Monday, September 3, 2012


Welcome to 21 Things for 21st Century Educators! This is the blog for our course, and it is where you will start your nine-week online learning journey. One of  the great things about this workshop is that it is completely online, which means you can work on each activity at at time and in a place that is convenient to you!

This week you will complete your first two "things" for the workshop. This course requires hands-on participation and encourages exploration of the tools used in each activity. Don't be afraid to experiment. :) I promise you won't mess anything up. If you ever need help with an activity, please feel free to email me or even one of your other classmates for assistance. Email communication and responding to blog posts are essential to success in an online course.

Thing 1: Read and navigate a blog
Read the "About the Course" page of the blog so you are aware of the course content, goals, and expectations. Make mental note of any questions you have about the course.

Thing 2: Comment on a blog post and read other comments
Write a comment on this "Introduction" post introducing yourself to the other members of the course. One of the course expectations is that you communicate and share ideas with other course participants, so it will be important that you have some sense of community with each other, even though you won't be working together face-to-face. Be sure to tell your name, which building you work in and what you teach, and share something that will let us know about you as a person. If you have any questions about the course after reading the "About" page, be sure to list those in your comment.

Tech Tip:
To post a comment on the blog, scroll down to the bottom of the post, click where it says comments (if you are the first to comment, it will say "no comments"). On the "Comment as" menu, select Google Account and sign into your account if necessary. Make sure you type in the captcha code below the box if one shows up, and then click submit. Be sure to sign your name to your comment! To read comments posted by others, click below the post where it says "comments".

If the word "blog" is new to you and you're not sure what I mean when I use terms like "post" and "comment", be sure to check out this great video that explains it all.

Blogs in Plain English video

If you need help making a comment on this post, be sure to check out this quick tutorial video.


how_to_comment_on_a_blog_post

9 comments:

  1. Hi, my name is Robin Williams. I am the reading interventionist for Elem. West. I signed up for this course to keep current on technology and consider myself a true novice. I am married and have two married children. My daughter is expecting our first grandchild in January. (Now you also know how old I am)

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  2. Hello, my name is Michelle Brown. I am the literacy coach at the Primary. I am excited to take this course so that I can learn more about technology and how to utilize the features in my lessons.
    I am married and have two beautiful daughters, Lauren and Kennedy. I love spending my free time with them at the lake and at my daughter Lauren's volleyball games.

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  3. Hello, my name is LaVene Kline. I am a part of the Special Education team at the Junior High. I am married to the love of my life, Dan. My son, Zac, is an Army Ranger Master Sargeant and my daughter, Julie, is married to an Army Sargeant-Major. Zac has two little boys and Julie has a son and a daughter. Family is the joy of my life. New technology scares me. I am taking this course to increase my technology skills.

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  4. Hi, my name is Kayla Blankenship. I am a 2nd year, 3rd grade teacher at BEW. I enjoy traveling to California, Missouri (where I grew up) to see family. I have a 6 and a half month old nephew. He is my pride and joy!

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  5. Hello fellow classmates! My name is Nina Henson. I have taught 4th grade for 4 years now and love this age. I also have 3 children of my own. (Chandy is 16, Trey is 14, and Aubrey is 9) My husband, Jeramie is a Children's Pastor and I love serving along side of him too! I am currently taking 2 Master's classes so, I chose to take this class because it would keep me from adding another meeting time to my calendar. I am nervous about technology, but hopeing to learn much and feel successful in the end!

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  6. Hi, my name is Shannon Culver. This is my 12th year of teaching. I am married and have three children. Reagan is in second grade, Jayce is in kindergarten, and I have a four month old at home. I am excited about learning new technology to use in my classroom!

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  7. Hello, my name is Nancy Brashers. This is my 19th year. I am married with three beautiful active boys. I have Justus, 8th grader, Brady, 6th, and Anderson, a 3rd grader. I am excited about learning more about technology and taking time to learn new things.

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  8. Hi, I'm Jen Lawson. This is my second year of teaching Spanish at the high school. I am married to my wonderful husband Cody and we have two dogs (no kids yet) that we love to spend time with outdoors. I am taking this course because with technology changing so rapidly, I want to try and keep up. I am also on a technology action team at school, so I'm always looking for new ideas to bring to the table.

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  9. Hi Everyone! My name is Donna Schisler. I am entering my 20th (eek) year of teaching here in Branson. I am married to Monte Schisler. We have no children of our own, but we do have 7 nieces and nephews we love to spoil and then send home to their parents! I'm taking this class because I get really nervous with anything technological, but I really want to understand it and be better at it to help my students. Overall I'm pretty afraid that something will blow up if I hit the wrong key, but I'm excited to join this adventure and look forward to getting to know you all!

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