We were given several choices of wiki blogs that we could visit.  I chose PBWiki.  Supposedly, PBWiki’s are as easy to create as PB (peanut butter) sandwiches.  I decided the best way to determine if this was true was to create one for myself.  The name of my PBWiki is TheMillerMessageBoard.  The creator of PBWiki was correct; this was probably one of the easiest pieces of technology I have ever used.  All I had to do was sign up for a username and password and my wikiblog was complete.  It operates no differently than Microsoft Word.  The theme for my wikiblog is “Classroom Behavior and Management”. 

If you would like to visit my wikiblog, please go to:

http://themillermessageboard.pbwiki.com/The%20Miller%20Message%20Board

I posted my own idea for classroom behavior and management.  You can add your ideas too! I think it would be interesting to update my pbwiki from time to time with new topics and see how many teachers I could get to share ideas.  For example, this time the topic was “Classroom Behavior and Management”; next time it might be “Songs You Use to Teach Concepts”. Teachers could share songs they have made up or come across throughout the years to teach addition, letter sounds, etc. 

I did some exploring on these terms and this is what I discovered:

MUD refers to computer gaming.  It usually involves fantasy role playing.  For example, if you visit a MUD, the fantasy world may be made up of elves, dwarves, or goblins.  As a player visiting a MUD, you may be able to take on the role of a warrior, thieve, or priest.  As the game progresses your goal would be to acquire more skills or powers for the role you are playing in the game and to slay monsters, complete a quest, go on an adventure, etc.  Players interact with other players during the game.  The game is text driven, meaning that if you want to know what a room looks like, you have to read a description of it; there is no picture. 

A MOO is similar to a MUD.  In fact, I couldn’t find much difference in them.  A very popular MOO is LambdaMoo. Basically, LambadaMoo is setup like a house.  When you first enter the house, you can choose to access the Coat Closet or the Linen Closet.  From there you can enter the Living Room where many people hangout and talk to each other.  While in the Living Room, you can roast things in the fireplace. If you sit on the couch, some of your objects may get lost and fall underneath of the couch.  There is also a pet Cockatoo that repeats phrases he hears the players say.  It’s not hard to see why at times people use cloth to bandage the Cockatoo’s mouth!  During holidays, the Cockatoo is exchanged for other birds (a turkey at Thanksgiving, a Raven at Halloween, etc.)  There is also a hottub, a pooldeck, open fields, fishing holes, library of online resources, etc.

MUSH also sounds very similar to MUD and MOO……..it basically refers to computer gaming that can be conducted online; it also uses role playing and allows players to communicate between each other. One difference I discovered though was that players can create their own rooms, so it allows for a little more creativity.  It seems like of the three, MUSH has the most capabilities.

I was unable to attend the chat Sunday night…….I was out of town on a trip and got home late.  However, I did get a chance to read the transcript.  After thinking about PowerPoint Presentations I have viewed in the past, I am in total agreement with Nate that PowerPoint is not the “awesome” tool that it gets so much credit for.  It can be effective if used in the right way, for example, many students enjoy review games created in PowerPoint such as “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” and “Jeopardy”.  However, can those same things not be created with paper and pen?   I agree, if there is similar software available for free, we should use that instead.  Microsoft products are expensive.

Also, I don’t believe many people learn much from lecture.  When PowerPoint is used in this way, I feel it is useless.  It is a waste for a teacher to just simply type up notes in PowerPoint and read them from the screen.  BORING!  I only see PowerPoint as being useful if it is used in a way that is interactive — either in the form of a game or if the students are creating products.

I agree that PowerPoint is used badly in most cases.  One thing I didn’t see discussed though is PowerPoint being used in the form of games……..I’m curious about Nate’s thoughts on this.  I uploaded two games I created in PowerPoint to my TappedIn office.  I used these games with my class whole group.  I showed them on my television screen through the use of a scan convertor and allowed students to take turns coming to the screen to choose the answers.  Therefore, it may be a little difficult for you to follow in some cases, because it was teacher led…….(for example, in the rhyming pictures, you are supposed to find a picture that rhymes with “hog”, but you might call it a “pig” if you didn’t know better.)  Curious to know if PowerPoint used in this way is more useful as a tool or still seen in the same light…………..

In response to Nate’s post: 

What about families that aren’t “Bible People” … Do you think it’s ok to force Buddhist kids to follow the moral teachings of the Christian Bible? How would you feel if the school district adopted the teachings of the Bhagvad Gita as the “program of choice for teaching morals, values, and respect?”

I don’t think it is any more unfair to subject Buddist children to the teachings of christianity than it is for MY own child to be subjected to lessons at school on homosexuality and transgender issues (which is happening at many schools already).  At many schools, children are being taught that it is okay to be gay and that some children are born in the wrong body and have an identify crises.  This goes against my daughter’s religious beliefs, however if she were at one of these schools she would be forced to hear these lessons anyway.   Why is it that we can talk about EVERYTHING else in the world at school except God? I read an article this past summer about a senior valedictorian that wanted to simply say in her graduation speech that “her faith in God had led her down the right path throughout her school career”.  The school district wouldn’t even let her make this statement.  It was “controversial”.  But discussing homosexuality is not controversial? 

