Blogs

So, another idea for the interview task, from last class, would be to create a class blog. I know that I could easily do this; class blogs are not difficult to form (we should know since we have our own). I think blogger.com is a great resource to use, and other schools are using it too.

The other day, an article surfaced in the New York Times about the great tool of the blog in the classroom. Specifically, this article was about a second-grade class, but that's amazing that second grade students are interacting with blogs at such a young age! If some students are using blogs in elementary school, then by the time they get to us (at the middle or high school level), then they will be familiar with the program--maybe even pros at blogging.

In the article, students are using blogs for all different course, from math to science, social studies to ELA. The teacher implementing this specific blog says that her most quiet students are the ones who come alive on the course blog. This is exactly why I want to have a blog in my classroom. I want every student to have a voice, and many students are able to express themselves in forms like writing--especially published writing via the internet. I want to have a place where students can explore class skills and topics outside of the classroom in a relevant manner, and I want a place where students can interact with one another, and myself, because I think most of students' lives are focused on the computer, or some other form of technology.

Also, an education consultant says that blogs will probably be more effective educational tools than using websites in classrooms. Honestly, I think he is right. Blogs are student-created; students are doing all the work! Class websites are great to have, but students need to be doing all the work. In my last post, I talked about how Webquests will be a great tool to use in classrooms. They will be so great because teachers will spend a great deal of time creating a website that allows students to explore the internet in order to create a meaningful, interesting, relevant, and exciting project related to class material. As much as this is a great tool, blogs really are essential because students feel ownership over having their own personal space where they can express themselves and write to a wide audience about what they have to say.

Students will learn more from blogs, too, because they have so many more resources available at their fingertips. Students can include links to websites that relate to class topic, discussion, or material. Instead of only relying on the teacher to find websites or links, students can assist in the process, actively contributing to classroom learning. The teacher, then must acknowledge and use student-found material in order to encourage this additional work and to expose additional material that is widely available to students.

Most importantly, students need to be engaging in each other's blogs, like we do in this class. Some students might want to be acknowledged for their hard work and effort; they might want someone to respond to what they have posted for everyone to see. Response is clutch for the classroom, for students may motivate one another more than a teacher could. Peer encouragement and compliments are what students need in a classroom setting: it encourages learning and boosts self-esteem. So, why not blog? There are so many positives to incorporating it in the classroom. I'll compliment blogs as I blog here myself...why not? Don't we all just want a voice? Don't we all just want to be heard?