Private Life Really?

I read this article today from www.stuff.co.nz.


This is a very interesting article with some equally intriguing comments.

Are teachers allowed to have private lives? Are we bad teachers if we do? Are we a special class of people? Are we solely responsible for the country's future as some believe we are?

Good Teaching and ICT

I have learned a lot in the past few months. It is hard to believe that I didn't even know what blogging was 6 months ago! Now I wouldn't be without it.

The most significant revelation is that I am a much better teacher because of it. I am invigorated and inspired on a daily basis. My passion has been rekindled and I am reminded of why I became a teacher to begin with.

I often ask myself why I teach (usually in those moments when you are overwhelmed with the sense of responsibility) and I always come back to the fact that I have a chance, an opportunity to assist in and facilitate in shaping the lives of my students. I care a lot about my kids and I have yet to teach a child that I couldn't imagine making a difference to their world (Yes it's a cheesy and romantic notion but totally possible!). Check out my new class blogs (which are still under development) that are all about making a difference.

I believe one of the reasons that the ICT experience has brought a fundamental change to my teaching is the opportunity to network and share with like-minded professionals, teachers who are inspirational and talented.

I am again excited about my classroom practice and challenging my students.

Long Time Posting

It has been a while since I have posted. It is school holidays here in NZ and I have been spending a great deal of time reading about all the wonderful things other people have been doing!
I have come across some excellent sites -- thanks mostly to Kevin Jarrett (be sure to check out his blog as it is jam-packed with excellent resources). A favourite today is www.dipity.com where you can create timelines. I see this being used extensively in reading as well as topic studies.
Mostly this week I have been joining online communities (or reacquainting myself) such as twitter, diigo, Classroom 2.0 and joining up with ad4dcss!
A lot of the conversations and discussions I have come across are very much ICT oriented which is great but I would really love to find a community that is all about teaching and learning. A community that can help with planning and ideas. Like-minded people who can assist in the creation worthwhile learning activities -- whether web2.0 is included or not? Is there anything out there?
For me, web2.0 and ICT are merely tools (albeit excellent ones) in learning. Let's not lose sight of that.

I have also had to change my template as the one I have been using has gone a wee bit funny!