Monday, January 12, 2009
Blogging
All teachers in Springfield School District 186 in Illinois have their own teacher webpages. These webpages are a great way to communicate with students, parents, and the community. Each day, the teachers at my school are expected to update their webpages. In the News section we include what was accomplished in class that day as well as any homework given. In the Projects section we include direction sheets, rubrics, etc. My favorite section of our webpages is the Blog section. In this section I ask higher level thinking questions that relate to our current subject of study. Students then respond giving their opinions. It is an open forum for discussion and debate. My middle school history students enjoy the opportunity to let their voices be heard. On many occasions my former students even respond to my blog postings. It is nice to hear their perspectives as high school students. My classroom blog has helped to foster discussion and encourage my students to think for themselves and defend their opinions.
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All I can say is WOW!! I love the fact that your school is required to maintain daily webpages. How do you keep the pages up to date? Do you get evaluated on them?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds so exciting to utilize blogs in your class. I actually instruct other teachers in my district, not the students. I am conducting the first online course for elementary teachers titled Web 2.0 For the Classroom Teacher. The teachers are required to post and reply every other week in a forum on the site homepage. I love it. It is very similar to blogging as it elicits such valuable discussions. Blogging and online discussion is such an important skill to teach students. It is so imperative for people to know how to debate and explain why they believe and value specific ideas. You are encouraging crucial skills imperative to the day and age we live in.
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ReplyDeleteSorry Jodi, I forgot to post a challenge the first time...
ReplyDeleteJodi, I like how you start off simple with a “classroom” blog that you and your students share. I was thinking that now that we have learned about creating an aggregator page that allows us to see everyone’s blogs at once that you could try to expand and have your students create their own weblog. You could take them step by step in creating their own personal, creative blog. This also would work on the creativity piece that Dr. Thornburg discussed on the DVD about it being the key to the next “wave.”
What happens if students do not have access to the internet at home? Do you give them time in class to complete their projects? A suggestion, you could see if they could stay after with you for a half hour or so and work on it at school with you. Maybe your school has a computer lab that you take your class there once a week to update or post to their blogs as well.
Jodi, do you ever get complaints from parents for allowing their children's work (I guess in this case the posts to your higher level questions) to be seen by anyone who can access the blog? It would be great to have such cooperation from parents. I have tried similar lessons, not with blogging, in my class and it seems some parents feel as though their children are being "showcased" when they don't want to be. Is their response to the questions a requirement or optional?
ReplyDeleteI am a second grade teacher and I also have my own classroom web page. However, I do not utilize it as frequently as you do. However, this is a great tool that can get parents and students involved. I enjoy how blogging is open to anyone and that your previous students can share their experiences and thoughts. I would love to incorporate this into my daily routine. Have you thought about putting a section on your web page that lists the many websites that your students can access for further study? There could be a tab for regular links to visit and then websites that pertain to the chapter or area of study that is being focused on in class.
ReplyDeleteThe teachers at our school are expected to update their pages daily. Our administration does check our pages periodically to make sure they are as up to date as possible.
ReplyDeleteUntil this class, I had never thought about my students utilizing their own webpages. I think that is a good idea.
Many of my students are allowed to take their laptops home and have access to the internet outside of school. For those students who are not allowed to take their computers home or who do not have internet access, our computer lab is open after school.
Actually, I do have a "Links" section on my webage. The students find this section particularly helpful when completing a research project or following up on material covered in class.
I love the fact that your school requires updated daily webpages. My district gives us the option to create our own webpages on our school website, but I have not had the opportunity to do so yet. You have given me so much inspiration. However, how do you ever find time to keep them updated? I barely find enough time to grade papers, let alone update a webpage. Do all of your students have daily access to a computer? Is this a mandatory thing that you give students credit for doing or is it simply volunatary? unfortunately my students are not very motivated to do extra assignments or activities unless they are being compensated by it. My students come from so many different types of backgrounds and I am constantly trying to keep them interested and driven. I have noticed that they enjoy working with computers. My district recently received a technology grant, and my students now have more access to so many more computers. I eventually want to get my page going soon, and your input would be so valuable to me.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it only takes about 5-10 minutes to update my page each day. For some teachers who teach multiple classes or grade levels, it takes longer. All of my students have daily access to computers. My current class is part of a One to One Initiative. They have add their own laptops since 6th grade. This is the first time I have had the chance to work with students who each have access to a laptop. When I post questions on my blog, they respond voluntarily. I am considering posting a question as an assignment that is required. I have never done it that way before.
ReplyDelete