One Blog Leads to Another...

Well...my last post showed how anxious I was about opening up my Class Blog. I read comments of support left here, thought about it some more..talked it over with a few friends a bit more..... took a deep breath and decided to GO FOR IT!

It's going so incredibly well, that I can't believe I almost set this venture aside!

The kids are LOVING the posts we have made. They are excited about making new friends across the globe. The parents all seem comfortable and excited. All is going well. I look to our new friends in New Zealand for both guidance and inspiration. We were so very touched to see the post/video by our friends at Manaia Kindergarten. Right now my district blocks Google Video, but many of the children watched the video from home. Thanks Tania & Beverly. (Thanks also for help with that "other matter"...you too Tony!)
I exchanged emails with several other Kindergarten teachers who blog as well. I didn't know they were out there...but one blog leads to another and with the click of a mouse, we're connected! I was visiting the blog by Rachel Boyd because I shared a fantastic video her students made titled: "Why Should We Reduce Rubbish?" with my students ( we ended up having a nice vocabulary lesson as a result). I wanted to leave another comment, but I got distracted and pulled away to visit another blog "21 Century Skills" by Mark Collinson of NSW Australia. There I found a video he posted from EduBloggerWorld. The video was by Jackie H. (Teacher Hacks) and titled "3 Steps". NICELY DONE!

I believe I always challenge my students to compete with themselves... to do their best and then take it up a notch. I watched 3 steps and felt validated in the fact that I am now opening up my students to the concepts of global connections and collaboration. Watch and maybe you'll see what I mean:

I am on a roll now....not overwhelmed or obsessed (despite what my colleagues may think) ;-) I plan to offer many opportunities for my students to experience these 21st Century Skills.

As we make connections with one resource, we find ourselves connected to another. I am excited, they are excited. Not only are we all learning...but having GREAT fun too!

Global Connections...

This evening I was working on the computer when I got a message on Skype. It was Tania from Manaia Kindergarten, in Whangarei, New Zealand! It was so exciting to see Skype in action! I've had the account for a few days now, really didn't have anyone to call. This is thrilling... to have the ability to chat with someone on the other side of the world via the computer is amazing to me. Again, this goes back to an earlier post where I talked about so many sites, so little time. I know there are people out there who have used Skype for a while now, and for them, this isn’t anything new. They have been on board for a long time. But for those of us that are just beginning to explore the Web 2.0 tools, this is all VERY EXCITING! I would love to be able to have my students witness a live chat via a web cam, but there are a lot of details to work out to make that happen live in my classroom. In the meantime, we’ll keep plugging along on our Class Blog (Kindergarten Tales)…we’ll add some video, pictures and whatever else we come across that will help the world know who we are and what we do in Room 102. :-)

Thanks Tania, this made my day!

My Mind Is Racing....

The little ones have arrived. School has started, I have parent’s permission to begin posting and now the fun begins!
Now the fun begins????
Earlier in the summer I was formally introduced to Wed 2.0 and blogging in a class taught by David Jakes. (I had heard of some of it, but never really explored it)
I left there pumped.
(I still am!)
All summer long I have thought about blogging with my students. I had this idea that I would set up an account and input all their little names and we would just take off. We would share the happenings of Kindergarten Room 102 with our class, our school and our community... with the district and with the WORLD, if they cared to read about them all.
Now that the kids are here, I am somewhat afraid to act on my intentions. I want to make all the right choices. I feel a sense of responsibility for 46 little reputations. And for the first time in years, I am nervous about using technology. I want everyone to get the right image of what Kindergarten is in our classroom.
Maybe it’s not so much the sharing that is causing me angst. I am ready to do that, it’s deciding upon a method of delivery. I need to make a decision on which blog service to use. I worry that I might get into it and have to switch. For some reason, that strikes fear in me! (I tend to be “brand loyal”…. I am not one to change phone, cable, Internet services providers and the like easily ;-/). As I explored options this summer I looked at Blogger (of course), Class blogmeister, and Edublog to name a few.
Currently, I am very comfortable with Blogger. I have two blogs running through them now. But I question if it’s the best option for use with my students. My buddy Tony Powell has been a good sounding board for me. He has been both helpful and patient. I have bounced many ideas off of him in the past few days (poor guy). ;-)
After careful reflection of thoughts generated by his questions and comments, and re-reading my earlier post. I am going to enter this slowly with my students. I am not going to fret and fuss about which service. I am going to go with what I know. I am going to stay within my comfort zone for now. I am going to start here with Blogger. By staying here, I can focus more on the content of the blog and not spend so much time learning a new format (although something tells me there are a lot of similarities between the services). Right now I am not going to worry about having each student contribute individually. That can all come later.
Tony asked me, “What is your plan?” In part, my plan includes having my students develop a “mind set” about communicating, collaborating and connecting with others for learning. I want them to begin on their journey through school with the concept that learning can take many forms, including using technology. I want them to know we can learn from each other, near or far. I want them to see this unfold for themselves, in part, from what we share on our blog.

What I need to keep in mind about “My Plan” is that I don’t have to teach it ALL now….this year… in Kindergarten. If I can open their minds to the “possibilities”, I will have done well. If as a class, we get to the point where kids want to blog individually, we’ll deal with that then. If not this year, then somewhere down the line, I know they will remember these experiences, build upon them and tweak them to fit whatever the “new technology” of the day will be. (Web 85.0?) ;-)
I rolled back through other blogs that I enjoy reading and came across Jeff Utecht’s post at The Thinking Stick: 10 Things to Remember about Blogging. In his post he wrote about his blog does not focus on the reader, but instead on his passions! I like that. I have a passion for teaching Kindergarten, I have a passion for technology and I have a desire to bring those two passions closer together.
Jeff wrote about finding “power” in blogging. I feel that as well. There is something about putting it here, where anyone can see it, (or no one at all) that helps to bring clarity to “My Plan”.
I needed this…Thanks to you all David, Tony and Jeff!

I will continue to look to the bloggers in New Zealand (Rachel Boyd, Manaina Kindergarten, and Jody Hayes) among others as sources of inspiration for what can be accomplished with this age group.

Having said all of this….I am off to have my evening cup of coffee and begin to set up our classroom blog.
If you happen to read this…..(and even if you don’t) ;-)
…..wish me luck! ;-)