Blog #9

For blog post #9, we were assigned to view four videos: First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class, Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1, Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 2, and Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 3. In my future classroom, I will use the blogging technique that she uses in her classroom. I will have my children create their own blogs. The students can use this as their digital journals. Having the children blogging would benefit them in several ways. First the students will be practicing literacy. They will build communication skills as well. Also they will be able to make friends with children their age around the world. They can learn about the different climates around the world by communicating other students from different areas. Ms. Cassidy talked about collaborating with other classes around the world and have other students assigned to comment on her student's blogs. The students will not only learn that their blogs can be viewed by everyone in the world, but they will also learn online safety. As an educator, it is important to teach our students about online safety. It is our job to protect our students. The impediment I would most likely encounter is parental approval. Parents hear horror stories about predators online. They hack into games to try and get information from children. Parents do not like the thought of their child online without them there to protect them. I like Ms. Cassidy's way of protecting her students. She does not post the child's picture with their name and she has her students use their first name only. In addition to these, I would also make sure that I teach my students not to give any clues about where they live. They should not give out the name of the city or street they live in, school mascot, or the name of a local sports team.