What did I learn in Web Tech?

During a class that I took through Professional Learning Board "Web Technology for Teachers" I learned many new things. Most of all I learned how much I still have to learn. We explored some new resources some of which I won't use and some of which I hope to use. I don't think that I will use the social bookmarking site Diigo. At first I thought I would and that it would be neat, but I have not visited it since. I think that after finding Google Reader I will use that to keep track of my favorite websites. I may use Twitter socially but I don't currently see how I will use it professionally. I really like the idea of using a blog in my classroom. I am starting to see some possibilities. I really liked the classroom 2.0 site and whenever I am feeling smart about technology I will visit this site and get knocked back into reality. I really feel that this class was valuable to me and appreciate the opportunity to learn about technology.

RSS Feeds, Google Reader, and Bloglines

Wow! The more I learn about technology the more I realize that I don't know nearly as much as I thought I did. I subscribed to the following links in Google Reader:

http://www.classroom20.com Because our school is getting smartboards this year and I would like to see if I will be able to use one.

http://www.crossfit.com Because I follow this site on a daily basis. I use it to find workouts that I can incorporate into my classes.

http://www.crossfitapex.com This is a blog by two PE teachers who have a crossfit gym.

http://sports.espn.go.com I am a sports fan and I like to get headlines without having to go to each site.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090713&content_id=5861448&vkey=news_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min&partnerId=rss_min Twins fan. Enough said.

I think I could use Google Reader to cut down the time I spend searching my favorite sites by having the headlines all on one site. It will help my professional development from the standpoint of being able to track what is happening in whatever field I get interested in exploring without having to search multiple sites on a daily basis.

I think I like the layout of Bloglines better, but one advantage to google reader is that it automatically imports blogs that you follow on blogger that don't have a RSS or bloglines link.

If I am not careful though I can see myself following too many sites, thus spending more time filtering through my information.

How Can I Use This To Benefit My Classes????

Technology is a wonderful thing. There are many neat and new gadgets available every day it seems. The trick as and educator is to sort through the new opportunities to find the ones that will actually benefit either the teacher or the student or both.

As I ponder the value of using a weblog or "Blog" in my classes I can see a couple of possibilities to help improve communication between myself and my students. I could post links to interesting articles and ask for comments to promote a healthy discussion. I think that it could be a useful place to post reminders about upcoming events (although that could easily be done on my school webpage as well). For now I think that I will continue to try to come up with ways to use a Blog with my students, but I will not implement one until I come up with methods of use that will benefit both my students and myself

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hi, my name is Greg Johnson. I teach Physical Education at Verndale Public School in Verndale, Minnesota. This past school year I started teaching a wellness class online. It was definitely a new and exciting experience. As part of a continuing education assignment I am creating this blog. At this point I am unsure of how or if I will use it as a part of my classes, but I am interested in exploring the option.