Blogging

I have learned so much in this class this semester and learning what and how to blog is one of the things I have found to be very useful. I knew what blogs were and have many friends who are bloggers but had never really thought about it being a useful tool in the classroom. I know for me this is just a different way of journaling thoughts and ideas which is something I always had my students do in my class. However what makes blogging more interesting is it can be share with so many others. Not just others in the same class, but other classes in other schools in other parts of not only the state or country but the world. What an awesome opportunity students have today to have the ability to do this.

Blogging have so many advantages. First it gets the students thinking and putting his or hers ideas in words. Students really seem to connect more to a computer than to just pen and paper. Teachers can use blogs to not only get students to answer and discuss particular topics but also have class discussions with other classes studying the same thing. For example as an English teacher, my students always had a novel to be reading. I love the idea of having my students blogging about the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is a piece of southern literature that students from another part of the country may have differing opinions about the book than my students here in the South. How great is it that my students could discuss this with a class of students from somewhere in the north or Midwest part of the country.

The only thing I can think of as a minus or disadvantage to blogging would be some students being more reluctant to share their thoughts or ideas because it is “out there” for everyone to see and read. This could be quite intimidating for students who tend to be on the shy side. I remember when teaching and I would ask students to journal about a certain topic. I was almost always asked the question if anyone besides me would be reading their journal or if I would be reading it aloud to the class. It may seem strange that high school students would be this shy or insecure, but it does happen.

I read Briana Browder’s class blog and thought she did an excellent job with all the topics. Each one was well researched and well written. One of the things that she had mentioned in her blog on International Blogs was the use of Skype. This is another great technology tool. I have used Skype in communicating with my sister who lives in Barcelona, Spain. I had never thought about it being used in the classroom as a technology tool to communicate with other students. I think all of us have learned a great deal about technology in the classroom and are now better prepared to incorporate it in with our teaching styles.