RSS Reader

Here is a screen shot of my newly created RSS reader at netvibes. Aside from the 5 sites from class, I chose 5 other sites having to do with Math and Spanish. The reasoning behind Spanish is obvious as I am a K-8 Spanish teacher. However, I am also certified to teach secondary Math, so I included the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in order to stay up to date with the changes in math.

As for Spanish I included the Michigan World Language Association because I am a member, have attended a conference of theirs, and know it is a good way to stay connected to all of the latest information on teaching a world language. Next I picked a blog (Wanna Jugar con Migo) that has several different children's lessons, links, ideas, and templates for different activities. I will be able to use many of these ideas in my lower elementary classes.

After that I found another blog about hispanic culture, including famous hispanic people. original hispanic recipes, and pictures of hispanic people. Not only will this be beneficial for me to learn more about the culture first hand, but also for my students as they haven't been able to travel to a Spanish Speaking country. Lastly I picked a site that has continual updates of the news in all of the Latin American Countries. It allows you to pick the country you want to focus on or see an overview of all the latest news. This will keep me up-to-date with current events and will be a great resource for my students with all of the information in one location.

Social Networks

When I started college facebook was just getting started. Since then it has exploded and has spread to more than just the college scene. Personally I have seen a ton of benefits with facebook through reconnecting with old friends, staying in touch with current friends, and even getting to know new friends. I know that facebook is just one of many social networks, but the idea is that they bring people together and form a web of connections that is never ending. However, not only do they bring people together, but they do so regardless of location or time.

I have the most experience with social networks from a personal standpoint and from what I have seen from my peers and students, they are also most accustomed to using them in a personal way. Teachers at my school connect with other teachers through social networks about what is going on in their lives outside of school. This is huge for teachers as they can often become bogged down in school or be in school mode too often. Students talk and communicate through social networks and are able to "go on vacation" with their friends through pictures and posts. The possibilities are endless and we've really only begun to scratch the surface in my opinion.

As for a professional standpoint, that is where I feel everyone needs some more work. Social Networks can connect you with so many different people across the world that there are a lot more points of views and ideas out there that I personally could be utilizing in my classroom. Not only could I use a social network to connect my students to other countries and cultures, but I could use it myself to get new, fresh ideas on teaching Spanish and even integrating more technology. For the future of Social Networks I see myself connecting with more teachers who are teaching Spanish as well as Teachers living in other countries teaching English to get feedback and help them out as well. The beauty of Social Networks is that it isn't a one-way street, heck it isn't even a two-way street, but an infinite highway of information and connections if utilized to its fullest extent.