Blog #8

          While working with Diigo I learned a lot about better ways to keep track of important websites. On my personal computer there is a reading list as long as the day of random websites, and I can hardly remember why I saved them, or what I needed them for; I also cannot share them with other who might also benefit from them or their content. In my classroom I have wanted to go over websites, blogs and other sources to highlight and document what is opinion vs fact. A teacher did this on paper in a class I observed and I think Diigo would work so much better because the class could have a cohesive document to view and work on together. Additionally for group projects, student could pool their sources and research to work on together, and with a shared google document they could always be on the same page in terms of working together and progressing, it would also be easier to see who is doing what to give the appropriate grades per student. In my own life using Diigo as a teacher would be helpful for saving sources, and software I want to use, but also the plans and ideas I have for it can be saved right on the page as I find it, and can review it, without losing information.

          For an example of Bloom's Taxonomy, I am using it in the context of teaching a book to an high school level English class. Remember, an initial PowerPoint should be the first introduction to the material, a brief overview of the the plot and vocabulary.  Understand, in a PowerPoint go over the key issues in the book: plot points, metaphors, hints, commentary, and the significance of specific characters; and doing this with text citations. Apply, I would have slides with sources, and outlines of expectations for their paper or short response to the book, or what we spoke about in class. Analyze, would outline activities for the class, and have Venn diagrams for comparison and contrast. Evaluate, I would use the PowerPoint to present more information on the book, and have activities that make the students think about the book more deeply. Create, finally I would assign the students, in groups, to make PowerPoint based off the themes of the book or other topics relevant to that books from a list. 

Technology and teacher development are vital to being the best teacher one can be. Technology is the easiest and best way to improve performance since that is what it is designed for! The skills that Teachers graduate with are amazing, but the skills learned as they gain experience is even better, but teachers also need to sharpen those skills, and learn new ones, as well as adapting their classrooms as new generations, and different students come along that they need to be prepared for. Eventually some of the skills or knowledge up had in college go away if not used, but every year new students, new challenges, and new opportunities for growth arise. A site for teachers to keep up with technology is @Technology4Teachers

 on twitter.