In the Classroom, Web Logs Are the New Bulletin Boards
This week I decided to write about an article on blogging in the classroom. The article begins by talking about how second grade teacher Marisa Dudiak used a web log instead of a traditional discussion to discuss information about the students recent field trip. The article focus's on how blogs are being used in the classrooms as an effective learning tool and points out some of the positives and negatives about this new type of technology.
Blogging or "web logs" are becoming increasingly popular with teachers and in school systems all around the world. Teacher's are seeing that this type of technology really "evens out the playing field" and they are seeing a lot of students that normally don't participate in the classroom, come alive with the use of blogging. Like most technology, there are advantages and disadvantages with blogging. One of the great advantages of blogging is that it gives teachers a chance to prolong the class or as one tech supervisor put it, "with blogs, class doesn't have to end when the bell rings". This gives teachers an opportunity to really get a lot into the limited amount of time they have directly with the students. Another advantage is that students seem to put a lot more effort into their blogs. Since they are on the Internet, there's always a chance parents or other people outside the classroom might read it. Teachers are also really excited about blogging because it encourages student to write more. Some of the drawbacks of blogging are the student getting into a pattern of bad grammar and using Internet abbreviations. A lot of teachers are encouraging students to write out their entries first and then post them online.
I think that blogging is a very cost effective tool for teacher's to use. I think that blogs will become increasingly popular in the coming future and teacher's need to be educated on this technology so they can present the material in the right way. The only thing I don't like is the ability of the student to "hide" behind the computer. While blogging can really bring out some of the shy students from class, it also limits them in the area of public speaking. When your behind a computer you can express yourself however you want, but it might not be that way in public. When I become a teacher I will definitely use blogging to help me. To me the time management aspect of it is what I find most appealing. The fact that I can present material and then have the opportunity to hold the discussion part of class after school hours is a great way to get the most out of the limited time in class.
One thing that I think would be interesting is to really find out how many students that come to life on the blogs take that into the classroom. The use of the blog might just be an effective tool in not only discussing topics but also building up a students confidence amongst their peers. Another thing that would be interesting is to see what times students are actually doing the blogging. If they are using their free time outside of class to really elaborate with fellow students then that would be a great way in seeing how interested they were in the subject.
You can read this article for yourself by following this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/technology/circuits/19blog.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5090&en=33627811ca310596&ex=1250568000
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
Great article!! Reading what you wrote really helped to open my mind on the possibility of saving time in a classroom. I never thought about the saving of discussions for after class through blogging. I also love the possibility of it boosting one's own self esteem. You are absolutely right. For some students, having the private time could allow them to feel more confident through out the year. That would be an interesting research project.
I really enjoyed reading your article! It gives alot of great insight into how teachers are effected by using a blog and how students can react to using blogs too.
I agree with the fact that students who may not participate in the classroom have a chance to express themselves through blogging. If any of my teachers would have used a blog I know it would have been a great tool for me! Although I dont mind participating in class discussions, it alows the students to go more in depth and gives them more time to think about what they are writing besides just having a few seconds to answer a question in a classroom.
I think your comment on cost effectivness and time managment is a great pluse to blogging too. As a student studying to become a secondary teacher i know that having extra time outside the 1 hour class setting would help the students more effectively when they return to the classroom.
Great points!
-Alicia
I enjoyed your article and you thoughts on it. I had not even thought about how it is more cost effective for teachers. With all of these new advancements on technology and computers, school supplies are really becoming cheaper and cheaper! Great job.
I thought it was really interesting how you mentioned the time that students post their blogs. I think figuring out if the students are using their free time outside of class is a great idea. It shows how interested these students might be in the blogs, and how much they can develop their own opinions while interacting with their peers. Great article Ryan!
In the Classroom, Web Logs are the New Bulletin Boards brought up a lot of interesting points about blogs making them a technological tool that could be beneficial in the classroom. I agree with your insights that students can “hide” behind the computer. While it is the teachers intention to teach students how to use blogs in the classroom for legitimate educational purpose there is always a chance the students, especially at the high school level, can use this technology outside of the classroom with intentions that are not so nice such as bullying other students while being “shielded” by the computer. The article also shows that student’s blogs are most heavily used during the school day with few entries coming outside of school hours. With these results I am not so sure that blogging is motivating students to write more or extending the classroom discussions outside the class period. An advantage that I do see with blogs that is not included in this article is that blogging gives the student time to think about their response before posting it. Time that they don’t have when responding to a question or discussion in a “live class” resulting is a more thought out responds.
That was a great article and you summarized it really well. I think that it would be a great idea to check when students do their blogging. That seems like it would help teachers get to know their students a bit better, it would be a very interesting thing to research.
You wrote an excellent article. I enjoyed your perspective on blogging and reading some of the advantages that I did not think of. I also agree with the point you made about shy people coming to life with the use of a computer, as if it were a security blanket, and that it is more cost efficient for teachers. All in all, good job on the article!
I agreed with a lot of positive outcomes of blogging you discussed. I thought it was interesting that blogging could encourage bad grammer online, I didn't think of this before and it's an excellent point. I also liked the idea of using blogging as a tool to keep teaching even after the bell rings and how it "gives teachers an opportunity to really get a lot into the limited amount of time they have directly with the students". I also believe that used correctly blogging can be an effective learning tool, as well as very cost effective. Think of all the trees that will be saved if more assignments were online and not on paper! I agree that it would be interesting to see what times students are most likely to blog.
Great job! I agree that students will try to do better on things they know others might read. They also extend learning into thier home life and maybe even consider it fun.
This is a good article! You talked about how the teacher may use this as a tool where 'class does not end after a bell'. That is so true. Students are free and able to access these blogs on their own time, which is beneficial to the students. However, when you said that you did not like it how students 'can hide behind the computer screen' I might disagree with you in some ways. I know what I am about to bring up has really nothing to do with blogging, but it relates to the topic. There are some students out there that are picked on and can not go to school. I know a few. Blogging might aid them in their fears... But arguing against that point that I just made, those students who are teased will not learn how to stand up for themselves if they sit behind the screen. So, I can see from both sides. You brought up interesting points!
Ryan, I really enjoyed reading your post!I like how you said that you would use blogs when you become a teacher because I plan on using them as well. I agree with your comment about class not needing to end when the bell rings. After class students can log onto their blogs and continue discussing topics talked about in class for as long as they like. Through the use of blogs every student is able to have a say in class even those who may be to shy speaking in public. I think blogging will become even more popular in the education system in the near future.
Really great article! The article I did this week touched on many of the same points as yours did. I agree with the cost effectiveness of blogging as well as how blogging extends the limited amount of time they have with the students when they are in class. I also would definatly consider using blogging in my classroom to communicate with my students and post assignments. I agree that all in all, blogging is a great tool for teachers to use because it makes students write more, it extends the class time, and it is very cost effective.
Post a Comment