Reflection

I really enjoyed learning about blogging. I had not looked into blogs or realized the variety of blogs that people use.  The information and features available are fun to explore. I will continue to explore blogging and find ways to use them in my classroom. I am new to blogging so honestly, it feels a little strange, even invasive, to have a blog available to anyone. But I learned that there are ways to put parameters on your blogs which is comforting, and to be aware of what you blog. I look forward to finding out more and experimenting with blogs for educational purposes.

Sharing

I recently shared a link from Ted.com, Clay Shirkey: Why SOPA is a bad idea.
The video helps explain legislation pertaining to the internet and copy rights. It also links past legislation to the present, showing how they build on each other and how important it is to be informed as a citizen. I love to explore current events and make connections to causes and issues.

http://www.ted.com/talks/defend_our_freedom_to_share_or_why_sopa_is_a_bad_idea.html#.TydcqfjvFEI.

Student Homelessness

I was recently reminded how sever the student homelessness is in my county. I went to a job fair where the school district representatives were presenting statistics on the homeless student population. I found it interesting that the representatives spent a great deal of time on painting a picture of what obstacles the teacher candidates should expect and what issues their students face on a daily bases. I forgot that not all schools have to think about the issues surrounding extreme poverty. I forgot that teachers in other places can assign homework to students and reasonable expect that the students are physically able to do their homework. Where it is reasonable to expect that students have a home; a home with electricity, heat and a parent home to help them. The school district representatives said on a number of occasions that more then anything they were looking for candidates who would be up for the challenge and compassionate with the students.

I read a great article through a link on the Scholastic blog website called One Million Students Homeless by Caralee Adams at http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756883.