Journal Entry 3 - Too Cool for School? No Way!

I found this article very interesting in how to utilize new, non-educational tools in the classroom. Unfortunately the article only gave two brief examples, whereas I was expecting many, or at least more in depth examples. In the introduction it mentioned Facebook, the iPhone, and Flickr, none of which were mentioned anywhere else in the article. The section on repurposing technology contained some interesting information, however basic. I feel that we as prospective teachers fully understand that technology such as those listed are not made specifically for the education realm and that we need to shape the technology in order to properly use it in the classroom. I was hoping that this article would offer more of an insight on ways that current teachers have already shaped technology for their classroom use. The idea of using a free computer based DJ tool for a math lesson was exactly what I was looking for. This was a great idea and very intuitive. I feel like the teachers of this course must have held the students’ attention for a long while with a lesson like that. I know as a high school student, if I was able to play around with software like that, all the while learning a math lesson I would be more than willing to pay attention to the teacher all day.

Question 1: How would you use microblogging in a classroom setting?
Personally I think this is a great tool which I have never thought of before. A controlled microblogging site would be great for students to assist each other on assignments while being supervised by the teacher. It would also be a great way for teachers to assist students who are unable to make it into a tutorial session or need help from the teacher on the weekend.

Question 2:How does a teacher learn to use technology tools in order to utilize them in the classroom?
According to the article, teachers should "play" with the technology to learn about it, and create ways to use it in the classroom. In addition to playing with it, attending formal classes and seminars is a great way to add ammo to your technological arsenal. Getting ideas from fellow teachers is also another good way to learn to use it. The best way I see to learn to use them is to actually use them for your everyday life. A sort of trial by fire, teachers to dive in to social networking, social bookmarking, and other technological tools are more likely to understand their ins and outs and be more able to shape them to their students.