The essential question that was posed in our class this week is, "Why can blogging change, or not change, the traditional classroom?". First off, I must say that blogging can change, and has already begun to change, the classrooms of today.
Today I had a faculty meeting that was very productive. During the meeting we were taught how to set-up a blog for our classrooms (talk about a coincidence!). In my district, we use eChalk, a site that allows each teacher to have their own class page to add homework dates and assignments, resources, announcements, etc. Today we found out that the site is also designed to set-up a blog very easily. Students already have a user name and password to access the eChalk site. Now, once logged in, they can participate in controlled blogging set up by educators.
I believe blogging changes the traditional classroom because we are so used to a pencil and paper. However, our students' tools have changed, and thus our methods of teaching must reflect that. I believe a blog is one of the most powerful forms of communication via the web because of it's personal reflection of student work. As stated in the article, Educational Blogging, "But a blog is also characterized by its reflection of a personal style, and this style may be reflected in either the writing or the selection of links passed along to readers. Blogs are, in their purest form, the core of what has come to be called personal publishing." Blogs promote insight, reflection, and personal views of essential questions, issues, or thoughts. When we ask our students to respond to the public about their personal beliefs we can see the personal connection and emotion behind students words.
Aside from having an opportunity to express oneself, students are also forced to reread and focus on their writing. Since what they are publishing is technically visible to everyone in the world (depending on how the blog is setup) students are held accountable for their work. No one wants to have improper grammar, horrible spelling, or run on sentences! A blog forces students to review their work before publishing, which ultimately helps their reading and writing skills.
Finally, I also believe a blog changes the classroom because learning continues to take place outside of the classroom. Students are so tuned in to going home and logging onto their computer. Students willingly contribute to discussion with their peers. This discussion often opens up avenues in which students that may not normally collaborate, are. I believe a blog does not have "social boundaries", and as a result, students are more likely to discuss their view points, opinions, and beliefs.
The traditional classroom is beginning to become innovative much faster than I once thought. I did not imagine creating a blog my first year teaching, but after my faculty meeting and this weeks research on how powerful blogs are, my students will be participating in a blog within two weeks to reflect on their element project!
Laura,
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you're able to use blogs with your own students now. Interesting how it all happened at the same time as this class!
A lot of teachers are worried about how to integrate technology into their teaching habits and blogging is a great introduction for them. Blogging is using technology and it is very easy to setup. Just think about how quickly we made our blogs for this class. It is as simple as creating an account and creating a template. Setting up blogs for your class is a little more time consuming, since you're making accounts for each student, but still quite simple.
I agree with you that it enables learning to take place outside the classroom. It expands communication between students when they log on at home and continue discussions with each other. Have you thought about how you are going to use blogs in your class? Is it going to be optional to increase communication or will it be a required assignment?
Hey Laura,
ReplyDeleteI think we all will be interested to hear how your blogging experience at school plays out. I agree with all of your points in that blogs are public reminders to think and write well. They also remove the social issues of learning in small groups or even classrooms for that matter. The specific point I found most interesting was the student's willingness to engage with material outside of class. This is my first blogging experience. I posting something and I am excited to hear back from people what they thought. Hence, I am enjoying this dialogue and have learned from the various perspectives.
- Jon
Hi as83149p,
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question, my co-teacher and I would like to utilize our first blog experience as a project reflection. I will develop a reflection question, similiar to the idea of the essential question we had for this assignment. I want students to share their thoughts on the project - what they liked, what they didn't like, what they found out that was the most interesting to them. I will probably make this count as a homework assignment because I want all the students to experience the blog at least once. Than at further points we can utilize the blog freely for communication.