To Blog or Not To Blog...

As I consider using a blog in my classroom, my initial reaction is to be concerned about hosting a classroom blog and the need to monitor it closely.  Our school is very strict about communicating with students outside of the school.  All blog sites are blocked via our firewall and we have had to sign an agreement indicating that we don't communicate with students electronically during their school years and up to 2 years after graduation (except via our SAU email address).  In addition to our school requirements, other worries which crossed my mind are - Will students take it seriously?  Will they be kind to one another on the blog?  Will it create problems?  Will I have the stamina to keep it going as we move along in the curriculum?

After reading the articles and thinking about various uses of a blog in my class, I feel this could be a good tool to use.  Several advantages to use a class blog are:

1.  Students will enjoy it because it matters.  The work is viewed by their peers – they will feel the peer pressure of doing a good job because others will view it.  I expect that they would want to get it “right”.  By communicating by writing, this provides additional practice.  I am not an English/Language Arts instructor, but believe firmly that we need to write often to improve.  Lastly, if their work is missing, it will be noticed by the group.
2. The blog can serve as a reference tool.  Students have the opportunity to look up previous information and refer to it as needed. In addition, students are able to assist each other in their learning.  Students may have a different explanation or method that may make sense to someone else. 
3.  A sense of community should develop by encouraging everyone to participate and communicate in a way that they are pretty familiar with already (texting) in public view. 
4.  Reduce repeated questions via email.   I am always available to students via email for questions, comments, etc.  I think it would be more efficient to use a blog for questions and discussions because it may eliminate the need for duplicated emails.
5. I can see where this will engage learners and also provide a space for “Reluctant Learners” who just need additional time to process a class discussion and would like to contribute later on – or to seek answers to questions which arise from the day.  

My opinion about blogging is that it definitely can be a positive experience for my students.  As long as students are responsible with it, I see this as a wonderful learning opportunity for them in many ways.

A.Shepler - To Blog or Not To Blog?

To Blog or Not to Blog?

            Before completing the readings this week, I, like several others in the class, had not considered using a blog for my classroom. However, I think my opinion may have changed this week. I like the idea of having a blog as a living document for my classroom. Students can read for information and contribute to the class "discussion" and then refer back to the blog in the future in case they forget information. Students who are not physically in class can also benefit from blogs because they can contribute from home, the hospital or wherever they happen to be.
            I also had not considered using a blog for teacher collaboration. I like the idea of having a technology blog for teachers like the elementary school in MD. Every teacher in the building doesn't have the same planning and sometimes meeting after school can be difficult given everyone's busy schedule. Having a blog where teachers can contribute information at their leisure is a great way to bounce ideas off each other and learn new techniques!

Blogging Thoughts

I am teaching a new technology class this year and have thought about using a blog but was not sure if a blog would be an effective tool for my students. I found a lot of information that was helpful especially the article from teachersfirst.com. I like the idea of parents commenting on their own students’ blogs and think that would be an effective tool for parents to see what their students are doing. However if a parent does not have access to the internet that could pose a problem also there are a lot of parent who are not as computer literate as their students so I am not sure how many parents would actually go and do that. 

Blogs can be a useful tool for students and can be considered like an online journal but in the article by Jeff Utecht “Blogs Are Not Our Enemy” the article stated that blogs are not just about writing but also about communicating. I had not thought about this before but I can see how using blogs can help with student’s communications skills. I like how he stated “If you are blogging with your students, or thinking of blogging with your students, I encourage you to not think of blogs as writing assignments, but instead as conversations that invite feedback from a variety of quarters on any topic.”

After reading the articles and watching the video, I am going to incorporate a blog assignment into my technology class but I do want it to more than just another writing assignment. There were so many different ideas that I read about that I am sure I will be able to come up with an engaging assignment and not just for my technology class but hopefully for my other classes as well.

Mary Budzinski: Keep on Blogging

Blogging opens a whole new world of wonderful resources for students to experience. First, their writings are geared for others to read, which includes students, teachers and parents. Because of this  most students tend to want to have their views read and like this week’s article,  Giving Reluctant Students a Voice,  by Reynold Redekopp and Elizabeth Bourbonniere, reminds us that students who reject entering a class discussion because they might feel uncomfortable to speak or introverted, actually add significant input to blogs.  Additionally, I think when students blog, they are individually inspired to contemplate and feel free to express their thoughts, with the anticipation of feedback from their peers.

