C4T#2

Post #1

I was given Jeff Utecht's blog called The Thinking Tank to comment on for C4T#2. He blew my mind, and brought up a lot of great points regarding technology and education. The first time I commented it was on his article "WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DISCONNECT?" I really enjoyed this post because it was somewhat argumentative and made me think. Jeff was questioning what it meant to disconnect- does that mean turning off ALL technology? Or, simply being by yourself, in nature, even if you are listening to you ipod while walking? He also tackled an issue that I really liked, and changed the way I think when I pick up my computer now. This issue was explaining the 80/20 rule. This refers to creating and consuming while we are on the internet. The point was that you should be creating 80% of time, and limiting consumption to 20% of the time. This is a great rule to have with students. The 80/20 rule will help them understand how to manage their time, and stay on tasks. I commented on Jeff's post, letting him know how much I enjoyed his blog. I informed him that he had opened my eyes by using the 80/20 rule, and I would begin to use it as well.

Post #2

In "DO WE BUILD NOW OR FOR THE FUTURE" Jeff discusses the importance of taking the time to teach students the necessary tools needed to be successful in the future. I loved that he used that analogy of a baseball team. Do you try to win in the moment, or do you invest in your team, and plan for future success? Of course since I am a coach, I really liked this outlook. It helped make his point stick with me. I have been concerned about teaching, and how to get a class blog started, how much time it will take to teach blogger, and monitor the site. In this article he touched on all of that. It was very inspirational, and I let him know all of that in my comment. Great blog, really enjoyed it, and I know it will continue to help me throughout my teaching career.