This is the obligatory "First Post".
It is an important post for two reasons -
1. It gives me something to use to set the width of the post column and ensure everything fits on the page.
2. The aspirations for creating the site can be set down so that others can understand the purpose of the site.
The first is done. On to the second.
I can recall, from when I was a high school student, the "fear" teachers had about electronic calculators. This new technology was going to destroy the math skills of every student who owned one and brought it to school. They should be banned! What right minded parent would buy such a thing for their kids?
Embracing new technology can often be troublesome. Often times, it seems, public schools are slow to adapt to or accept new innovations when they should be racing to be the first. Youth have embraced the internet and cell phone culture. If a teenager doesn't have a Facebook page, they likely have one on MySpace. Almost half (48%) of the population 12 years of age or older have a profile on a social media network. The typical American teen sends or receives more than 50 text messages a day. Almost 2/3 of teens text during school. (
Resource)
To ignore the opportunity to incorporate web content and mobile texting into the educational experience would be to pass up a significant opportunity to engage students with a modality that they are familiar and comfortable with.
Therefore, it is the intent or purpose of this site to provide a first step into incorporating these technologies into my classroom. This site will serve as a home base for future endeavors. It is foreseeable that assignments or extra-credit material will be posted on this site. Student generated content may be included. This site may also be a place where photos of school activities will be posted. I am sure students will also have suggestions for what this site could be used for.
