Back to Teaching!

I'm sitting here thinking about the start of the new semester as I return to teaching graduate courses in assistive technology at the College of St. Elizabeth. It is a very exciting time to be in this field and to think about all of the possibilities and how we can assist students with the use of technology. A lot has changed over the years and with more free software and applications that run within the browser students can now have access to tools as long as they have an Internet connection. As I think about the syllabi for the courses that I will be teaching I want to ensure that my students can take advantage of what the web has to offer not only for the students that they work with but for their own professional development. Using tools like Bloglines and Google Reader is one sure way to keep teachers up to date in their field. Using RSS feeds is imperative for any professional in helping to keep abreast in their field. Likewise, their are a host of podcasts and blogs that consistently deliver on content to help them to reflect on their teaching and to give them new ideas to bring into the classroom. Yes the times they are a changing, and for teachers to keep up in their fields they will need to jump on the Internet and learn how to hone and to keep their skills sharp. It should be an exciting semester as I integrate various Internet based projects so that my students can keep on the top of their game.

Meebo



If you use Instant Messaging then you must take a look at Meebo. Meebo makes it easy to launch any of your IM accounts right from within the browser. So if you have collected a slew of IM accounts then you should take look how easy it is to start IMing by launching a browser and going to Meebo. It will certainly make your life easier. If you use Meebo then you may want to consider placing a Meebo IM widget on your website. Take look at the widget in this post to see what I mean. If I sign on to Meebo then anyone can message me. It makes it easy for anyone to contact you. Give it a try and let me know what you think.