Why bring Blogging to the classroom? According to Zawilinski (2009)
- schools need to prepare students for the new literacies emerging from the new technologies associated with the internet, by integrating them into the curriculum, and blogs are and easy way to begin. Though many of our students can develop basic tool use without instruction, simply using these tools does not predicate effective and efficient use.
- The new literacies of online reading comprehension emphasize higher order thinking skills like analysis, synthesis and evaluation and can be practiced through blogging
- classroom blogs bridge the gap between out-of-school literacies and in school literacies - by broading the audience for student writing and thinking, providing a space for collaborating outside the classroom, problem solving on the internet ans learning to communicate safely - can all be developed within the context of blogs
How are Blogs used in the classroom? According to Jan Ray (2006), blogs used for education called edublogs, may be used in a number of ways such as:
- to communicate - blogs may be used as an electronic bulletin board to post class announcements for parents and reminders to students
- as instructional resource - teachers can post tips, explanations, examples, websites and other resourses for students
- as collaborative tools - students may work together on projects or teachers may collaborate with each other on curriculum or other professional development issues
- as a publishing venue for students projects
So teachers there is good reason to use the blog in your classroom, whether used as a means of communication, an instructional resource, a collaborative or simply to showcase students work - there sure to be benefits.
I agree that the use of blogs can be beneficial to both student and teacher. Just this exercise of blogging over the period of this course has allowed me to reflect on my practice and gather useful information from my colleagues. I certainly see the uses you mentioned above. For instance, developing a communication blog between staff and parents will accomplish the necessary relationship that can promote student development.
ReplyDeleteWhat I mean is that when students know that we are in constant contact with their parents they tend to be more disciplined and more inclined to perform better when their parents are involved.
I know in my own situation notes are given to students for them to bring in their parents and many times the notes are destroyed before the students leave the school compound.
Developing that sense of community between these two stake holders can certainly be accomplished via the blog.
The information posted here is very interesting, informative and useful. Coincidentally, Ghina the paper I am writing deals with the use of blogs and some of the points stated here on your post can prove to be useful in my paper; especially the paragraph that deals with "why bring blogging to the classroom"
ReplyDeleteI too think that blogging has a very real place in today's classroom, even at the primary level. Of course there are safety issues to be dealt with but the 21st Century child would be at a disadvantage if these Web 2.0 tools, especially blogs are not introduced in the classroom since they serve to motivate students to read and write effectively.
Thank you for sharing your post,Ghina.
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ReplyDeleteGhina I found the information very pertinent to blogging. I also think that blogs can be a very useful and innovative tool to teach research and debating skills. Commenting on your friends' blogs and sharing additional information make this type of work interesting and collaborative. they can agree to agree or disagree.
ReplyDeleteHi Ghina,
ReplyDeleteI found your discussion on blogs, very interesting. Blogs are indeed good teaching tools. I would like to add also that blogs foster sustained silent reading, a good way to encourage in depth reading for meaning. This is something sadly lacking in today’s students, who spend much of their time using one type of entertainment media or the other, which does not require in depth reading. According to Reading Today, research has shown that reading online material, “… revolves around skimming and scanning rather than the deeper reading needed to absorb complicated text such as a novel.” (July, 2010), (p. 6). Although this strategy is good for navigating the Web, it is not sufficient for improving comprehension. In Reading Today, (July 2010), Francie Alexander, chief academic officer for scholastic Inc., states, “It is important that kids learn to do both kinds of reading.” (p.6). She further proposes that “We have to be the equivalent of ambidextrous in reading.”
I believe that blogs can renew interest in reading by capturing students’ attention and relating what is learnt in school with experiences they have out of school.
Syndy Jahoor
Hello ghina,
ReplyDeleteYour discussion of blogs was very interesting. I find that I agree with all you have written, and some of these authors support what I myself has researched.
The one tool we can all use for certain is the blog, and that's simply becuase we have practiced using it. I like blogging, and in addition to all those uses mentioned, a blog can be used in amny other ways.
An administrator can keep in touch with staff members. Families, especially those who live far away, can use a blog to keep track of events, celebrations etc. School newsletters can be posted on blogs. In fact based on the blogs I've visited, Blogs have endless potential, and can be used for almost any form of communication.