Lesson 8

A blog is an amazing way to stay connected! It is quick and easy, and there are lots of ways to add more information to your blog. Using a blog for a classroom can be helpful for many reasons.

First of all, I think a blog could be a great way to stay connected with parents! Posting updates and reminders to the blog could be a great way to let parents know about important information. It could also be a great way to let parents see a little bit of what is going on in the classroom. We can share pictures of what we are doing in class and let our parents feel more a part of the classroom.

Another way to use a blog in the classroom is to connect with other teachers. As a teacher myself, I love looking at other teacher's blogs! They hold so much information and ideas! I can find practically anything on blogs. By documenting what I am doing in the classroom and sharing it with others, it will connect me to other teachers who can share ideas/suggestions with me. A blog is truly a great way to network with teachers across the country and really across the world!

I also think that introducing your students to blogs can be a great teaching tool. In high school classes, a blog could be a great way for students to document their progress. They can also use blogs as a way to publish their work. 

The great thing about a blog is that it is so versatile. There are so many different uses for a blog. The most important thing about a blog though, is that it connects you. Whether it is to other teachers, the parents of your students, or just to your students, you are forming more links of communication. Using that communication is so important! I love the idea of having a blog for your class and I hope to implement that in my classroom this year.

Lesson 7

Teenagers are in such a tough position in their lives. They want to be treated as adults, they want more responsibility and freedom. Unfortunately, their brain development is not ready for this. But since they vocally state that they want to be treated as an adult, this is how they tend to get treated. And it doesn't help that often times they physically look like adults. I have a sister in law who is over 6 feet tall and has been since she was 13. She always gets treated as if she is older than that. I even have to remind myself sometimes that she is still a teenager and really just not that mature yet even though she looks older.

I think this is something that can be applied to all age levels. Some kids look older or younger than they really are. You can't base behavior and punishments on how you think a child should act based on their appearance. It is important to be aware of how old a child is and where their development really is at that point in their life.

Age can be really tricky, but it is important to be aware of development. Even some kids who seem to "develop early" really need to be treated at their age and development level.