire process. I am also a Rhode Islander living in Tiverton with my husband and an 8 year old son. I currently work as a school based occupational therapist in the East Greenwich District and Newport County Region. I’ve been an OT for 16 years, starting out working around New England in hospitals and clinics with adults recovering from brain injuries and strokes. I learned a lot about wheelchairs and we used an old Apple II to help people with visual perceptual retraining, which was my introduction to using technology in my practice. About 10 years ago I started working more and more with kids and eventually landed in the school system and realized that I needed to learn more about education. In 2003 I went to Simmons College in Boston, where I completed a Graduate program in Education focusing on Assistive/ Educational Technology. I have spent the last 5 years working as an assistive technology consultant in Rhode Island, but I’m now glad to be back working full-time as a therapist. It is clear to me that today’s kids use technology in ways that we never conceived even 10 years ago. It was never more apparent to me as when my 5 year old asked me after loosing his first tooth… “Does the Tooth Fairy have a website?” I am looking forward to learning more about the web 2.0 tools and integrating it into my daily practice. Some of my students use specialized computer programs to help them see the screen, read the screen or input text into the computer. I’m interested to see how these programs interact with the web 2.0 tools.
Session 1 Comments
Wow! I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed but I have lots of thoughts and ideas and am ready to get started.
One concern I have is time. With the No Child Left Behind Act we are forced to stick to a very tight schedule, how will I fit this in?
The blog examples were very helpful, especially The Write Weblog. This is something I would be very interested in starting at my school. I noticed that one of our librarians, Jennifer Long, has taken this class in the past. It would be wonderful to collaborate with her on some district web projects.
Jeannine Walsh
Wow! The amount of information I gained is overwhelming. I definitely need to learn how to pace myself. Any suggestions?
After finishing session 1, I felt like I used to after my philosophy classes in college--the possibilities are spinning in my mind! I took several pages of notes and bookmarked what felt like a zillion pages to my del.icio.us account.
I, too, am ready to get started.
My questions so far:
Do we only have to read, view and comment for session 1?
What are the appropriate uses for blogging in education if requiring students to blog is "contrived" and not really blogging as Richardson sees it?
What are some examples of security and privacy issue that must be considered? Aren't some security issues avoidable?
Enough for now--Joanne
Heather Matarese
heathersmma@yahoo.com
I live in Cranston, RI with my husband and baby boy, who recently turned one year old. I did not teach this year, as I have been home taking care of my new son (and loving every minute of it, I must add!).
My last teaching position was in grade three at Washington Oak School in Coventry, RI. I have taught grades two, three and four, all in Coventry. Before becoming a teacher, I was a compliance analyst specializing in qualified retirement plans.
I earned a BA from Stonehill College in economics and later went on to RIC to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching.
Last semester, I took EDC920 and was overwhelmed (in a good way) with the amount of information that Dave shared with us. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to keep learning about ways to use technology to teach more effectively. I hope to come away from this class with practical ways to reach even the most reluctant readers and writers.
By the way, congrats to classmate, Ami, on her recent wedding!
Session 1 thoughts:
As I read through the various articles I was struck continually by the amazing opportunities blogs provide. Students and teachers frequently commented on how blogs expand the walls of their classrooms and how they have received comments on their work from around the world. The possibilities are incredible. My mind was racing as I considered how I might use one in my library.
As others have mentioned here, I do wonder about some of the logistics and issues associated with them. Did the students create their posts in a computer lab? Or one at a time at a classroom computer? If children are required to post from home, what is done for the students who don't have access at home?
There was one article about using an inappropriate comment as a teaching opportunity and I kept imagining myself in that person's place. I understood what the author was saying, but by the same token, I imagine it would be difficult to explain to administration and parents how the value of the experience outweighs the possibility of inappropriate comments.
There is a lot to think about, but it is fun to imagine ways of using this technology with my students.
Brooke
Jack Caswell
jackcaswell@cox.net
I am in my 11th year of public school teaching and have just completed my eighth year teaching English as Toll Gate High School in Warwick, RI. I earned my National Board Certification in November, 2007. Previously, I was a U.S. Army journalist before becoming a sportswriter for suburban dailies in Northern Virginia and Rhode Island. I still do some freelance writing and have had articles published in the English Journal and The Quarterly of the National Writing Project. I also wrote columns for the now defunct 02835, The Jamestown Journal. Besides meeting one of my I-Plan goals to maintain my teaching certification, I am anxious to learn about blogs, wikis and podcasts and how to apply them in my classroom. I have misgivings, reservations, and insecurities about on-line courses, technology in general, and the ability put this stuff to work, but I'm no stranger to those feelings, so let's rock and roll.
