Ch. 3 of our text (Richardson, 2010) discusses Blogging, and one part that interested me was Blogging with Students. I feel this could be a great resource for teachers, students and parents. Utilizing this with the flipped-classroom concept, blogging can allow for consistent communication about homework and other assignments. The text suggests starting small and then progressively adding more; I would have to agree to a certain extent. If teaching a middle school course, I would say starting small and making it bigger throughout the year would work well. However, students in upper secondary level should be able to utilize a more complex blog with a little instruction and guidance. "The teacher's role becomes that of connector, not just evaluator" (Richardson, 2010). Lastly, this part of the text offers other great insights into protecting privacy and other safety concerns. Posting pictures, personal information and reviewing student work is something the teacher needs to ensure they understand, not only personal privacy issues, but the schools policies as well.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
I certainly have similar thoughts. I am contemplating implementing a blog with one of my more advanced sections of middle schoolers during the second semester this year (once I've taken the time to really flesh out the details of how I want it to work). It really has a potential to re-shape the way that students think about writing, and may offer a chance to develop more intrinsic motivation for enhancing writing skills. I'm really excited about the opportunity!
ReplyDelete