Sheri Blog 4: Microsoft

Blog 4: Microsoft

(1) How do you currently use technology in the classroom, if at all? If so, what technologies? How many students have access to PCs at home?

My students blog (Youth Voices) with others and draft in wikis (individually and collaboratively). We have created VoiceThreads as photo essays and visual letters. My lessons are blogged. We learn to google search and Diigo bookmark in effective ways to find valid information for our writing. We have created memoirs in iMovie that would bring tears to your eyes.

What do we use in 5-8:

Google Docs
PBWorks
Diigo
VoiceThreads
Mapskip
Animoto
Glogster
iMovie
iPhoto
GarageBand
Picassa
Flickr
Blogs (Edublogs, Blogger, Wordpress)
Starting: Ning

The technology is used in school mostly on aging computers. Most of my students have access to someone's computer, but that computer is not always the same computer. We live in a very rural area of high poverty with no fast connection (the school is only T1). Therefore, computers come and go and so do the Internet connections.

Our school connection is SO slow, even at T1.


(2) Is your school leadership supportive of your individual use of technology in teaching and learning?

Our past leadership was not supportive. Our current leadership is supportive, but not technologically literate in Web 2.0.

(3) Where did you get information about ICT in the classroom or about technology (before this PD, of course!)?

I am self-taught. I have ten geeky grandkids and a publishing husband. We all love to geek out. I love the ability students develop to revise and edit, create and collaborate in easy ways using technology. Technology allows us to create, solve our problems, communicate clearly, and share/present with others.

I follow tech leaders on Twitter, belong to many nings, collaborate with teachers and students across the United States, and share my own learning with others.

I was part of the Teacher Leadership Project of 1999 in WA State, and have not stopped learning and sharing (Thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).


(4) Would you be interested in connecting online with other teachers from around the state/region/world with similar interests?

I share and learn at LearnCentral (includes Elluminate), onlineprojects4teachers ning, teachersconnecting, and others. I'm always looking to collaborate with others. It's been great for my students to learn that other kids may be different, but in many ways are the same -- and they all learn at school!


Sheri Edwards


Teaching assignment: Grade 8 Reading and Grades 5-8 Writing ---
Writing Wikis: 5-8 Collaborative with Memphis, Tennessee, Reporters
Assignments Lessons (8 -- others linked on this page)