Often we feel like using new technologies are just "too much trouble" because it takes a long time to set-up and log-in, it's difficult to keep students on task, there are always technology "issues" and you have to think of new ways to assess student work. She recommends to always have a back-up plan - often technology does not cooperate with us the way we want it to. Don't waste a class period fighting a laptop cart, simply move on to another task and try again tomorrow. Don't think of log-in time as a waste of time, but think of it as "think time" for students to contemplate their EQ, prompt or assignment. Wouldn't it be great to have a blog reflect your EQ of the day everyday for an entire year?
Sarah pointed out that some benefits of blogging are that the activity "democratizes" your classroom and encourages those shy kids or kids who need more time to gather their thoughts to participate in class discussions, it's a great hook for learning and encourages depth of thought because their thoughts are out there for the world to see. Blogs can be used for any subject and in a cross-curricular manner, are standards-based and present a great opportunity for reciprocal teaching.
Blogs can be used many ways in the classroom, not only as journals. They can be an outlet for publishing student work (poetry, essays, etc.), a way for teachers to communicate and share information with parents and students (see example http://hetherington0607.learnerblogs.org/) and promotes discussion among students - not just students within your classroom walls. Blogs do work very well as journals. Think about just logging on to your blog to read journals, type quick notes and not lugging home boxes of notebooks that can get lost, stolen or destroyed.
There are potential roadblocks (or opportunities for real learning) on the path to blogging:
- Students may struggle with keyboarding...but practice makes perfect!
- Students may be hung up on spelling...but thank goodness for spell check!
- Students can't remember their login or password...keep a list close by.
- Students are afraid to post...be supportive and be sure to respond yourself to reluctant students.
- Students are "snarky"...make sure they know you are reading their responses.
- Students get off topic...post responses that guide them in the right direction.
- Students are only writing in IM slang...require them to use formal language and discuss when to use different types of language.
When setting-up your blog, Sarah suggests that you find a blog site with few ads and that offers moderation capability. Suitable sites include: http://www.wordpress.com/, http://www.learnerblogs.org/, http://www.edublogs.org/, http://www.blogger.com/ .
Finally, some tips for fostering discussion:
- Post questions that make students think and form/evaluate opinions
- Make sure you allow enough time for thinking and responding
- Have students read and respond to each other
From personal experience, I know that using blogs in a classroom can be trying. Be sure to set aside plenty of time for this exercise, monitor students closely to be sure they are staying on task and not playing, have a back-up plan in case of "technical difficulties" and don't give up! It may take several tries for your kids to get the hang of it.
Please share your classroom blogging experiences!
