Thing 4: The Importance of Commenting

Commenting is a very important part of blogging.  It creates a sense of community because it really involves everyone on one topic of discussion.  It makes the person who is doing the blogging feel like his or her voice has been heard.  I know that if someone were to comment on my blog, it would make me more confident in my writing abilities and let me know that there was actually someone reading what I was writing.  

If I found a post that I felt strongly about, I could comment on it and instantly become part of a conversation with people I might otherwise never have met.  These people might even go view my blog and comment.  Commenting is just a good way to show that you appreciate that person's opinion or that you feel strongly about a subject.

I think it is important that people need to use courtesy when commenting.  If someone commented on my blog and used vulgar language or was disrespectful towards me or another commenter, I would instantly delete that comment.  Commenting is for the benefit of everyone; to enrich the conversation.  There is no need to be hurtful when commenting on someone's blog.

I also think it is important to comment back when someone comments on your blog.  It is only common courtesy to acknowledge a comment on your blog, especially when there are not very many to begin with.  Also, if no one comments back, the conversation will become stagnant.  
The blogs I chose to comment on were: 

• Paige Walker - I commented on her Thing 1 post because I found it very interesting that we both picked Habit 2 as the easiest habit to follow and Habit 3 as the hardest.  I also commented on her post about Flickr.  We both had the same problem with uploading pictures to our blog from Flickr, so I told her how I found a roundabout way to upload my pictures.  I hope it helped her!
•  Taylor Plummer - I commented on her Thing 2 post, telling her that her carefree writing style inspires me in my own blog.  I have never been very good at creative writing, so hopefully through this blogging experience, my horizons will be widened.

• Kala Burch - She was one of the first people to comment on my blog, so I thought it was only fitting that I comment on hers.  I commented on her Skype post.  She had good ideas about how Skype could be used by students to form study groups.
• Jessica Daigle - I saw that she chose Pandora for her Web 2.0 tool, so I decided to comment on her post.  I just recently started using Pandora as well, and I love it!
• Lea Avrit - I was looking through classmates' blogs and I noticed that she had the same background as me! So of course, in my love for everything books, I had to comment and give her kudos for her good taste:]

I absolutely love the blog, Gently Hew Stone.  This is the blog I chose for Standard 6.5.  I thought I would pick a blog, read one post, comment, and be done with it.  However, I started reading more of his posts and before I knew it, I had spent an hour just on this one blog.  Since I found the blog, I have checked back every day to see if there are any new witty, yet inspirational posts about teaching in today's world.  Huston's posts are so down-to-earth and relatable.  I commented on a post about how parents and students today expect teachers to cater to every excuse in the book.  He created comical scenarios that described how ridiculous it would be to bend the rules for every situation.  I commented that I knew many people like this in high school, and a few now in college.  I said that I applaud his view on teaching and I can really tell that he actually cares about his student's education.  Sometimes what is best for someone isn't what is most pleasant or easy, but it's what is necessary.


Also, after Dr. Wall introduced us to her in class, I decided to explore The Pioneer Woman's blog.  All I can say is, I love this woman.  Her posts are so funny and charming, and they almost always relate to my life.  I have looked through her recipes, and I can't wait to try some!  She posted a blog about a girls' trip she recently took with her sister-in-law and their daughters.  I commented that I know how relaxing and fun a girls' trip can be.  The summer after my senior year of high school, I took a trip to California with two of my best friends, my mom, my grandma, my friend's mom, and her sister.  It was the best trip of my life!


I will definitely be checking back with all 7 of these blogs throughout the semester and leaving many more comments!

Until then,
KBearden:]

Thing 3: Importance of Blogging

A blog would be a very useful tool to use in the classroom.  Some ideas that I have about utilizing a blog in my elementary school setting are:

• sharing ideas and lesson plans with other teachers at my school and around the country
• sharing motivational tips and anecdotes to raise spirits
• communicating with parents about homework assignments, class activities, and other public information
• posting exceptional classroom work
• linking with a class in a different state and having my students become pen pals

I especially like the ideas of posting student's work.  I think that student's work should be posted all over your classroom to make them feel pride in their work.  However, there is only so much space in a classroom.  So, a blog would be a great place to post work.  You could even have a weekly blog: Great Work of the Week!!  I think the children would be really excited to get on the blog every week to see who did the great work of the week. Of course, you would have to eventually put everyone's work up there so no one's feelings got hurt:]

While in the teacher education program, this blog could be used as a tool to communicate with other student teachers about their experiences in teacher education.

KBearden:]

Thing 2: Creating My Blog and Avatar

I am not a very creative person.  Therefore, my blog name is my first initial and my last name.  Boring, right?  I really need to work on my creativity so I can create fun lessons for my students.

The blog was not hard for me to create.  The website had step-by-step instructions and it only took about five minutes.  As long as I have directions, I can get the job done pretty easily.  I wanted a profile that reflected my interests, so I chose a background with: BOOKS!!  I have been called a nerd my whole for loving to read so much, but I definitely don't let it bother me.  I want to be an elementary school librarian and hopefully instill in them the same love of learning and reading that I have had from a young age.  Both my mom and my grandma are librarians, so I guess it is in my blood!

My avatar is a pretty good representation of my personality.  She is simple, but still pretty.  I feel that is the way I present myself to the world.  I am not someone who always has to wear makeup or dress up to impress people.  I feel that if people cannot accept me for my natural self, then they don't deserve to be in my life.  My avatar looks pretty similar to myself.  I have brown hair and green eyes, and her hairstyle is remarkably similar to my own. She is wearing a pink shirt because pink is my favorite color.  I wear jeans practically every day, so I dressed her in jeans as well.  I wanted people who read my blog to see me for who I am, not just a made-up character.

KBearden:]

Thing 1: Being a Life-Long Learner

I strive to be a life-long learner everyday.  The habit that comes most easily to me is to accept responsibility for my own learning.  Since I was a young child, I have always been my strongest motivator.  My family, teachers, and friends pushed me to do my best, but in the end, I had the highest expectations for myself.  Now that I am in college, it is very easy to skip class or just miss one assignment.  However, I know what my best work looks like, and I will not be satisfied until I have met my goals.  I believe this will be a great benefit during my life.

The hardest habit for me to follow is to view problems as challenges.  I get stressed out very easily.  So when a problem arises, I tend to overreact and create needless tension.  It takes me a while to realize that it will be okay in the end.  I have trouble seeing the bigger picture and get bogged down with the problem.  I have a tendency to give up instead of persevering and learning a valuable lesson from my mistakes.

During this learning experience with Web 2.0 tools, I would really like to learn about podcasts.  I have heard about them, but I have never used one.  I have heard they are a great teaching tool, so I would like to learn how to make one to use with my future students.

I did not have a hard time setting up the blog.  It was pretty straight-forward.  I was wary about blogging, because I don't like writing very much, but so far, it has not been that bad.

KBearden:]