Friday, September 2, 2011

Project 3 C4T

I posted this comment on the Keeping Kids First blog by Kelly Hines. Kelly is a fourth grade teacher in Washington, NC. She posted information about a wonderful conference tool called Rondee. It is a wonderful resource for parents, teachers, and students. Teachers and parents that find themselves unable to make it to a "web-based" conference can use Rondee to attend a conference via computer, cellular phone, or home phone. Kelly attended a conference from the sideline of her son's football game.

I feel that Rondee is a great because it has so many functions to help parent teacher communication. Also the students are able to get involved using it for things like organized study groups. Rondee is free and its multiple functions are helpful in the home and the classroom



Hi Kelly,

My name is Kevin Hutchinson, and I am in Dr. John Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I am new to blogging, but I am quickly learning the advantages of it. I am always in a rush and Rondee seems awesome. As the son of a former teacher, who was also in a constant state of rush and panic, I see how this could be helpful as both a parent and an educator. Can parents have conferences with teachers using Rondee? Also I noticed that students could set up study groups via Rondee. Have you done this with your students? And how have they responded to it?


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I recently visit visited Keeping Kids First, and I read about students using Skype to read books with other classrooms across the country. Kelly Hines had her students reading and collaborating with other students using Skype, and all the students were able to learn something from each other. Kelly's kids used a book read to them by another class to help them with their Geometry lesson. The students were engaged to the extent that they became creative and innovative. They made multiple use of their reading experience.

Reading is an important activity. Many children have no desire to pick up a book. Books can take someone to a place they never dreamed of going. Emily Dickinson said "There is no frigate like a book." Ms. Hines has taught her students the numerous ways in which books are useful. And through her "Read Across America" activity her students have learned the places a book can take them.

Hello Kelly,
My name is Kevin Hutchinson. I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. Using Skype for learning amazes me. It seems to be one of the best new ways to keep the students engaged. Being able to use a book read on Skype to help teach your Geometry lesson shows how engaged the students were. So many children think that reading is a waste of time. But this is a great way to keep reading alive.

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