C4T#1

Outline
Discuss Mrs. Cassidy's blog on welcoming new students.
Discuss Mrs. Cassidy's blog on incorporating technology into the classroom.


The first blog by Mrs. Kathy Cassidy that I commented on was titled Hello, New Students! Welcome to Our Class. It was her discussing how she welcomes students to her classroom. Mrs. Cassidy sends out a letter during the summer addressing the students. She asks about the student's interest in the letter and gives a few details about what they will cover in the year. She also informs students that she is preparing her room for them, and she tells them the time and place she will meet them. Mrs. Cassidy states that this has helped both students feel better about starting the school year. I commented on how this was an excellent way to let students know that the teacher cared and was looking forward to seeing them. The students would no doubt feel at ease with someone they have already had contact with and who they knew a little about. I also pointed out that reaching out to the students would no doubt give the parents a sense of relief. Since parents typically do not have any contact with teachers before the school starts, it probably allowed parents to feel better about leaving their children with Mrs. Cassidy for part of the day.


The second blog by Mrs. Cassidy that I commented on was discussing how she incorporates technology into her everyday classroom schedule and it was titled Changing Face of Early Literacy- Why Digital?. Mrs. Cassidy uses blogs and twitter for shared reading during her classes. She says this helps students become familiar with the technology and it engages them. According to Mrs. Cassidy, students like to participate in this kind of shared reading because they are interested in what people say and when others comment to the class. She states that using this type of shared reading allows her to have discussions with her class on what they are reading and if it is connected to what they are learning, should they comment back, and was the post a good post. I responded that this was a good practice for the students and would help them in later in their education and jobs. I expressed how I liked seeing how students respond and their excitement over reading other people's responses through blogs or tweets.




Source:learningonlineinfo.org