I had a workshop yesterday morning for an hour and a half with seven teachers from the local high school. They were interested in finding out about blogs and how they might use them to communicate with parents and students. I showed them a few moments of the video which we were given as a link in our class last week and also played a podcast which I had created with some grade 7 students last spring describing how they value blogging. By the end of the session, three of the participants had a blog that they were ready to publish, three more were working on their ideas, and one was convinced that blogging was not for him and his teaching style.
Some good questions that I have heard before but are worth reporting. I wonder what your responses to them would have been.
1. I have a lot to do in my day as it is. What is the value of reviewing student blogs and marking them? Can't I just continue to do that with them at their desks?
2. Some of my students don't have computers at home and I don't have enough computers in my class to make this worthwhile. Am I treating those kids without access fairly, even if I make blogging optional?
Comments? Cheers... Bob
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2 comments:
Both the questions that you posted are good ones.
Question 1.
If students are really motivated to blog and produce better work than 'traditional' methods, then blogging is worth it. Blogging makes it easier for peer editing to take place so that the final product that the teacher marks is of better quality.
Question 2.
If there are computers available at the school outside of class time, then maybe this won't be as much of a concern?
Very good questions indeed. I have heard them myself...more often than I would like i am afraid.
I would say that if you can perceive blogs to aid you improve what you already do better than it is not worthing doing it, because it is actually a lot of work. But if you think that your kids deserve to be introduced to new ways of learning and that blogging can actually build up their confidence, engage them in funner and more motivating activities then go for it. By blogging they not only learn how to master the subject area you are teaching, but also get a different perspective of it as well of the people they engage with online. It also augments their ICT skills which these days is quite important.
As for not having enough computers. It is true. Not every students is still connected for the most various reasons. But if you have one single computer in the classroom, then this is still possible. I have done it. It only takes a projector and a laptop. Blogging doesn't have necessarily to part of the homework assignments or optional activities. They can be part of the classroom strategy. I used to print blog posts from the blogs of other students we were interacting with, for example. Students would read them, write the answers in paper, and as they worked in groups, the ones who had computers at home were responsile for typing the messages and bring it the next day in a disc. we would tghen copy paste the texts to the blog in class and publishe them.
Many other teachers are also adopting similar strategies to include everyone.
It is a matter of willing. As they sat, when there is a will, there is a way. ;-)
You just have to want it bad enough. remember Prof. Andy Pausch: the brickwalls are only there to tell you how much you want something!
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