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High Tech Reflection Strategies Make Learning Stick This article showed the effect of how implementing reflection in the classroom can enhance student learning in many aspects. Students are able to retain information much easier and are more interested in using technology to reflect on their experience. The article states how reflection is often the first thing overlooked when teachers are running out of time in their schedules, even though it is extrememly important in the students learning process. The benefits of using blogging for reflection are discussed as well. Not only do the students gain a better understanding of what they learned and how it relates to other topics, blogging also saves time and can be a motivational tool for students with the increasing emphasis of technology today. By using technology for reflection, the students won't be scared off by the idea of reflecting on their learning because of its convenience. I hope to use more reflection in my classroom which can be challenging in math class but extrememly beneficial because of how the concepts overlap. This shows me how blogging can be a method for enhancing student reflection.

Five Don'ts of Classroom Blogging When learning to blog in the classroom there are plenty of traps to avoid. The inexperienced educational blogger often makes these mistakes and then pays for them later. This is the first "don't" of this article, //Don't just dive in.// It is important to have a plan and to educate the students on the proper way to blog. Setting a clear set of rules and consequences for blogging and sending home letters to parents informing them of the forum are ideas that the teacher should consider before allowing students access. The next is actually a "do". //Do recognize what blogs can do for your students.// Blogging can make students more comfortable communicating in certain situations and can also enhance their writing skills. The third "don't" is //Don't confuse blogging with socail networking.// The purpose of blogging is as an educational tool to help students get through coursework, not a platform for personal communication to friends. The next "don't" is //Don't jump at freebies.// Research the blogging site which is best for your class and the objectives you hope to meet. Finally, //Don't force a sequential style.// You need to organize the format of the blog to meet the needs of your visitors and setting it up so they have easy access to all important parts of the blog. This is a great article for any beginning educational blogger.

Educational Leadership - Learning with Blogs and Wikis This article reflects on how blogs and wikis not only help students learn, but also can be beneficial to professional development for teachers. As an educator, reading blogs of other educators can be a convenient way to keep up with the current climate and landscape of education. However, blogs and wikis also offer many different improvement opportunities of all apects of education. The broad range of bloggers alone allows teachers to get a variety of perspectives. From an exprienced educational researcher blogging about curriculum, to reading about brand new teachers bringing the energy and enthusiasm to a school can enhance an educators overall performance. Also, a blogger who is found to show useful insight or information on one topic may become a reliable source for a reader to go back to. Arguably, the most beneficial aspect of learning with blogs and wikis is the interaction. Not only as a reader can you respond or question other authors but as a creator of a blog, you can also learn from those readers who may challenge or just plain reply to you. It also allows an outlet for collaberation to enhance student learning. A downfall for this outlet can be the time spent finding valid blogs to learn from. Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed readers are a way to simplify the search process while keeping track of interesting and useful blogs. Overall, blogs and wikis are a great tool for professional development. Constant interaction and communication with peers and colleagues can be extremely beneficial to educators. Blogs and wikis are tools that you can use without having them run your life. The power of blogging also allows teachers to have more influence than ever on their profession.