Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Blogging in the Classroom

I have never used blogging in the classroom. However, I see the potential of blogging as a very powerful learning tool for students. Next school year I intend to develop a classroom blog. In this blog I want to accomplish a few different goals.

1- The first goal is to have a collaborative environment where students can post thoughts and ideas based on learning targets in the classroom and questions based on classwork. I love the idea of positing a question and having all of the students answer the question on the blog. Students then can be responsible to comment on each others' work and learn appropriate communication skills when blogging. This will not only allow students to learn from each other and promote higher order thinking skills, but it over time also will give students a chance to see what makes great responses.

2- The second goal is to give students a place to publish and showcase their writing and ideas. What a great way to receive feedback from others! This also will hopefully make students look closely at their writing to see if it truly is a quality piece of writing. As an upper elementary school teacher, I constantly am amazed how often students do not edit their work for even basic writing conventions before turning in their writing. Hopefully by publishing their work for the world to see, students will take more time and effort to make sure they are publishing quality work.

3- I love the idea of keeping a blog for past classes as well. Next year I will teach 6th grade in elementary school. I would love to have these students give advice to future students on how to be successful in middle school, much like what was seen in one of our videos this week. I think this is a fantastic way to build up the community in a classroom. It will give the shy students a chance to have more of a voice and help everyone get to know each other better.

4- Finally, I love the idea of having a homework help or a questions section of the blog where students can go on and ask questions. If students get in the habit of monitoring the blog, they can help each other. I can also monitor the blog and answer questions and make comments as necessary.

For all of these reasons (and I am sure so many more), I think blogging can be a very powerful tool in the classroom. Working with 10-12 year olds, I have the opportunity to really help students learn how to use this technology safely and appropriately. Truly, now that I started using blogs, it is my responsibility to share this with my students as well.

-Jill

3 comments:

  1. Jill,
    I agree with you that working with 10-12 year olds is a great time to use blogs in a more independent way than in previous years. While blogging is a great tool to use for a variety of classroom activities it is important that students are explicitly taught how to use this technology in a safe and ethical manner.

    I am a little hesitant starting blogs where students have the ability to post comments publicly. I find that middle school students are often impulsive and don’t always fully think through what they have to say before it comes out. I find this to be true particularly when it comes to interacting with others online. There seems to be a disconnect between what kids will type and what they would say to someone face to face. Often this disconnect can create misunderstandings and conflict between students that can carry over into the school. Texting, Facebook, and other social networks used at home can be a place where conflicts can arise. Our counselor often finds herself dealing with bullying and gossiping that originated online.

    That is not to say that students can learn how to appropriately interact online. Before my students receive their e-mail account at the beginning of the year I have them participate in a webquest and class discussion about the purpose of school e-mail and how to communicate through text. I try to make this a big deal, so students realize that this is a privilege and that they could lose these privileges if used inappropriately.

    I think that I would begin with my students’ blogging on a class site where I monitor the comments before they are posted. Once students have proved that they understand how to post and comment appropriately, I would then allow them to post without my filter or create their own blog.

    Your 3rd idea got me thinking that we could start a blog where our students could communicate with each other. We could possibly partner up students and have them discuss/share ideas on a particular topic or theme. This could be a great way for students to write to an authentic audience and begin learning how to use this technology tool for educational purposes.

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  2. Thanks for your comments Katie! I agree that we would really have to teach students what appropriate comments look like on a blog and have consequences if students do not use it appropriately. At the fifth and sixth grade level, I still have those impulsive students who often leap before they think. However, I think through specific expectations and training, students can be successful. My biggest concern is access to technology so students can actually participate in a blog regularly. Most of my students have Internet access at home, but I work with a lot of Native American students who live on the reservation and do not have Internet access. With my building's computer lab often being used for MAPS testing or MSP testing, I am lucky if I get a chance to use the lab more than once a week. I am not sure how I will manage this. I also am not sure what to do with those students whose parents do not want their students doing anything that is published online and will not sign parts of our district technology agreement. Any suggestions?

    -Jill Morris

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  3. Hey Jill!
    I absolutely love your ideas of how you plan to incorporate your blog as a learning tool into your classroom. I think it's a great idea to use your blog to boost/motivate good writing skills/practice. I can imagine how frustrating it must be to be an upper elementary teacher and still have students making careless mistakes on writing when you know they know how to correctly write. I also loved your idea of using your blog for past students to still feel connected. It could also be great for future students. I'm sure when parents find out who their kid's teacher is, they would love to look them up and find an outstanding teacher blog. :o) Your idea for homework help on your blog is a great idea too. You could also post some FAQ's for students or even for parents. My challenge for teachers using websites such as teacher websites or blogs, would be the students that aren't able to have access to internet. I read where you also had this concern. A suggestion for you would be to have a Hispanic night or a night for those without internet access to come to school and use computers to get involved in the blogs. Our first grade team holds Math nights at our school to show/teach parents math games and our SMART Boards. If your school doesn't do this, maybe you could suggest some kind of a community night once a month at your school for families to stay connected and involved. Great job Jill! Your blog looks great so far! :o)

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