Until this assessment task I knew nothing about blogs or blogging!
I had heard some friends talking about their blogs, and had even read a few - but to me they seemed pointless: just a place where people could complain about something going on in their life.
It wasn't until Managing eLearning that I realised they could hold a real purpose - such as a learning journey and constructive information on a specific topic. Blogs is Web 2.0 tool, which allows the creator information, facts or personal opinions on various topics. Blogs are like a journal entry, except they are online and open for followers or the public to read and respond to.
Blogs can be used for a number of other purposes besides a personal journal, for example: they can used as teaching tool within learning environment.
Blogging can be used within the classroom for many reasons; they can form part of an assessment (to document the students learning), they can be used by students, parents and the teacher/s to communicate with one another on relevant school/learning related issues. Blogs can also be used in the classroom for keeping in contact, sharing picture and video's with overseas sister schools.
In my own experience (with my prac schools this year and last), I have seen blogging used within the classroom, but not within my own prac class. In my opinion, blogs would be fantastic to use with sister schools and apart of students assessment but only from middle to senior years.
Since I am specialising in early childhood, I have yet to witness blogs being used in year P-3.
However, an idea from a case study done on a Prep/Year 1 class, within a tutorial of Managing eLearning (22nd July 2010), created a great enthusiasm in me to use blogs with my future class. The blogs would not be individual, yet done as a whole class. The blog could be used for a particular topic (e.g. African Animals), and the teacher could pose as an African animal researcher and post comments on the classes blogs that could be filled with questions and comments about what they were learning.
I cannot wait to implement a similar unit within my own future classroom.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading all your ideas for implementing the use of Blogs in classrooms. I think your idea about using it as a tool for communicating with sister schools is a great idea! I think that would be so effective! Another idea maybe could be to use it as a sharing tool for students to use with a PenPal? Maybe from the sister school? The students could "follow" the learning of each other, although a world apart, this could be an excellent way to create friendships and also, if the sister school is in a different country, introduce students to diversity?
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your feedback and yes I agree with your idea about PenPals!
It is a brilliant idea and would be fantastic to use in all grade levels.