Thing #5- Google Reader

I have never used Google reader before but I think it's a great way to keep informed with whats going on in Education and the rest of the world. I like it because it allows you to personalize your own news and filter out what you really aren't interested in hearing about. In addition to the required sites for "23 Things" I also suscribed to New York Times>Education, FOX News, Bill O'Reilly's Blog, and Pink is the New Blog. It's really a great way to get my FOX and my celebrity gossip in at the same time!

While exploring my reader today I came across a blog on TechLearning titled "Making a Difference" by Ben Gray. It was about how sometimes as teachers we have days or moments where we feel like we are making no progress and our wasting our time trying to make a difference. I think all teachers at some point have felt that way after having a bad day or experiencing some sort of failure with their students. In this blog he really talks about how the moments of success really make up for all of the hard work and occasional frustration. He refers to one student in particular, Abel Real, whose life was changed by a combination of encouraging teachers and aggressive technology incorporated in his school's 1-1 laptop program. Abel's testimony was touching and really made me think of how technology can help reach out to many students who otherwise may have no interest or motivation in school. He also spoke of how the constant communication he experienced with teachers and peers via blogs, instant messaging, etc. helped him stay focused after school in an unsupportive home environment. I related to this because in my own classroom I have observed how even the most reluctant learner gets excited about almost any lesson that involves the computer or technology. Kids just connect with technology and therefore anyway we can incorporate it in our classrooms is beneficial to them. It is motivating to think of how technology can help us reach out to kids who might otherwise not experience success.