Teaching with Technology

Getting this iPhone has got me thinking about how we could use it as a tool for letting parents know what has happened in the classroom that day. Since I downloaded the wordpress application this now has become a real possibility!

So I set up a class blog to see if this could really work. I’ve only done it for one day but I’m totally convinced that it’s the way forward!

There are several reasons why.
•It’s easy children can borrow my phone to type quick articles.
•It’s instant. The children can see their work online straight away.
•It’s visual. You can take pictures of the activities on the iPhone and publish them straight away brilliant!
•It gives the children the feeling that they are able to reach a global audience.

It also made me realize just how much you get through inn any one day – it’s exhausting.

Please have a look at the blog and leave them an encouraging comment www.charlestown.edublogs.org

Over the past few weeks I’ve been getting more and more involved in the edublogging community and trying to sort the wheat from the chaff.   When I set up this blog I really wanted to keep it as full of ideas as possible and avoid what I saw as potentially indulgent and unnecessary soul searching.  

However, I have come to realise that actually this blogging experience is a powerful tool to record and clarify my own thinking on subjects.   It really doesn’t matter if people read it (though it would be great if they did!)   The only reader that really matters is the person who’s blogging!

This watershed moment was followed shortly after by another whilst reading some other blogs.   The question of why we are using these tools and technologies is very often overlooked.   I am in no way claiming credit for this thought, but it really made me think that this should be the fundamental question asked before starting any project.   I have promised myself that this will be the start of any future posts on this blog regarding teaching.  

If I can’t say why I’m using it, why am I using it!