Blogging in the classroom…I think that blogging will spark students' enthusiasm for computers, writing and forming opinions. They’ll learn technical skills, but what I think will really appeal to students is learning that they have a voice online. They may be from a small town in the middle of nowhere, but they're writing online, others are commenting on it, and they're learning that people will listen. Students will love having an audience.
I’m not quite sure yet how to incorporate blogging into my science lessons because I’ve always thought of blogs as online journals or diaries. But I’m sure I can turn it into a learning tool somehow.
If I do have students use blogs, I would definitely be concerned about privacy issues. Perhaps I could require students to use their initials or first names only to identify themselves in their blogs. I also have questions about controlling what gets posted. I would worry that blog entries could for example, rant about personal troubles with parents or friends. I’m sure the technology exists which is designed to filter out inappropriate postings. I’ll just have to learn to use it.
Maybe I could just start the blogs primarily as a tool to relay information--study guides, handouts and assignments--to students and then work up to making it more interactive. So eventually I could add a part to the blog year where students (and parents maybe) can post their questions or comments. Small steps…
Good points, Lisa. I have a colleague who did a lot of blogging with her students, and I think she just relied on them knowing that what they posted was identified with them, and inappropriate posts would be disciplined. It would be hard to monitor, though.
ReplyDelete