Content Area: Special Education
Last year I started using a "classroom" Blog for the first time. To be honest, I only started one because our principal strongly suggest we do it and I like to follow the rules, most of the time. Last year I used my classroom Blog for a variety of purposes. First, I wanted to stay up to date on the latest technology. I was not entirely comfortable with Blogs and how to use them and I thought creating one would be the best way to learn. Secondly, I wanted my students to be up to date on the latest technology. I strive to make sure my students will be successful for life after high school and being able to successfully use technology is a skill that will make my students successful. The third thing I used my Blog for was a way to teach the proper way to communicate, both in writing/typing and on the Internet. I was able to teach (or remind) my students proper capitalization and punctuation. Text language is not appropriate for Blogging. "It is important to understand Blogging is different that texting" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Finally, I used my Blog as a way to communicate with my students and as a way for my students to communicate with each other. I would post a weekly question. The questions were about anything from what we were studying in math to what their weekend plans were. I gave very few guidelines as to what the responses needed to look like. I wanted the students to be creative! "Creativity will be needed to apply the benefits of new technologies to education" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). The only requirements were the students had to respond to my question and appropriately comment on the response of one of their peers.
This year I would like to use my Blog for the same purposes. However, I would also like to do more. I do think Blogging should be used in the classroom and used to its fullest potential! This year I want to use Blogging as a way to learn with a greater community. I am in the brainstorming process of setting something up with the other special education teacher, hoping we will be able to figure out a way for our students to publish and share their writings with each other. The video, Spotlight on Technology, offers insight on why Blogs in the classroom are a great thing. Using Blogs in the classroom allows a teacher to teach his or her students how to respond appropriately to a question. Blogs make students more aware of editing. Finally, Blogs allow students to share their ideas with each other and build off of each other (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). I hope my classroom Blog is able to impact and teach students many of those great insights.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc.(Producer). (2011) Spotlight on Technology
Laureate
Education, Inc.(Producer). (2011) The Third Wave
I think it is great that you have already used blogs in your classroom. Your experiences could help the rest of us avoid some classroom blogging pitfalls. What would you say was the biggest challenge you faced in utilizing the blog? Did you encounter any problems with students attempting to post inappropriate content? How did you handle that? Was your blog accessible to the general public or private?
ReplyDeleteHi TracyLyn!
ReplyDeleteThe biggest challenge I faced when first using a blog was that I did not take into consideration that some of my students may not have accounts to access blogs. I did not even think of that! On the day that I planned on showing my Blog and having my students comment on it NONE of my students had an account that they could log in. So... we spent that class period getting everyone an account. Now I make sure to do that as one of their homework assignments if they do not already have an account. I also went over appropriate vs. inappropriate comments while I introduced the Blog. I am lucky in that my classes are usually very small, only about 12 students so I am able to closely monitor them and thankfully I did not have an inappropriate comments. Most of the questions on my Blog would have been difficult to respond to inappropriately. Are you thinking about trying out a Blog in your classroom?
Hi Stacy
ReplyDeleteI was reading a blog about blogs for the classroom that noted a 13 year old limit for legally opening and using various things. Do you know if that affects students opening gmail accounts? Or is it fine?
I am hoping to start blogging with my class using the school website. My class can access the website from the internet; hopefully they can blog on it without an email account. I will have to try it to see!
When you get chance, could you add the RSS link? I love not having to go check the blogs to see if someone has posted!
Lisa
Hi Stacy
ReplyDeleteOne of has to make a blog for next week's assignment. I have made a (not very good) one which I would like to invite you to join. Please can you send my your email (you can do it on the walden site if you like so it isn't "out there") so I can invite you.
Best,
Lisa
I am sorry, I meant to say I made a wiki.
ReplyDeleteLisa