Week 2 Assignment

I believe that using blogs is a great idea. It helps people come together by finding common ideas, and being able to discuss them freely. Blogs would be useful in education because not all students enjoy speaking out in class discussions. By having a class blog students can post ideas about what was discussed in class, and also respond to other classmates posts. This way all students get to participate, this helps if there is a participation grade. Teachers can also put the daily homework assignments on the blog, that way students who missed class can still know what happened that day, this is even helpful to students who attended class. I disagree with people that say "using a blog in class is a waste of the students time." I believe that it can help students become more involved in the class, and it can make the subject more interesting to the students. This is a technology based generation; making a blog a part of the curriculum is useful for the students. That way students, who do not feel comfortable using computers, can raise their confidence level.

I am planning on being an English teacher, and as I was reading Chapter 6 I thought of some ways of how I could use a blog in my curriculum. One way is to post practice quizzes and tests, that way my students can have another way to study. This also helps them have an idea of how the different exams are going to be designed. I thought that posting the daily homework assignments might be beneficial to the students, and I can also post a copy of my lectures on the blog. This way the class can have another way to keep track of their assignments, and to have more to add to their notes. Posting daily writing discussions for the students to answer, gets the class to start thinking and helps them with their writing skills. I believe that all these things can not only be helpful to the students, but also the teacher. The students can post comments on the blog about how they liked the class, they can also tell me what they think should be changed. This can help me become a better teacher by letting me know what needs to be changed, or what I did well. I believe that a class blog is useful for all who are concerned.

April Brown

Introduction

Hi!

My name is April Brown, and I am an English/Secondary Education Major at Texas A&M University Commerce and this is the second semester of my Sophmore year. Some of my personal hobbies include reading, singing, and playing the flute. My favorite author is Jane Austen.

I have one older brother, Brian Brown, who also attends Texas A&M University Commerce as a history/Secondary Education Major, but this is his last semester. He is begining to student teach at West Mesquite High School. I live with my mom, Della Brown, who works in the Mesquite Independent School Districts Payroll Department. My father, James Mack Brown Jr., died of lung cancer when I was six years old. We miss him everyday. My family is very musical. As I have previously mentioned I sing and play the flute. My mom and brother both sing and play an instrument. My mom plays the piano, she is actually the backup pianoist at our church, and my brother plays the guitar.

I have enjoyed going to college. I have made many new friends and started some great classes. I hope that I learn a lot from this course so I will be able to use these skills when I start teaching.

April Brown