Teacher's Virtual Lives Conflict With Classroom

Does the youth of today have personal morals.? A teacher, or future teacher, is held to higher standards. They are role models and should portray their best assets on Book Face or My Space. What is the purpose of publishing photos that reveal inappropriate behavior anyway? Are these people even aware that this is inappropriate? Who are they trying to impress? I don't see any humor in it! There is a cause and effect issue in dealing with publications like this.

Any person who decides to become a teacher must be aware of their actions and future consequences. What kind of morals do they possess? They're setting themselves up for failure in the work force. Students love to gossip and find out about teacher's personal lives, especially in high school. They must keep their students in mind and their reputation as an upstanding citizen. Maybe part of the teaching curriculum should include character education!!! This is taught to our students, isn't it? What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Many times students idolize their teachers and try to follow in their footsteps. Students are impressionable. What are you telling your students when you have photos and comments on the web that promote lewd and inappropriate behavior? There's no good to come of it, so what's the purpose? I just don't know what some of the younger teachers are thinking about these days! They should possess certain personal qualities that are consistent with good role models.

Teachers are held to higher standards and are expected to maintain those standards or suffer the consequences. If this is not something they are willing to uphold, they shouldn't be in the teaching field. If they don't have the foreseeability to know right from wrong in their own personal lives, how can they guide their students in the right direction. Teaching is not just about content areas. You teach the whole person..., building a strong, moral society for the future!
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4791295

The Innovative Classroom

This video gives everyone an awareness of the various means of technology out there and available. My goal is to start incorporating some of these technologies into my classroom and personal life. It's brief but gets the point across. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RADBrLM8JZk

Chat Rooms in Elementary School

Although I've never used a chat room, this sounds like a good idea if done with the safety of the students in mind. Creating private chat rooms with password protection sounds like the best way to go. Especially with 1st grade students. As stated by Amy Grigsby in Alpine, Texas: www.epals.com, would be a great way to have students chat with other students. I would start with partner schools in the district, expand to the US, and then, possibly, other countries. It has to be done in a step by step process. Learning should be fun and geared to personal interests.

I like this concept and am going to try it with my 1st and 2nd graders next month. It has my interest, so I'm sure it will have theirs. Assigned projects using chat rooms sounds like a fun way to learn about others and to share their knowledge with each other. Partner classrooms sound like a great way to motivate and involve my students in a style of learning that conforms to their interests and is innovative to the district. Affording my students with the opportunities that the world of technology has to offer is inviting, exciting and something they are entitled to.

I agree that there is good and bad in using the internet with young children, but the good does out weigh the bad. One of the best ways that students learn is through peer teaching. Student to student, at the same grade level, puts the learning into their world. Many great things can be accomplished through peer teaching, with guidance from an adult (teacher). Give children a chance to do what they were born to do. Experiment and absorb as much knowledge as they can, because they want to. Let's keep them engaged! Bring their world into your classroom!

Response to Professor Luongo's Blog Sit - Article entitled "Let's Chat: Chat Rooms in the Elementary School" by Amy Grigsby (agrigsby@alpine.esc18.net)

Hi and Welcome to My Education Blog

Hello everyone,
I finally got my blog site going. I'm a music teacher in the Jersey City Public Schools and have been in public education for 25 years. I've been reading a lot of your blogs. We have a very diverse group. I'm glad we met face to face first. Dr. Luongo has been very instrumental in helping me get things going. Thank you Dr. Luongo. Blogging is new to me and many people I know. I can't wait to show them how to do it and start their own blogs. Everyone is interested in learning. Since I only teach very young children, I don't think I will be using blogs for school, but it has opened my eyes to other possibilities, such as i-pods and other computer software. My students range from age 3-7. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks.

Change is good

The world of education and technology is definitely changing the way we teach. As technology continues to advance, so does the education world. The students of today live in a fast and immediate world of communication. It is literally at their fingertips. It is a craze that has engulfed the youth of today. Teachers need to realize the importance of keeping their students actively engaged in their world. Yes, the world has changed and we have to change with it. It is an ongoing change that has exploded and is unavoidable. Change is good, but difficult to some. Where will technology bring us in our lifetime, teachers? Where will it bring our students in their lifetime? Only time will tell!