Twitter launched in 2006. It’s a free service that invites users to connect to one another by sharing quick updates about what they are doing throughout the day. Updates are visible to other users who follow you, and their updates are visible to you if you choose to follow them. All users have the ability to protect their updates, block followers, and manage their own network. Like any other social networking tool, Twitter’s value is established by those…
SearchmeView in searchme: full | lite I was scrolling through my reader tonight, and I stumbled into this quick post by Darren Kuropatwa, prompting readers to begin diving into the fabulous content shared within the first week of the K-12 Online Conference. For those who may be unaware, this event is free, open to all educators, and hosted online by volunteers. If you are interested in taking advantage of this but as uncertain about where…
Over the last few days, I’ve been gearing up for a conference focusing on new ways to engage reluctant readers. In my travels, I’ve stumbled upon some valuable resources that have me reflecting on my own work with kids who don’t enjoy reading, and I’m blown away by the new potential that the web provides for getting students excited about books! I may not be able to use these discoveries in my own classroom this…
Last week, Jenny Luca and I invited teachers and students from across the globe to join Working Together 2 Make a Difference, an online community where all of us can collaborate about our local efforts to serve different worthy causes. As our membership continues to grow, Laura and I wanted to provide a little incentive to those who post about their projects first! If you’ve joined us there already, please consider building out your pages…
I spent much of last evening and this morning helping my daughter Laura reflect on what she’s accomplished as a blogger this year and what she would like to do next in terms of helping others and learning more. These last ten months have been an interesting journey, and we’ve discovered a lot in the process. Laura has learned a great deal about blogging, of course, and what began as a curiousity about the tool…
Twitter is quickly becoming my favorite social networking tool. I follow a wide variety of educators there, and much of what I share with teachers in schools comes from this constantly growing community that gathers there throughout the day to share resources, ask questions, and point out interesting paths to follow while navigating this very wide web we engage with. In recent weeks, I’ve invited the teachers that I work with to follow me there,…
I had a lovely weekend. Saturday was spent with the writers and teachers of the WNY Young Writers’ Studio. Several new high school students joined us this time around, and we welcomed Pam Marchewka-Cornwell, a teacher from Alden High School, to the community as well. We used our time together to explore the ways in which we might gift others with our writing, which is a goal that we’re preparing for in anticipation of the…
Blogs are just the coolest things, are they not? Each time I think I have my head wrapped around exactly how they might be used best, I stumble upon a diffferent approach…a different use of the tool…that opens up all sorts of new opportunities. I’ve recently assumed a literacy and technology coaching position, and I’ve spent much of the summer learning all that I can about how to help the teachers I will be working…
Happy Summer! As this is my first one at home in handful of years, I spent the beginning of it on something of a self-imposed hiatus, reading and writing and hanging out with my girls. I’ve also spent some time thinking more about this space and what I would like to do with it for the next few months. Summertime has always meant more time for the things that I love most, including writing. This summer, I…