I don’t believe that homeschooling kids is the answer to the decline of morals, respect, and values in schools.  However, this article DID catch my attention.  Last night, at our SBDM council meeting, we came to a consensus to search for a program that teaches appropriate behavior such as “Champs”.  Students are becoming more and more disrespectful and it is clear many have not been taught the proper way to behave in society.  After reading this article, I began wondering how schools would change if we used the Bible as our program of choice for teaching morals, values, and respect.  I feel like this is really the answer we are looking for……..we’ve taken God out of the schools and that is why students have no respect for themselves or each other.  Of course, this will never happen because of government regulations……but it’s a thought.  http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645198753,00.html

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS02/609130320

This really disturbs me………….I understand having policies in school and this school has a dresscode policy that says that students cannot wear t-shirts with writing on them.  The obvious reason for this is because students wear shirts advertising inappropriate logos and sayings, such as for Beer Companies.  That makes sense to me.  However, I think the school should have made an exception in this case.  Some students wanted to express their patriotism on 9/11 and wore shirts reflecting that.  I know they broke the rules…..but it seems a little over the top for them to be suspended for demonstrating patriotism.  I think the administration made too big of a deal over this……..now ACLU is involved. Don’t we have bigger things to worry about in school?  Like kids bullying each other?  Just my thoughts………

I visited the Lost Library of Moo.  While reading an article called “The MediaMOO Project:
Constructionism and Professional Community”, I discovered that there was a Mud that had been created for children ages 9-13 called Moose Crossing.  I went to yahoo and searched for Moose Crossing and discovered that Moose Crossing is a virtual world where children can develop their creative writing skills and learn basic programming skills at the same time.  Students can create their own identity such as “a green fish with bright glittering scales”.  They can also create their own home and cities, for example there is one called The Emerald City of Oz.  There is also a castle…….read the description the child gave for this imaginary castle below:

It is clear that the child that wrote the description of the castle used his/her imagination.  This is why MooseCrossing is a neat way to encourage children to develop their creative writing skills. 

Not only can students create their own room/city, but they can also visit other people’s rooms and interact with them.   They can talk to each other as they are actively engaged in this imaginary world. 

I was very impressed when I examined Moose Crossing.  I discovered that teacher’s can sign up their entire class to participate in this virtual world.  All that is required is a parent signature stating that their child is allowed to go online to this site.  I downloaded Moose Crossing to my computer so that I could play around with it, however after accessing the program, I was very disappointed to learn that they are no longer accepting new users.  Only people that are already enrolled can participate. 

I think that a Mud like Moose Crossing would encourage children to increase their creative writing skills.  It is a different approach than traditional pencil and paper format.  Students could even draft some of their ideas and develop them on paper, before writing them online.  I would have never predicted that a game could be created to ehance students’ writing skills.  This is very innovative.

http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/fac/Amy.Bruckman/papers/convergence.html - article
http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/elc/moose-crossing/index.html - MooseCrossing Website

I know how to create a webpage through Microsoft Word.  I realize that Word is not the best program for web design, however the advatage for me is that I have it both at home and school.  Once I create my webpage, how do I post it on the Internet for my parents? Are there any free sites that offer webspace?  If anyone knows, I’d appreciate your comments. 

My toolbox consists of things I would use to create a distance education opportunity for the parents of the kindergarten students of whom I teach. 

Blackboard or TappedIn – I would use one of these programs to conduct online discussions for parents.  For example, one night I might hold a discussion titled:  “Tips for Teaching Your Child the Alphabet”.  I could share ideas with parents that would help their child learn.  At the same time, parents could ask me questions and/or share their ideas for helping their child learn with each other.  (The reason I listed Blackboard is because supposedly Kentucky is planning on purchasing Blackboard for all teachers to use sometime in the near future; it may even become a requirement for teachers to use Blackboard to ehance their class.)

Email – I could send parents a copy of my newsletter through email.  This would keep parents updated on events in my classroom.  I would also use email to keep parents informed of the times and dates for online discussions as well as to communicate with parents about their concerns/questions.

Microsoft PhotoStory – My students will be creating several digital storybooks this year.  Parents rarely get the opportunity to view these because they work during the day.  I would post these digital storybooks on my webpage.

Microsoft PowerPoint – I have created several interactive games using PowerPoint.  I have one that students can play to learn ABC order and I have another that helps students learn rhyming skills.  I plan on creating additional games throughout the year.  I would post these interactive games on my webpage.

Webpage – Through my webpage, parents could access digital storybooks and interactive games. They could also access important forms…….for example, the Home Reading Log, which is a form for parents to record books they read to their child at home.  I would also post links to websites that have educational games and activities for students.  For example:  www.starfall.com has books that aid students in learning to read.

Microsoft Word – I would use this program to create basic documents, such as my class newsletter.  Also, my webpage would be designed in Word.  This program also gives me access to clipart.

STI Home  - Parents can access their child’s grades online using this program.  They simply need a login and password.  I can post grades at home or at school.

Aggregator – My aggregator would keep me updated on educational issues………links to articles that I discovered that could help parents would be sent through email.