The slideshare which was included in the website, Using Blogging in the Elementary Classroom was extremely interesting, especially the presentation on Blogging in the Classroom, by Lindsay Powers. What I found encouraging were the ideas she provided on using blogs as sites for a class to publish a book and create special student blogs which would keep parents informed about activities in the class and school.

Author, Jeff Utecht makes a good point in his article, Blogs are Not the Enemy, by highlighting the idea that through blogging students tend to value other students' comments about homework and this further expands their knowledge and understanding. Unlike journaling which is akin to blogging, when students blog they have an attentive discussion which motivates a continual learning process whether it relates to a debate or explanations. Therefore, I am an enthusiast of classroom blogging, not only for all of the above reasons but because it provides teachers with an innovative approach to better prepare students to become literate citizens of the 21st Century.

 

Jenni Jacobson: Keeping up with the times . .

I think that blogging is a great thing.  The younger generation is all about technology and educators should be using this tool in teaching.  By embracing this tool, we are creating an instant motivator for students to write - and to write well.  Students will work harder if they know that someone else is going to be reading their work.  In addition, it levels the playing field for all students - every one has an equal opportunity to share their opinion and for it to be heard/read.  What a great opportunity for ESL students and those who struggle or need more time to formulate complete thoughts!

I really liked the Teachers First: Big Ideas for Teaching With Blogs.  There were several great ideas on how to incorporate blogging into the classroom.  My favorite was "Week in Review" where a blog "team" would work together to write/describe the week's events.  Parents can look on the blog and see what is happening at school (great home/school connection) and students that have been absent/sick are also able to view the blog and feel connected to what is happening at school.  I think that this might even be something I may try to do for my class.  I could create a K blog and I could post pictures of all of the cool things we are learning during the week. Parent comments would be fantastic, too.  Possibly good PR for the school?

The only downside to Blogging, and technology overall, is the access issue.  Only those students/parents who have computers AND internet connections in their homes will be able to reap the full educational potential.

To blogg or not to blog, that is the question...

I have to admit, I was really not interested in blogging with my students. For some reason I did not see the benefits of it. But after the required readings I have come to realize that my students will really like blogging. I have found that it is a way to get students involved in the activity and contributing to the lesson with out having that student say anything in class. So many students have a fear of speaking in front of their peers and are very intimidated about even the thought of doing that. So this is a very "friendly" way to get the students engaged in the lesson with out fear of speaking in front of the class.

I also like that my students can access my blog anytime of day or night and I do not have to facilitate the discussion. Students love to express their opinions and blogging can be a great way for students to do that. I think that it would be very interesting to see how they develop ideas and grow in their understanding of the content.

Blogging Thoughts

I have recently starting blogging as part of my new job in the district.  Initially, I had wanted to send out electronic newsletters; but, felt that this form of ongoing communication would be a better fit for the district's needs.  By blogging,  I can keep staff informed of what was going on in our district related to technology in a timely and current fashion.

From my experience, I started to really dig into how this form of writing could be used in the classroom. I researched all over the internet how other people are using this forum in their classroom.  It seems as though students and teachers in both England and Australia have utilized this tool the best.  I found some amazing blogs from both these countries that I will be sharing with teachers as exemplars.

I love the idea that blogs are current as opposed to static websites.  The option to post to the world, brings the student involvement and expectation to new levels that perhaps was not as possible in years past.  Through my own experience with our monster project, I worked harder than I probably would have knowing that others would view it and perhaps comment on my creation.  Knowing that I am not a great creative writer and not to mention a poor artist, posting on a blog certainly put me out of my comfort zone.  However, that being said, it made me work a little harder at my creation.

The benefits that a blog offer as mentioned in the blog powerpoint, Blogging in the Classroom, by Lindsay Powers, are: commenting, collaboration and discussion features makes the blog that much more powerful.  Students are really able to use those 21st century skills to their fullest potential.  Offering a variety of instructional tools and assessments for those students that traditionally may not have had an outlet for their work is refreshing.  I can see blogging anonymously can give certain students the freedom to express themselves in a way that is non-threatening.

I will continue to use blogging personally as well as promote it professionally in the district that I work in.  I certainly see that blogging is a wonderful tool that can be used to promote literacy across all content areas that offers both teachers and students a non-traditional platform to express themselves.