Heather Matarese
Session 1 Comments
As educators, we know the importance of providing timely, meaningful feedback to learners. We also know how powerful peer feedback can be. After reading the powerpoint presentation, articles and blog postings, one of the points that resonates the most with me is that blogs offer a unique opportunity to get feedback from peers, as well as a much broader audience than one would enjoy in a small classroom. Furthermore, a feature that I really like about a blog is the opportunity to decide whether or not comments get posted; this enables the teacher to prevent inappropriate comments.
Erin Wright
Reading/Literacy 9-10
Coventry High School, RI
Wrighterin@coventryschools.net
Hi everyone.
Like Lynn (Hi Lynn!) I am a graduate of Coventry 1989. Now I teach there.
I am currently a reading specialist at CHS. I teach two sections of remedial reading and one section of literacy (less intensive). I graduated from URI with a BS in Elementary Ed. and later from URI with an MA in Reading Ed. I have taught 5th and 7th grades before my current position.
I just finished EDC 920 online and learned so many ways to incorporate (better) use of the internet in the classroom. I have actually started a classroom blog and require students to post on a weekly topic as well as to reply to someone else. They LOVE it. I love it too, because it means a writing piece from each student every week WITHOUT much complaint. This tool has made my life so much easier! I can't wait to learn more. I would like to discover more tools to make my students interested in reading and writing. I would also like to share our classroom blog with anyone who is interested:
www.wrightsreading.blogspot.com
Erin
Week 1 Comment:
Erin Wright
Reading/Literacy 9-10
Coventry High School, RI
Wrighterin@coventryschools.net
I am amazed by the “Globe of Blogs”. I found quite a few book review blogs that I’ll have to go back to later. One thing I love about this forum is that we can do that. We MUST do that. It’s too easy to get lost for hours. It’s nice to be able to bookmark something and go back when you have time.
Something else I’ll have to investigate further is the article of Anne’s that discussed ten good blogging practices. She talked about the importance of “pinging” and that completely lost me. I will have to go back and find out if I missed something, or if maybe I can look up the term someplace else. I wonder….does anyone out there know what it means and why it’s important?
-Till next time,
Erin
PS:
Oh, one more thing:
Joanne said:
"What are the appropriate uses for blogging in education if requiring students to blog is "contrived" and not really blogging as Richardson sees it?"
I am also curious about this.
Lisa Kiernan
Session 1 comments
I am excited to try to implement a blog into my class, however I was a little nervous about the negative comments a students may receive and was also very happy to learn that teachers have the final say. Currently, I try to maintain a web page in which I update spelling words, homework, and class projects on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on the topic. The RSS Feed will avoid the email "bounce back" that sometimes happens and I can be certain that parents will have the new information when it is posted. Finally, as a visual learner, it was great to see a weblog in action. The Write Weblog was a great example of how this will hopefully all tie together.
John Dudley
john_dudley@nksd.net
I have a BA in English Lit as well as elementary ed. and special ed. certification (up to middle level). I live in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. I have been teaching at Davisville Middle School for the past twelve years. I have a self-contained classroom for 6th grade students. I'm excited at the prospect of an entirely online class and I am looking forward to learning what blogs, wikis, and podcasts are useful for (apart from keeping up on the latest Lost theories)...
--JD
Greetings from Alaska classmates. With Dave's help I become less of a "digital immigrant".
Currrently I work as a 1/2 time high school librarian, working on completing my certification as a library media specialist. I have a BA in elementary education which I used for 11 years in the elementary classroom years and years ago.
Blogs and Wikis are terms I have heard but have had no knowledge of. Now that is all changing and I am looking forward to sharing information with staff as to how they can be implemented into curriculum.
I look forward to learning from each of you throughout the course. After reading your posts, it sounds as if you have much knowledge!
Hello, EDC921 Colleagues:
Before I immerse myself totally into this course, I feel compelled to at least mention some of my misgivings pertaining to blogging,technology in general, and a course such as this.
