Part 1
I think blogs are a good avenue for laying out short opinions and ideas, or rants if you will. I enjoy that blogs are instant, interactive and ever-evolving. Commenting and contributing to one anothers blogs give us instant insight into people's ideas that interest us and more possibilities for further discussion. I know I have had my opinions changed on certain ideas by reading other people's points of view and reflecting.
Blogging facilitates learning in many ways. It provides new avenues of learning in a more interesting way, it assists with reading and writing skills as well as critical thinking. With students, the interaction between classmates and respect for each other's writing will prove meaningful and more powerful as they become better contributors with more thoughtful things to say.
I am a mere art teacher, but I would love to one day be able to share more art and information with my interested kids via blogging. I think its a little farther off for me, especially at the elementary level, but I am hopeful about collaborating with our computer lab person and trying some new things out. Unfortunately all their computer time now is for skills reinforcement and remediation, blogging is not high on the list of what they need to to know for CRCT.
Facebook Badge
Wheeeeee
About Me
- sharpiegirl
- Lawrenceville, GA, United States
- I am considering making this a huge turnaround year for myself.
First of all, I need to take issue with your use of "mere" to describe your job. You are one of a kind in your building...the only one who can do what you do!
ReplyDeleteI agree that it would be great to use blogging more with our students. The fact that all of our students don't have computers available to them at home does hamper this idea...but, if you go ahead and set one up, then maybe you could have it available in your room for students to use if they finish their art project early. That way you aren't infringing upon the core curriculem skills done in the computer lab.
I've got to second what treble gal said - there is nothing "mere" about your job!! I also think that there is a pervasive misconception that to blog with students means that every child has to have their own computer or at least access to it. Not so!
ReplyDeleteIs that the best case scenario? Sure it is and I would love to see a much healthier ratio of students to computers, but you CAN blog with them as long as the SCALE of the activity fits the access to technology. In other words, don't expect every child to be able to blog twice a week if you don't have computers to support it.
Think outside the box!
What about grouping kids so they have to work together to create their post? Give them two weeks to work on it as a group. If the assignment is something that can be supported by their classroom teacher, then it can become a joint collaborative assignment. When kids aren't posting as a group, they can comment.
Oh, and there is NO such thing as infringing on the skills in the computer lab. That lab does not have a monopoly on technology integration skills. They are the responsibility of EVERY educator!! We don't have time, enough computers, or certified personnel in our labs to relegate those skills to the labs.
I'll step off my soap box now, but I do want to reiterate that anything is possible - even blogging. It's all how it is structured. :)
Sorry, I meant to comment on this but forgot:
ReplyDelete"blogging is not high on the list of what they need to to know for CRCT."
No, the act of blogging isn't what they need to know for the CRCT, but when kids blog, they ARE using a variety of critical thinking, reading, and writing skills that will be tested. Remember, it isn't ABOUT the technology, it's about WHAT you do WITH it that needs to be the focus.
Well put.
ReplyDelete