Blogs in the classroom

I think that using blogs in the classroom is a great education tool. It creates an environment that is fun for students and one where they can express themselves with ease. I love working with technology like this and being able to learn new ways of doing things. It is an easy ways to communicate amongst the classroom and with teachers.

There are many pros and cons with blogs. One pro is that it is great for going green, because teachers can use this to make corrections and comments on papers, projects, etc. so that paper can be saved on a blog in stead of printed off. It also gives the teacher a place to put students assignments and projects on. It is part of a larger technological development going on now and it helps make kids more computer literate and develop during this technological growth period. Blogs create a place where students can be creative and expressive. They are a place where students can share their work with peers. Students can set their own blogs up to where it can be anonymous so that their work and personal critiques on things are not criticized by peers.

As there are numerous pros there are also some cons to blogging. Some include security and safety of the students and school. As a teacher you have to make sure your students don't give out too much on their profiles and through their work. There are setting on the profile that can hide certain information that is personal. Another con is that blogs can be misused by students and faculty members, so as teachers who set up blogs for themselves or students they much keep a close watch on what gets posted. Teachers should always go over rules and regulations with parents, students and faculty about the blogs to help keep the misuse to a minimum.

I used blogs in my high school English courses, which makes me a strong advocate for blogs in schools. I hope that all teachers will start integrating some form of blogging into their classrooms.

NASA

www.NASA.gov

This website is a learning website about NASA. It has lesson plans for teachers and information for students. Teachers can choose lesson plans for students in different grade levels. The lesson plans include a variety of science topics. As a teacher you can even create your own lesson plans using NASA articles. For students you can use this site as a great resource for researching things on space, astronauts and other science topics. The students can play games on the website that are not only fun but educational. They can read stories and watch the latest space news on the site too. This site also gives information on space missions, the latest space news, you can watch videos, look at images, podcast, and blogs about space. The site of course also gives the pubic, educators and students information about NASA itself.
I like this site because it is very informational and a lot of fun to look through. There are lesson plans for teachers and games and activities for students. It is an educational website with a lot of fun built into it. It creates an atmosphere that is fun for everyone.

Crayola Site

http://www.crayola.com/

This website is a fun place where teachers, parents and students can come to look for art ideas for projects. For the teachers there are many different projects you can select from for your students. As a teacher you can choose from numerous age groups and select different lesson plans for your students to complete. As a parent you can find different art activities for your child/children to do. Also there are ideas for parties you might hold for your child. There is also a place where a parent can go to find ways to enhance their child's learning abilities in the arts area. For students there are a variety of coloring pages and craft idea pages and many games on the site for the students to play. Teachers and Parents can also purchase materials on this website.
I like this website because it gives teachers, parents and students a chance to experience art in a fun educational way. It is a very helpful site for finding lesson plans for teachers and for the parents it helps them enhance their child's learning in the arts. Students are even able to use this website for themselves, whether it is for looking up future art lessons for a class they're take in school or just too print off a few coloring pages for themselves when they're bored.

The Machine is Us/ing Us (Final Version)

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At a University of Montana Griz game ;)
GO GRIZ!!!!!

My First Post

My full name is Shanta Manjita Dickey Bisch. Shanta means "peace" and Manjita means "one who wins your heart." My hometown is Columbus, MT. I was born in Kathmandu, Nepal. Both my younger sister and I were adopted. She was born in Punjab, India. My parents are Sally Bisch and James Dickey. My parents met playing tennis in Bangladesh. My mom worked for the World Health Organization and my dad was a Livestock Production Consultant and a Realtor. My dad has 5 other kids, 2 of which are adopted as well. So I have 5 other siblings, 2 sisters and 3 brothers.I lived in New Delhi, India for 9 years and then moved to Columbus, MT. I have 4 horses, 2 dogs, and 6 cats :)

I have been to every continent other than Antarctica. I love fishing, hiking, biking, camping, swimming, cheerleading, soccer, softball, hanging out with friends, going to movies, going to Griz games, trying new foods, singing, participating in Relay for Life, boating, tubing, traveling, rocking out to music, playing guitar hero/rockband, and skiing.

I live in Missoula, MT now where I am attending the University of Montana. I am a sophomore this year at the University and I am majoring in Elementary Education. I can't decide if I want to do my concentration area in Music or Math. I love it here and love living with my friends off campus.

I have 5 best friends, Cassie, Wendy, Tabby, Kayla and Tia. I will have been dating my boyfriend for 5 years this March. I work at a day care center in Missoula, MT called Prince of Peace Day Care, which I love!! I love working with kids so I know that Elementary Education is the right path for me.