Special Assignment - Mr. McClung's World

1. What do you know (or have you found out) about Mr. McClung that is reflected in the way he has constructed his class blog?
Mr. McClung really uses his blog to teach all of his classes, not just one. You can tell that he likes to integrate technology in all of his classes. I think this is a great idea because I feel in a few years, there is a chance we might start seeing less books on desks and more computers in classrooms. Why not prepare our students for what could be the future?

2. Comment on what you would say about Mr. McClung as an educator.
Mr. McClung seems to really care of not only his profession, but also his students. It takes time to manage a blog of substantial quality, and his blog ranks at the top of teacher blogs! He is a great educator and hopefully one day I can be as great of an educator myself!

3. I asked above that you read Mr. McClung's "rules" and think about them. What do they say about Mr. McClung, his teaching, and his connection with his students? What is your reaction to these rules (and guides) as a student and as an aspiring teacher?
Mr. McClung is not only teaching these students the materials that are set forth by his standards, but also teaching them how to share their information they have learned with others. I love how he uses the key words and repetition of the words and phrases to get their attention. I also think the point system would work really well in any classroom, not just his!


4. What was the first thing under Everyone needs? Why do you suppose that is the first requirement?
A day planner. I can see how this is very important. I use my iCal daily to keep up with my busy life, and I think it is great to make our students realize the importance of being on time and keeping up with assignments and other scheduled activities.

5. Note the penalties for being late (under Homework). Compare them with my penalties for being late. Comment.
The way he does his late grades reminds me of the colors that we use on our checklist. I am glad that he has his policy spelled out in such detail; it helps students understand the penalties easier.

6. Read carefully his paragraph about what he hopes to accomplish with his blog. Comment and apply to your own aspirations as a teacher.
I like that he addresses not only the students, but the parents as well. A blog is a great way to help parents keep up with their students while also allowing them to learn about technology. I will certainly use a blog in my classrooms.

7. I asked you to review at least two Useful Links in depth after reviewing all of them. Which two did you review in depth? Describe each of the two. How might each be used? Why do you think each made Mr. McClung's list.


PDF to Word Converter is one of the useful links that I found extremely useful. It helps you convert any PDF file to a Word file, and best of all, it's free!


Convince Me is another one of the useful links that I also found useful. It allows your to debate on issues with other people. I think I could find it useful in the classroom when trying to make decisions that I can't afford to waste precious classroom time on.


Both of these links contain something new that I didn't know existed and I am glad Mr. McClung included them in his section os useful links. I could see how each could be used in the classroom.
 
8. Under Internet Safety I asked you to read carefully the rules Mr. McClung sets forth for safely using the internet. Comment on these rules. Are there any you would add or subtract.
I think this is a very good set of rules, but I would make sure that everything is grouped together and in a way that children can read and understand. Kids of all ages might stumble upon this list and it needs to be understandable by all ages!

9. In the C4K part of this blog I asked that you look carefully at one of the categories under which you assigned post was filed. What did you find? Select one of the posts in the category and review it for me.
I decided to look into the category "Student Entry" and discovered the post Focused Learning vs General Learning. A student here is discussing if schools should teach technology as part of the curriculum, or just the basic subjects. Want to know what this student thinks? Go read the post! I actually agreed with him to an extent!

10. Mr. McClung uses Edublog as his blog host. In some ways it may seem more "advanced." But Blogger has many abilities that we have not covered in EDM310. This leads to this question: Is there anything (or things) that Mr. McClung can do with his blog that you would like to do in Blogger?
I like the idea of having the tabs at the top. This might be something we can do with blogger, but I think it helps make things separate and in order!

11. In what ways does Mr. McClung make his blog useful to parents, teachers, administrators, students like you, and others? 
The blog gives an inside look at a classroom like one we might be teaching in one day. It helps parents, administrators and other teachers and students see what is going on in the classroom and just how great of a teacher Mr. McClung really is!

12. How does Mr. McClung's 8th grade blog differs from other blogs you have visited including other 8th grade blogs? Why the differences do you think?
Mr. McClung pulled all of the stops when it came to creating and maintaining this blog. The blog is very in depth and clean-looking. I think it might be one of the best 8th grade blogs we have seen so far!

13. Add any additional comments you think would be useful in analyzing Mr. McClung's World in depth.
Other than just continuing to praise the work that Mr. McClung has done on his blog, I think the above-answered questions analyze his blog sufficiently.