It’s been a busy week for me with 1st Q grades being due, assessments to score, and trying to keep up with the 21st Century Skills course I am taking. At times it seems overwhelming with so much to do – I can’t remember a time when I’ve been in school until 5 or 6 pm at night, every night…even Fridays. But overall the work is rewarding in the sense that I feel that I am making progress in my quest to make better use of the technology in the classroom.

I’ve made good progress on my classroom blog site, and have formally introduced it to my classes. For now it is informational, with links to sites that will come in handy as we go through the year – project research sites, etc. I did give an assignment for a Study Island activity for my students as we work to review science material they have used in grades 6 and 7 at the Middle School.
In time I want to have the kids use the site as a discussion forum, until I can find a better way to do this.

Feel free to browse the site and offer suggestions for improvement –
Mr.Ruggiero's Science 8-2

I want to give special thanks to a fellow science teacher at the Parker Middle School in Reading, MA who has helped me in wading through the myriad mix of technology, and in introducing me to some new techniques and tools.

I try to post 2-3 times a week onto the site, and upload drawings, pictures and even shots from the Smart Board (another new technology for me) so that I can provide the week at a glance for my kids.

The social networking sites have been interesting, and as with anything else, I need to sort through what links seem most appropriate at this time, and try to explore and reach out in a somewhat organized fashion. I have joined the ISTE 2010 Conference Ning, as well as teacherlinx.com and hope to find these sites useful in making contacts and getting the inspiration I need!