Throughout this course I have come to know and appreciate blogging, but does blogging have a role in the classroom? I know some schools are blogging daily as opposed to communicating with parents through student agendas. As it is often a battle completing agendas no matter what students’ age- “do I have to write that, my mom already knows,” or “I’ll tell my parents what we did today, I don’t need to write it,” are there benefits to blogging aside from the trees, time and energy saved writing in agendas each day?
I see blogging about the day- tasks students engaged in, what they found interesting, what they learned, what they are looking forward to- providing parents a window into the classroom. Including students in the writing, so their voice is heard would be important.
Thomas and Brown write “the success of a blog depends on two things, neither of which is in the author’s control: reader comments and external links” (Thomas & Brown, 2011, p. 64). I looked at the class blogs for two Calgary schools. At one school, the blogs were basically a list of normal agenda items. To me, this blog is written for parents. There were no comments or external links included, so according to Thomas and Brown, this would not be considered a successful blog.
The second set of blogs appeared to be written for parents and students. There was some student voice evident as the posts shared snippets of what had gone on throughout the day, as opposed to an agenda list. Often a question was posed to engage either students or parents in the conversation. There were comments for most posts, with some responding to the questions posed and others saying “I read the blog.” There were some links included to games and resources for both students and parents. Based on Thomas and Brown’s description, this would be considered a more successful blog than the other.
I see a classroom blog, inclusive of student voice, as a useful tool to inform parents about what’s happening in the classroom and throughout the school. I like the idea of including questions to engage students in learning through a collective outside the school walls. Having students create their own blogs would allow personal expression and “serve as a means to kick-start a collective around conversations about ideas that spring from the personal (Thomas & Brown, 2011, p. 65). I look forward to continuing on my new culture of learning journey and engaging students in the collective experience of blogging in the fall.
Thomas, D. & Brown, J.s. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Seattle, WA: Create Space.
I have also been contemplating the use and appropriateness of blogs in an elementary or middle school classroom. The more I use, follow, and read blogs, the more I believe that they can have a place in the classroom. There are two main reasons that stick out to me for blog use: First of all, it is a great forum for students who prefer non-oral modes of participation – students can write their thoughts, questions, opinions about a topic or event via a blog post without having to ‘stand out’ in front of their peers. Second, the ease of use makes blogging accessible from school, home, or even while on vacation – students who are sick or traveling can keep up to date with what is going on at school through a class blog. Below is a video link to a grade 10 student’s take on why blogs are a great resource for the classroom. It is interesting and valuable as it incorporates student voice throughout the entire video. If students are ‘for’ the technology (blogs), and engaged through its use, blogging may just be exactly what is needed in today’s schools!
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/PfJETK3am1M