Blogs in the Classroom

For this week I have reviewed several articles that address the use of Blogs in the classroom.  (citations listed below) The articles provided some ideas for how to best integrate blogging technology in the classroom.  There are many advantages to this technology for students; however, there are some risks and challenges as well.  One of the biggest advantages for improving student learning by using blogs is that they provide students with an authentic audience for their writing.   As noted by Lisa Zawilinzki, no longer must students feel that they are only writing for the benefit of the teacher, but they may have an audience in their peers, other teachers, parents or even members of the larger community.  In order to truly benefit from this authentic audience, the teacher must ensure that they have created a safe blogging community for the students to join. Anne P. Davis and Ewa McGrail observed students working extra hard on their writing to ensure that it was constructed properly because they knew that other community members would be reading it and commenting.  Yet, teachers must make sure that this audience is in place before beginning a blogging project.  If students feel that they are simply responding to typical writing prompts in a new format without any genuine purpose or input from others, the novelty of blogging may wear off quickly. 

I believe that classroom blogs are a fantastic opportunity to encourage student discussions and collaboration in a setting that will be critical in the workplace in the coming years.  Students need to feel comfortable engaging in dialogue in a digital environment.  Many workplaces are relying on such interactions on top of traditional face-to-face meetings.  Students need to learn how to construct their arguments and express their opinions on a topic through discussion boards and comment sections.  Additionally, this format may be an opportunity for students who are traditionally more reticent in class to express themselves more fully online.  Furthermore, blogs can provide students a way to publish their work or show off something they have created to a wider audience than just the teacher.  It provides a sense of purpose for almost any task, especially longer writing and research opportunities.  For example, rather than write a research paper, students could create a blog where they post interesting findings on a topic and link to a variety of digital sources.  Zawilinski notes that students desired to do much more online than simply respond to teacher prompts.  In order for blogging to be effective, students must be given the opportunity to create as well as respond.  After all, as Stephen Downes argues, genuine personal blogs are created out of an individual’s desire to share their own thinking, not just reflect on their ideas of others. 

I think that blogging has a valuable role in classrooms from elementary through post-secondary.  However, as with any new technology, it does come with some risks and concerns.  One of the largest concerns is how much you want students to be exposed to the larger internet world.  On one hand, teachers want students to have a true audience and would like others to be able to locate the blog and interact with what is posted.  However, teachers must be very diligent in monitoring student interactions and evaluating comments before they are posted.  Students should be taught explicitly what to do when they come across inappropriate content while online or on their blogs.  Further, schools must ensure that all students have adequate access to the technology needed to be an effective blogger.  Those without internet access in the home should be giving additional time before or afterschool, or during the school day to use the school’s computer lab or media center in order to effectively maintain their blog along with their peers.  Despite the prevalence of technology in our world, it cannot be assumed that all students have access to technology necessary in the home. 

Davis, A.P., & McGrail, E., (2009, May). The joy of blogging. Educational Leadership, 66(6),  74-77.

Downes, S.  (2004, Sept/Oct). Educational blogging, Educause Review, 14-26.

Zawilinski, L. (2009, May).  HOT blogging:  A framework for blogging to promote higher order thinking.  The Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661.

Blog Review

I reviewed the blog MindShift curated by Tina Barseghian.  She is a journalist and a mother who blogs about the ways that technology is affecting our educational landscape.  The posts on the blog come from a variety of authors and sources.  The site groups the posts into the following categories: Culture, Teaching with Tech, Trends in Learning and Classroom Strategies.  The authors of the posts include educators, journalists and policy makers.  In reviewing some of the more recent posts, I read about strategies that teachers are using to incorporate the multi-tasking culture of young students into the classroom rather than trying to eliminate the practice.  I also read a post about the inventor of the GoldieBlox, a toy for young girls that is aimed at increasing their interest in STEM careers. Finally, the blog had a post about the rise of project based high schools under the New Tech program and how these schools are using technology and inquiry to teach all subjects.     

Check out Mindshift here!

Wordle

I love Wordle and have played around with it in the past.  I think that it is a wonderful tool for getting students to see Big Ideas or key information in a text.  I have used it when teaching Main Idea by taking a text and pasting it in Wordle to see what the important words are based on how often they are used.  I have also recorded students responses when they were sharing something interesting they learned from the days lesson or reading to see if we see any patterns or important terms to note as a class.  The students love the visual image and how the size of the words has a meaning.  I have not has students create their own yet this year, but I may have them write a refection on their year in fifth grade and then make a wordle of their writing.

Technobiography

Technology has been readily available and useful throughout my life.  My father was an engineer and always enjoyed bringing the latest technology into the home.  I have been using a computer from a very young age and have been comfortable learning how to use new technologies.  I have used blogs and wikispaces professionally and personally.  I think that they provide a great way to communicate with students and parents.  The internet has also become an amazing place to share lesson plans, teaching strategies and ideas with other teachers.  While I was abroad for two years, I was amazed at how far technology had traveled, even in the third world, with cell phones and laptops expanding access in ways I had not imagined possible.  I cannot imagine my day to day life without access to the internet and computers for both lesson planning and school, as well as entertainment.

In the classroom with my students, I see how much technology is such an integral and important part of their lives.  They all have grown up with smartphones, tablets and wireless internet.  All our classrooms have three students laptops and interactive whiteboards.  However, I do feel that our staff is still in the process of learning to use these tools most effectively in the classroom.  Also, despite their awareness of all the technology around them, many of my students lack access to it in their homes.  Few students have computers, and not all those who do have regular internet access at home.  That complicates my efforts to encourage students to learn through technology.  I have found technology to be a good motivator for students who struggle to focus in class.  Many of my students would much rather read and answer questions on Tickettoread.com than read a hard copy book in class.  I think that technology has a very important role to place in classrooms moving forward.