CEDO525 Week One

I must admit that to begin this class I was a little leary of just how exciting it was going to be or rather not be. I must say that so far I have been very pleased with the curriculum and especially the book. I just got my book today but found the reading to be very insightful and very rewarding.

I usually can't stand reading textbooks but this one is the exception for me. I have never been a fan of KWHL for my curricular area, however, this book made me see the error in my ways and I've found this to be something I truly could use. I also found it interesting that ch. 1 showed me a way in which I could use survey monkey in my classroom beyond pushing it for student usage. I like Survey Monkey and find it usefull but just had found a good use for it for my own part of the education system. In addition, I also liked the web showcase idea provided in chapter 3. I currently have my Architecture students printout each of their blueprints for their homes and the best ones I hang in my classroom on my walls. The problem with this is that the parents don't have access to these except on the rare occassion of maybe a parent teacher conference. I think it is really important, even for high school students, to be able to demonstrate to their parents what they have accomplished. Often times our students don't get the praise they desire or desreve and the ability to get some kudos from their parents may just be the highlight of their day.

In all, I think there are several things from these readings that I can implement into my curriculum immediately. I intend to go back and reread these chapters so I can take notes on all the ideas I've conjured up with these new ideas. I look forward to what the future will bring with this book and I must give the Authors a lot of credit for making this book relevant and fresh.