C4T #2

First Comment: The teacher I was assigned to for my second C4T is Eric Langhorst. Eric teaches 8th grade Social Studies. The first blog post of his that I commented on was Missing Google Maps Classic. Eric explained his love for Google, but he goes on to discuss a recent change Google Maps has made that he doesn't like. The new Google Maps doesn't give you the ability to add as much content as they previously did and the user interface is now more difficult to use. The reason Eric is upset is because Google Maps is a tremendous tool he uses in his classroom. His 8th grade students are creating their own progressive Google Map as they move through the year. Each unit the students will add locations to their maps that are significant to their current unit.

In my comment I introduced myself and provided links to the class blog and my personal blog. I told Eric that at the time I was not familiar with the new Google Maps, but I was with the old version. I went on to explain to him that I had never imagined using Google Maps in the classroom, but thanks to his blog post I will definitely utilize it as a tool in my classroom. Although Eric was disappointed in the new Google Maps, it is still a valuable tool that can aid the learning process in a major way.

Second Comment: The second blog post by Eric that I commented on was titled As Seen This Week on Twitter....Sharing Twitter With Staff. Eric explained that he has recently started sharing some of his favorited tweets with his fellow teachers at school via email. The fellow teachers have been enjoying the links and Eric has found that teachers are more likely to "tip their toe in the Twitter stream if they see value in creating a PLN".

In my comment I responded by thanking Eric for the great links that he shared. The first link that caught my attention was, When Did Americans Lose Their British Accents? I learned about rhotacism. Another link that I'm extremely thankful he shared is The Role of Mistakes in the Classroom. The article made clear a terrifying truth, most students are so afraid of making mistakes that they're afraid to even try.