My feelings on classroom blogging are mostly positive. I think that classroom blogging is a way to involve the students with current new technology. Classroom blogs can be controlled by the teacher, so that she permits the postings or not. Also, there is danger in opening the classroom blog to the world; it can be limited to just the class participants. Reading and writing in the 21st century is moving away from books, and onto finding, sorting, reading, relevant information on the web. We all have become globalized citizens, we have to learn and solve problems in new ways.
A benefit of classroom blogging is that new ideas can be shared, everyone helping each other on an assignment. A specific way to use blogging in the classroom is peer editing in the course of an English or Social Studies essay. For instance, an English 10 class I am in, is doing a Critical Lens Essay in conjunction with finishing the play Macbeth. I think one of the most difficult parts of this essay is interpreting the quote correctly and applying it to a work of literature you have read in class. It is a fairly daunting task for many. Literary elements within the work are always an issue to remember. Peer editing would give suggestions/corrections/ideas to the students.
5 comments:
Kathy, I think you are right on with your comment about peer editing whether it be in English class or editing and commenting on ideas in a science class. Discussion is free and not rushed on a blog and so ideas can be considered before they are shared.
Kathy, if you were the one who was setting up the blog in English class what do you think your role would be? I'm struggling with what to do with a blog that is created. Part of my thinking is that the blog is a stand alone, a tool for students to use to communicate with each other in a less risky environment. The other part of my brain wants to DO something with the blog - make comments on the posts, pull a lesson from them or assess it's effectiveness somehow. Is it enough to just have a forum?
Julie,
If I wanted students to respond to an entry on my blog, I would place an assignment (say- interpreting a Critical Lens quote), and have them respond to it. It would be great to have everyone on computers at the same time, so they could share ideas simultaniously. Then they could brainstorm their ideas with classmates as to how you would write the given essay. Critical lens is always difficult, as there are so many items that should be included. I think it would help them to share with each other, as I am not always thinking of the questions that are in their mind. If everyone was on computers at the same time, I would have to "approve" comments quickly to keep the pace of the class going. I don't know how practical that is?
I don't think it is enough to just have a forum; I think ideas have to be seeded or questions asked.
How could you do a review for a test? Is it possible to math on a blog?
Kathy, you said, "If everyone was on computers at the same time, I would have to "approve" comments quickly to keep the pace of the class going. I don't know how practical that is?"
What you can do to make this less cumbersome is to remove your comment moderation from the blog at the beginning of the class period so that while you and the kids are all on at the same time and kind of monitoring each other in person, the comments are appearing immediately. Then at the end of the class period, put the comment moderation back on so that it's allowing you to filter when you aren't looking over their shoulders in person.
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