Week 3 -Blogs and RSS

After reading more about blogs this weeks I have discovered a fantastic blog all about project based learning. I found this by reading "beyond school" the blog mentioned in the digital tools section of this weeks activities. I really connected with ClayBurell's concern in "teaching grammar on the titianic" that we are not developing our students to be real word adults that we are not giving them units of work that make a difference, that are relevant and useful to their development and the community. He feels that as teachers we fear being controversial, that we are teaching our students to be critically literate but on safe subjects. He suggests teachers redfine themsleves as community leaders afterall isnt that why most of us have gone into teaching to make a difference to our communities youth to help them be the best they can be.

So rather than using digital tools for the sake of using them because our students are digital natives, we need to use these digital tools to help our students make a difference in their community. Help them to build real life skills and undersatnaidng of what happens in the real world not just at school.Project based learning is one such way of doing it.

This blog has fantastic ideas and webinars to follow to gain a better understanding of how project based learning can work http://reinventingpbl.blogspot.com/

So today not only have I found a blog that so accurately describes my vision of teaching that I dont want to be "schooly" or to be "like other teachers" I have subscribed to these two blogs using the RSS link so I can stay up to date and to read like minded comments. I have never subsribed to a blog ( other than my elelarning cohort) before and it really was simple syndication!

I can see a vital a time saver RSS is. As a teacher trying to monitor class blog, how important to be syndicated to each one will be. I have also found reading my fellow e learners posts as they are sent to me far easier than searching for their blog each time I want to see what they are up to. A time saver that I wish I had taken note of before! This digital immigrant is learning fast.

(Image courtesy of clipart)