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?
He is very dedicated to blogging! He is able to be fun and educational too! I'm sure it keeps the children's interest.

2. Comment on what you would say about Mr. McClung as an educator.
I can tell Mr. McClung really loves his career. He is very passionate about teaching. He is dedicated to his students and goes over and beyond the call of a teacher!

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?
I love how he has come up with specific rules to keep the children's attention. I found his rule "keep your dear teacher happy" funny but very true. I think if the students obey the rules and pay attention the teacher stays happy, which makes the learning environment compatible.

4. What was the first thing under Everyone needs? Why do you suppose that is the first requirement?
Day Planner: This could possibly be the most important tool for a student. It helps to keep them organized and keep up with assignments.

5. Note the penalties for being late (under Homework). Compare them with my penalties for being late. Comment.
Having a late assignment policy is very helpful because it is inevitable a student is going to turn in at least one late assignment during a course. Mr. McClung's is a very reasonable policy and easily met by a students.

6. Read carefully his paragraph about what he hopes to accomplish with his blog. Comment and apply to your own aspirations as a teacher.
His want to share information with others is a sign of true passion. I like that he uses the blog as a way to interact with students and parents to keep everyone up-to-date and informed. I find that it would be in my best interest to use something similar to share information about my classroom with the world in a way to show how proud of my students I am.

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.
Convert PDF to Word - This is easily explained. It is a website that obviously converts PDF files to Word files. This is such a wonderful tool because it enables you to make changes to documents that couldn't be made otherwise.
Translation Website - This allows people to freely translate from one language to another. This can do wonders for breaking language barriers between classrooms around the world!

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 like his rules they are very protective of the students which is most important! I would reconsider the rule about using the name of the school for websites that are educational. Such as the comments4kids program. It is nice to see where the other students go to school if they are commenting on your blog. Plus it could establish future relationships with the corresponding classrooms. A key rule I might add is when navigating to a site not given in instruction always seek permission from your teacher or parent. With computer viruses and children predators becoming such a threat it is important for teachers to take as much precaution as possible with the internet.

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.
The category my C4K was filed under was main page which seems to be the most current and most important topics Mr. McClung has posted. It is a real mixture of fun and education. It addresses problems, marks goals, praises successes and so much more. I really enjoyed the variety in it.

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 love his different purposed pages, such as Class Rules, Social Studies, Cross Country, etc. It makes it easier to navigate directly to what the children are looking for. That way the cross country students don't have to siphon through social studies posts and information to find what they need. I also like the use of categories and the twitter feed. It made really localized all his information and made it as simple as possible.

11. In what ways does Mr. McClung make his blog useful to parents, teachers, administrators, students like you, and others?
This is great for parents to keep up with what is going on with their children's schooling. Administrators can also see the progress the class as a whole is making. As for other teachers and students aspiring to be teachers, it is a GREAT resource to use when establishing our own PLN and class blog.

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?
Other 8th grade blogs I've seen are blogs managed by the students and supervised by the teacher. This blog is more of a online bulletin board for children and parents to follow and keep up with important class assignments and achievements. It gives the students a look into how blogs work but doesn't actually give them the ability to apply that information. I like both formats and feel it would be most productive to incorporate both forms into the classroom just as EDM310. That way we are hearing from them and not just about them.

13. Add any additional comments you think would be useful in analyzing Mr. McClung's World in depth.
I really think Mr. McClung's world is an awesome tool. The more I think of it I like the term I used calling it a "digital bulletin board." It does exactly what classroom bulletin boards do such as, post achievements, remind children of rules, and display upcoming goals. The big difference between classroom and digital which is the best difference: ANYONE CAN SEE IT. You don't have to be in the classroom to see the great things the students are doing. Parents can praise their children everyday and not just after report cards and parent-teacher days. It circulates the classroom to all.