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 an organized person and cares deeply about his profession and his students. He constructed his class blog as a community so everyone can learn from each other, which I think speaks volumes about who he is.

2. Comment on what you would say about Mr. McClung as an educator.

Mr. McClung is definitely dedicated. I would say that he is definitely the type of teacher any student would benefit from. He likes to bring energy to his class and seems like he would be able to relate to his student’s very well. Also, I like that he sees that his students learn better through group work rather than traditional lecture/note methods.

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?

Wow! These rules, guidelines, and procedures are so innovative to me. I really like them and I definitely would try them in my future classroom. I really like the high level of attention and energy that Mr. McClung requires of his students. My favorite procedure is the “Teach-Ok” procedure. I think it’s a good way to make sure the students are paying attention, as well as a good teaching strategy. It ensures that students are evaluating their own learning.

4. What was the first thing under Everyone needs? Why do you suppose that is the first requirement?

The first requirement was a day planner. I think this is the first requirement because Mr. McClung values time management and responsibility. This is seen through his policy for late work and make up work.

5. Note the penalties for being late (under Homework). Compare them with my penalties for being late. Comment.

I think Mr. McClung’s penalties for late work are a little clearer than your penalties originally were. You both value responsibility and timeliness though and try to hold your students to high expectations.

6. Read carefully his paragraph about what he hopes to accomplish with his blog.
Comment and apply to your own aspirations as a teacher.

It’s obvious that Mr. McClung’s blog is the center for his daily classroom information and activities. I think this is the best way to use the blog; everyone must be invested and involved! He hopes to connect the students, teachers, and parents with his blog and I plan to do the same in my future classroom.

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.

One of the links that I reviewed and found especially useful was the one to convert PDF files to word files. I have always had problems with editing PDF files, and I found some of the solutions to my problems by Googling the problem, but this link will be so valuable to me! I often find PDF files that I would like to change the font color on or edit somehow, so I will definitely be going back to this site. Another link that I reviewed was for the Plagiarism checker. This site allows you to paste student work into a box and it will detect plagiarism. This is definitely a good tool for teachers, but students would also find it valuable. Sometimes plagiarism isn’t even intentional, so students could use this site before turning in an assignment just to double check themselves.

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.

This is definitely something that is important. When I begin teaching, I will go over this list of rules with my students on the first day because I think it’s very important to teach and enforce internet safety. I wouldn’t subtract any of these rules because I think they are all very important, but I would probably add that students aren’t allowed to communicate in our class with non-approved members of their PLN. I think it’s a good idea though that Mr. McClung created a generic e-mail address for his class to use when an e-mail address is required.

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 commented on a blog post that was under the category of “Lesson Learned”. These were all obviously things that Mr. McClung’s class had discovered and learned. There are various pieces of information and news under this category, but I commented on a piece of news that regarded the cross country team. It was apparently their first meet, held in Bentonville, Arkansas, and they had a very good showing.

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 really like the search feature that is available in this blog. Sometimes I find it a little difficult or time consuming to go through my blog or the class blog if I am trying to find something in particular.

11. In what ways does Mr. McClung make his blog useful to parents, teachers, administrators, students like you, and others?

Mr. McClung’s blog is highly visible. He probably gives the link to his students the first day of class as well as the parents and encourages them to check in daily.

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’s blog is slightly different. For example, his blog includes a lot of information about himself as a teacher to make his classroom extremely transparent for everyone involved. Also, it includes links that are valuable for various people with various interests.

13. Add any additional comments you think would be useful in analyzing Mr. McClung's World in depth.

I think this blog is very valuable and a good example. I bookmarked it so I could come back and easily find all of the useful links. There were tons!