The three technology in education blogs that I've decided to follow are:
I'm also going to be following Adele Raemer's blog Digitally Yours, even though it hasn't been updated in a while, because she came to Be'er Sheva to do part of our group's pedagogical training. I'm now a member of the facebook group she administers called "EFL Digital Pedagogy in Israel," which is worth checking out if you're interested. It also appears to be updated more regularly than the blog.
Part of what I'm hoping to get from these blogs is the beginnings of a toolbox. While I'm moderately interested in pedagogical theory, what really revs my educational engine is usable materials, lesson plans, activities, and tools!
Cool Cat Teacher has a tab called "Cool Stuff" that links to How-Tos and Lesson Plans. So far the lesson plans seem more like interviews with teachers about the tools they use but I'm keeping an open mind. The blog also has a subject area grouping specifically for foreign or second language teachers, which looks like it will be helpful in narrowing down activities that we can reasonably expect our students to be able to do in a foreign language.
I found an entry on Technology Tailgate from August that outlines some of the tools available through Class Dojo, a classroom management app (and more). My roommate introduced me to the app but I hadn't really looked into all the features, and I'd love to be able to start using some of the tools in class. I worry that I won't be able to take full advantage of this because the English corner where I usually work with students is by the shelter and thus does not have reliable wifi connection, but I'd like to look into which tools are available offline.
Learning with 'e's is a bit more theoretical and scholarly. It's updated regularly but I can't tell exactly how relevant it's all going to be to me in my role as an English teacher of small groups and language partner. Nevertheless, it's not a bad idea to keep up with a perspective on the issues facing the field and the historical underpinnings of those issues.
1 comment:
Awesome post, Grace! I love your review of these technology in education blogs–I almost wish I had read this before I had chosen my three to follow! 'Technology Tailgate' strikes me as having the most to offer in terms of classroom tools and applications, but I can totally see how that's limited to schools that are able accommodate resources like computers and wifi.
I felt a similar way about 'Learning with 'e's' - I thought Wheeler's take on AI was interesting, but it seems like he spends more time on teaching politics than teaching strategies and practices. We'll see!
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