Would love to be a student in 8W with Mr. W!

I got so many great ideas from listening to Landon this week. It was awesome to see a young teacher who is being innovative in using technology in his classroom, but more importantly, the technology is helping him to enhance the student's education. I cannot wait until I have my own classroom so that I can implement some of the techniques he uses in his classroom. If I were in 8W, I think everyday would be exciting because something new happens each day, and the students truly do take ownership in their work because they are able to share it with so many people.
I am really grateful that we learned how to make our own websites and blogs with Prof. N in our education classes. They are something that Landon uses on a daily basis, and I am also committed to using these tools in my classroom. Landon took the idea even further by using blogs for the students to post their work. What a great idea! They took pictures of their work and created weekly review videos.  This is a great tool for parents and families to check up on their child's work, and the quality of work goes up because there is an audience the child wants to share with!
The biggest thing that I learned about from Landon was edmodo... I am SOOOO excited to try this tool out once I get a job. Being a part time tree hugger, I think it is great that students can hand in their work electronically. Imagine how much paper that would save in a year! Its also a lot less messy for the teacher. All of your student's work is in one spot, and the marks are recorded as you go along. It can also be used as a place for discussion and commenting. What a great tool! Another thing I loved were the google docs journals. Some students have an easier time writing on the computer, so I would love to give students that option.
Landon makes his classroom work with only four computers, because his students have access to technology that they are able to bring into the classroom. Not having the technology in the school is something we have all been concerned about, but I think that Landon really showed us that you can make anything work if you are committed to working through issues.  Technology can be a great tool once you have worked out the kinks. I know that I have been fearful of trying new things in the past, but now I am excited about continuing to learn and develop my own classroom with the use of technology. There may be problems along the way (like Landon has had with the admin), but knowing that there are other people who have had these struggles before me is very comforting. It makes me realize how much support there is out there, and the benefits of using technology far outweigh the cons.
Happy Blogging everyone!