If writing, in its most ideal form, is a democratic process unfettered of censorship and a true exercise in free speech, and blogging is the act of eternally etching one's thoughts and words into the digital archive for future retrieval, we should be aware of the risks we are exposing both our students and ourselves to, and those risks go beyond privacy issues and the ever lurking cyber predators.
In this current current plutocracy, free speech is a Constitutional right that has been slowly eroding and may be on its way to complete abrogation. So if we ask a student to blog, and he/she reacts to a conflict with a teacher, administrator, peer, a parent or even our government in a way that reveals a desire for violence, even if fantasized, or if a student reacts in a blog to an emotionally disturbing passage in literature with the similar feelings, are we to protect the democratic writing process, that student's right to privacy and freedom from possible future persecution, or should we beome thought police and turn the student in to the authorities, thus saving our own necks and possibly the lives of others?
There are other unsettling issues pertaining to the digital age as well. It is well documented that computer overuse has promoted illiteracy rather than literacy, and sentences with characteristics such as the following: "I love this course b/c w/o it I wouldn't write" are turning up in essays everywhere. This is the incipient trend of Orwellianspeak, and that slippery slope may inevitably lead to a government fiat insisting on "doubleplusgood" replacing real colorful words such as "outfreakinstanding." Yes, this rant reeks of excessive paranoia, but there's another issue to consider here.
We live in an era of "globalization," which is the economic term for capitalist imperialism, and Big Business considers labor unions collectively as Public Enemy No. 1. I'm assuming we are all in a labor union, or aspire to be. To the plutocrats, there is no better way to dismantle public schools and their concomitant costs, including salaries and benefits given to educators, than to allow students to earn their diplomas on-line. The prospect of privatizing education and outsourcing our jobs to degreed and certified teachers in low-wage, developing nations makes the Big Business mavens salivate. Our taking this course is tantamount, in my mind, to the sheep fattening up on the farmer's feed before the slaughter.
Of course, there's the other side of the coin. The potential for both personal and professional growth is immense in a course like this, and I am approaching it with this attitude foremost in my mind. I chose a technological element to be part of my professional development I-Plan to remain certified, so this particular blog smacks of hypocrisy. Nevertheless, digital technology allows the Maximum Lawman's significant reach to extend far into the future, and our relentless quest for this knowledge may eventually prove to be a Faustian bargain. I hope I'm wrong. See you all in Session 3. jack
My blog is up at ldeakers.blogspot.com. I experimented with photos and really hoped the heading photo would shrink down to a band but I could not figure that out. We took our grandson to the aquarium this weekend so I had to share that seahorse photo. The various blogs we looked at in this week's class were diverse and interesting. I am overwhelmed with all the information out there. I want to learn more about how to integrate a blog into a school web page. The Oregan elementary school site was awesome but must have some one full time keeping all of it up to date, a luxury we do not have at our school. I have the same concern as Jack about free speech issues and what students might post. I do believe you can have a closed blog and I did learn that you can set your blog to send you, the administrator, the post for editing before you post it to the site but my principal is very leary of journaling and what students tell, leading to what you the teacher must report! Overall I see tremendous value in ionformation shared on a blog, but I know I will have to be very selective because I do not LOVE sitting at the computer reading 24/7!! and I could really get hooked.
Trying to catch up. Have had some problems.
James Mc Monigle
James.mcmonigle@chariho.k12.ri.us
Originally I received a degree in Business at P.C. Returned to my native NYC (Queens) and stayed for 14 years working with commodities.
Move to RI in 1992 and managed inventory for a door shop at Arnold Lumber in West Kingston.
From 97 -00 I studied at URI for my teaching cert. I have been teaching Middle School Science since at Chariho Middle (Where I student taught).
I'm in the middle of a two year loop. So next year I'll teach the same kids eighth grade science.
I hope to figure out how I can use blogging in Science as well as use it as an informational site for the team so that students and families can be well informed.
So far, all the checking into things in the course is a little overwhelming. Hopefully that will change.
I'm a teacher in Coventry RI., and have lived in Warwick for the past 8 years. Prior to that, I lived in Arlington Tx. for 15 years. I enjoy teaching and learning. My two teenage son's, Dylan and Michael live with me and I will be married September 27th to a wonderful man named Mike. prior to teaching, I owned a pizza restaurant and was a Case Manager. Check out my new blog! There is not much on it, but it took me forever to pick just the right text, colors and title. http://janet-learningtoblog.blogspot.com/
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