tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438136501084610402.post5169780835983900505..comments2011-04-21T07:44:50.990-07:00Comments on Mike Brown's Blog: Thoughts on BloggingMike Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07196603568733055120noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438136501084610402.post-12071670011780961782011-02-23T10:30:02.540-08:002011-02-23T10:30:02.540-08:00Hi Mike,
You bring up many excellent points about...Hi Mike,<br /><br />You bring up many excellent points about blogs and possible uses (or limitations). Even if you don't find them useful for your instructional purposes, it may be useful for you to start or join a professional blog that may inform you as an educator. Just reading some of the posts here shows how useful it can be to get ideas and resources from other educators in the field.<br /><br />MaryMary Houghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07423682958629548984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438136501084610402.post-87757966423043571122011-02-20T10:53:36.095-08:002011-02-20T10:53:36.095-08:00Hi Mike,
Great first entry! I think you made som...Hi Mike,<br /><br />Great first entry! I think you made some really nice points about how blogs can realistically be utilized in math and engineering type classes.<br /><br />I have to say, however, that I agree with Tom when he states, “Sometimes the best technology is no technology.” I teach middle school math, and I know for a fact that many of my students learn best when they can combine hearing what I am saying, watching what I am doing, and copying down the information. There is a certain face-to-face interaction that is really important in teaching a subject like math, especially because it is so difficult and frustrating for so many students. Also, it is necessary to be present when many students are learning math because as an educator you can identify their mistakes, and talk them through multiple ways of correcting their errors.<br /><br />That being said, I feel that there is clearly a necessity for having a hybrid-modeled class if you’re interested in utilizing a lot of technology in math or engineering. I think blogs and wikis can be EXCELLENT tools at home, as a supplement, for things like posting assignments and allowing students to chat about homework. Again, however, they can’t be used for everything.<br /><br />-AmyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1438136501084610402.post-3215413872555752772011-02-20T08:04:09.374-08:002011-02-20T08:04:09.374-08:00Hi Mike,
I agree that not every technology can be...Hi Mike,<br /><br />I agree that not every technology can be expanded to your uses. I actually quite agree that support services could be using technology quite effectively to "check in" with engineering students. Regarding your question of "will this add too much of a burden on support counselors," I think there are a lot of engineers who drop out but never talk about it with Rutgers counselors before they make their decision. So if a system gets set up where everyone communicates their feelings to Rutgers staff on a regular basis, there will be a lot more retention work to do. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though.<br /><br />Sometimes the best technology is no technology. As a math major, I'd say that the most important support tool for me was studying with classmates. Meeting a few times a week with a regular study group made school a lot easier, and I honestly believe that I learned better with a weekly study group.<br /><br />Regarding internship blogs, I actually think a Sakai site could be better. Having students use Sakai's discussion boards or fill out open-ended quiz forms on a regular basis might provide students with the trust that their responses are private.<br /><br />However, there might be some good ways to use access control on a blog. My concern with blogs is that discussing details of their internships might "out" students' identities by process of elimination if companies are looking.<br /><br />Regarding equations on blogs, there are other blog sites that allow this. Wordpress blogs can format equations using the LaTeX typesetting code. See here: http://en.support.wordpress.com/latex/. If you are familiar with it, this will be very useful. If not, LaTeX might seem complicated at first, but there are plenty of tutorials online. This is a good introductory guide: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:About.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />TomTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04466838090044887991noreply@blogger.com