Share your Blogging Experience and Tips For Educators New To Blogging - 4 views
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The use of blogs and wikis in my classroom changed how I look at teaching and learning. Students become participants in the teaching and learning like they never have before.
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Jeff Caseltine on 22 Sep 10I can see how blogging with students could enhance communication in the class room especially with grades 5 and up -
Darrick Matthews on 25 Sep 10Not only do students get to read what their instrutor is writing, they get to read what other students are saying and thinking about the subject.
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Using one blog as a vehicle through which ESL classes from throughout the world share VoiceThreads and other mixed media projects telling about their countries and responding to each other’s presentations:
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I dig the idea of "global networking" for students. It is amazing that with the click of a button that students can share information from the other side of the planet in near real time!
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I really like the thought of our ESL students being able to communicate with students in countries where they are from.
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This has been a great opportunity for students to practice language and technology skills for an authentic audience, plus learn about different cultures.
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I love the idea of the students blogging for an authentic audience! When a child knows that other people can see, they are going to want nothing more than to do their very best work!
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Below is the checklist I give students for the design of their blog. I’m big on checklists…since technology involves multiple directions and my kids are often ELL students, I can glance at their work, and tell them which step to focus on next…it’s easier for them to focus and feel that even though what they’re learning is complicated, it’s also do-able.
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As as person who is also very big on checklists, I love this idea! Going into something new, like blogging, a person (not just a child) does need some sort of direction in knowing which way to go.
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I love the idea of posting power points onto a blog. I had no idea that you could do this. It seems like a great way to the kids to learn from each other, exchange ideas and get different perspectives.
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Here is a blog post: “the use of blogs to learn not just to teach”
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You are expanding students knowledge in so many differnt ways. Blogging is a really good way to enhance students learning.
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The fact is that I am not used to letting students take ownership of their learning in this way.
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This statement to me stands out. This is very true and I think teacher's have a hard time letting their students learn on their own. By blogging students are able to do this. They learn own their own what they are interested in instead of the teacher just telling them what to read and by doing this it allows the student to go further in the topic then what a teacher might go over in class.
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This past school year, my AP English Language students used blogs throughout the year. Two projects were very rewarding: 1) One quarter they did weekly blog posts on a current issue. Each student created a Google Reader account and subscribed to several news sites. Reading current issues regularly, they had to select a topic of their choice each week and write an argument. The last week, they omitted writing a post and “comment blogged”: I required them to visit six blogs and enter a conversation by posting a comment (three had to be blogs outside our school).
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2) The last quarter my students created ePortfolios, documenting their progress toward the NETS for Student and the Arkansas English Language Arts Standards. It was one of the most rewarding projects I’ve undertaken. If you visit some of them, you’ll notice several of them used other digital tools–other than the blog–to format their portfolios. But–that’s the beaty: these kids started with the blog, then discovered other tools and used them in combination to create a product they wanted.
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How do you know when students are learning? When they ask the right questions!
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I admire this comment because when students have questions then you know your are getting across too them and they want to know more. Then you are expanding their knowledge on any given subject.
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I started blogging as a way to provide my students with a purpose and audience for their writing. I have found that many reluctant writers will complete their writing now as they know that there are people out their who read their work. I also wanted to give parents an easier way to access some of their child’s writing and also look at some of the activities we do in class.
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I think this is a great way to get students to expand their thoughts. Students that have an audience for their writing will push themselves to write better. I like the fact that it is accessible for parents to read as well.
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We use different pages for grammar revision, audio files, and interactive games and relevant videos.
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I think this is a great idea because students have different learning styles. this is a way to reach the students that don't learn as well from just reading plain text in a text book. If you have different activities and ways of presenting the material, the students are bound to find a way that helps them to learn the information.
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We publish photos/slideshows of things we do in the class or as a class on the class page of the blog and the students each have their own page attached. Parents, grandparents, friends and blogging buddies can read all of this and the students love to have feedback from other students, family and friends about their blogging.
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This is a good idea to publish the photos/slide shows of what is done in the classroom. The parents and other family members can see how the student is progressing and what kind of work he/she is doing at that moment.
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Even though we’re just beginning to use it, students appear to take greater care in their writing because others besides me will read it.
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I think this is so true. Many students will just try to get by when writing, but with blogging, there's more than just the teacher reading it, so it gives them an incentive to write better.
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have a live connection by your desk at Parent-Teacher meeting so the students can show the blog to their parents while they wait to speak to you. I also had a slip of paper with the address on to give to them to take away.
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I think this is a great idea. It allows students to take ownership over their blog and feel proud of how they are doing on it. Parent-teacher night would be good, but maybe parent conferences would be a better time because teachers can spend more time explaining the blog to the parents.
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a blog for our staff (secondary school) called the Reading Cafe.
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I think this would be a great idea for school faculty--to have a blog set up where fellow teachers within the same school can share ideas and activities. This would allow busy teachers to have good activities posted by others, while making sure it would go with the district's curriculum.
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Our family has a blog too which we use to keep in touch with family who are not near and other family members have blogs too!
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One can agree that blogging with other people is fantastic. However, it is amazing how one can also blog with a family member who lives miles and miles away, and still keep a connection. I would really enjoy doing this in my classroom.
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I think the 3 most important tips for educators new to blogging would be: 1. Have a go – there’s lots of help around and if I can do it anyone can. 2. Let the students have a say in what you put on the class blog page and in what format. Depending on their age they can do most of the blogging for you. 3. One of the best things about my journeu into blogging so far is the connections I have made with other educators who blog with their students. There is a whole world out there waiting for you!
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I think this is a great idea because it allows kids who have different learning styles to see information in different formats other than plain text in a textbook. Some children learn better by doing, and if you have different interactive things they can do through the blog, then they are bound to find a way that helps them to learn the information presented.
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We publish photos/slideshows of things we do in the class or as a class on the class page of the blog and the students each have their own page attached. Parents, grandparents, friends and blogging buddies can read all of this and the students love to have feedback from other students, family and friends about their blogging
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I would love to have a class that blogged with another classroom in a foreign country. What a great opportunity for both classes and all the students. So much could be learned from each other.
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I think the 3 most important tips for educators new to blogging would be: 1. Have a go - there's lots of help around and if I can do it anyone can. 2. Let the students have a say in what you put on the class blog page and in what format. Depending on their age they can do most of the blogging for you. 3. One of the best things about my journeu into blogging so far is the connections I have made with other educators who blog with their students. There is a whole world out there waiting for you!
