This post is primarily for cohort 2, but all of you are welcome to comment if you wish.
What are your thoughts about our discussion of class blogging today? Can you see using this with your classes? Why or why not?
Feel free to address the above questions, or share ideas of how you might use it or questions of your own in the comments. Great session today - thank you for your active participation!
As we discussed the various possibilities and uses of blogging I began searching (mentally)for ways that this might fit my current structure and that might have a positive impact on students. I actually gave this ongoing thought for most of the evening (thanks Karl). I awoke this morning committed to experiment with one of my three honors classes. I had just assigned their first essay response that was to follow a particular format ... so I have decided to allow one class to blog their responses with only a general regard to the format. In addition they can also comment on their impressions of class thus far in the semester.We will see what this leads to???
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of class blogging. My concern is making the post and the assignment meaningful, purposeful and interesting. I do not want it to be busy work for the students or for myself. Posting on the class blog must be well thought out and clear cut for thoughtful and provoking comments from the class.
ReplyDeleteI asked my afternoon classes - Personal Survival and Sports Medicine to think about what they like/dislike in class blogs and what would be interesting posts to them in these particular classes. I would like an idea of where to go with this from the students; I think it will be most beneficial this way.
I am excited to get started on class blogs for those two classes plus it will give me the opportunity to stay in touch with those classes during my maternity leave.
FYI - We were talking about spell check for commenting. You can use the spell check on the internet. Mine is right above this comment box in the same toolbar as the Google search.
I have also been thinking about how to incorporate blogging into my chemisty curriculum this year. Last semester I tried blogging with my freshman in ERE, but did not put the necessary thought process into it before beginning. I was "blogging just to blog".
ReplyDeleteI need to look over other blogs to get more ideas of how I want to use it in my classes. I really like the concept of blogging and I can see how it can be a very powerful tool in education. Like Andrea said, I just need to figure out what assignments will be meaningful for the students.
After doing class blogs last year with my ninth honors classes, I feel relatively competent with blogs. I too am trying to figure out how to replace lessons instead of adding lessons. I don't want to remove classroom discussion, obviously, but I want to be sure that the discussion online is worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteI also learned last year that blogging does not have to occur with every lesson/unit/etc. You may chose to use blogging to explore ideas for instruction outside of the classroom. Let me clarify...maybe I could post questions regarding outside reading text that instigate discussion, while not really having to assess per say. Does this make sense? We expect students to be reading outside of the classroom, why not have them blog. Hmmm...I think I just answered my own question.
Last year I experimented with class blogging in Biology. I had an optional assignment over Christmas Break in which students could read The Hot Zone. I offered this as extra credit. To discuss the book I set up a blog. It was a positive expereience for me and the students. Since that time I have not used blogging. I struggled with how to use it in my daily lessons. As we discussed I don't want to add blogging I want to replace something I do with blogging. I do plan to use blogging in Physiology this year. I hope to use it in our Nervous System unit. I'll let you know how it goes!
ReplyDeleteLast year I explored the class blogs that many of Arapahoe's teachers were using and was very impressed by the excitement that the kids displayed. The ideas they were expressing and the assignments that they were responding to were amazing. I wanted to bring blogging into my class, but I felt too overwhelmed, too harried by the day-to-day responsibilties of my job. I'm glad that I've joined the team so that I'll get constant instruction, motivation, and inspiration for this teaching technique. I loved Anne's presentation--it was extrememly well organized and helpful. It provided excellent examples, advice, and procedures. My own blog is very primitive compared to Anne's, but I learned so much from her. I especially loved the scribe page that she created. Also, her suggestion to show model blogs to the class and discuss them was excellent.
ReplyDeleteThe various possibilities for blogging presented by Kristen and Anne were most impressive. I love the idea of using a scribe to record each class session on-line. Every day after school I spend way too much time updating my Web Page with class information, and I would love to turn that responsibility over to my students. I'm also eager to create links to artwork that connects with the literature I teach. Years ago I worked with Joan Hitchens to create an assignment where my students wrote reactions to her students' artwork. We discontinued this assignment a few years ago because it was such a headache to keep all of her artwork safe in my English classrooms. Now I'm anticipating the possibility of her posting pictures of student artwork on her blog so my students can respond. Then her students can read what others have to say about their art. But perhaps what struck me most about our class discussion were comments affirming student interest in blogging itself. If students want to blog, whether it is required or not, we have achieved one of our main goals in education: not "the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." So--last night I created class blog sites for my two AP Language classes. Today, I invited students to post comments about the class discussion we held yesterday, and I can't wait to see if any of them will respond to this "optional" assignment.
ReplyDeleteSo, class blogging, eh? I was really impressed with the "benefits of blogging" that Anne presented the other day. I started thinking right away of ways I'd use it with my classes.
ReplyDeleteThen, after out class, reality struck me, and the fact that I have a list full of new ideas I'm trying to be consistent with in my classes pushed blogging down a few rungs in priority. A few other WL teachers are using blogs in their classes with really cool results. I definitely want to encorporate it in my lessons, but I think it'll wait for a while. I think I'll start by making it extra credit. When I get into a rhythm with my classes for this semester, I think I'll use blogging as a way to get my students to consider cultural issues that we don't get enough time to discuss in class. Also, it'll save paper, too!! (true to form, huh?)
Sorry. I spelled "INcorporate" wrong. I swear I really knew that. Yeah.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm contemplating what we learned in class and trying to absorb what blogging could mean for my classes, I'm a bit confused about the message of the class. Are we all to commence blogging with our classes? What about the range of blogging abilities (from "newbies" through experienced bloggers)in Cohort 2? I would enjoy having some time to process this information about blogging and how it applies to constructivist teaching. For instance, time to question Anne about the information in her powerpoint would have been very useful for me. How does it all work together??? I'm still thinking...
ReplyDeleteKaren - that certainly was not the message we were intending to send. I think many of us see Blogging - when done correctly - as a powerful tool in our Constructivist toolbox. But it's not always the right tool, and it may not fit in everyone's toolbox. (Okay, maybe extending the analogy a little too far here.) As Anne said, and I hope I echoed, we don't think anyone should "do blogging" just to do blogging. If it allows you to enhance an existing lesson, or to offer something new that you couldn't offer before, then it's worthwhile to pursue. If not, then it's not worth doing.
ReplyDeleteWe tried to give time for some brainstorming in class and for Anne to answer questions - within the restriction that she had to go teach class second period. I'm guessing from your comment that it wasn't enough time. I think Anne would be more than willing to sit down with you and process, as well as you can reflect and ask questions on your personal blog and see what kind of responses you get from the group.
Keep thinking . . .
I feel excited that I now have a vision and a direction to take my blogging. I used it with all my classes last year and although I really liked how it gave my quieter students a voice, I found it cumbersome and uninspiring. I posted, students responded, and that was the end of it. I couldn't figure out how to bring it into my classroom other than simply printing out the blog and it ended up feeling like one more thing to me and, I think, to my students as well.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of assigning a blog as an optional alternative to, for example, a reading journal and using the projector to bring that online discussion back into my classroom.
My English Lit. classes will begin blogging next week over Life of Pi and I think I may introduce blogging as as an optional activity to see where the students take it. I think I would rather have students who want to post insightful comments set the bar for our class before it becomes mandatory fun. :)
My "take five" this week is about our first blogging assignment in AP Lit (which went swimmingly). Thinking back to my high school days, it would've been out of the question to know what my peers were thinking about the books and ideas that we studied except for class discussion. Even class discussion, back then, was rather canned and definitely teacher-directed. So, with that flash to the past, I can't imagine how it must feel to be a student blogging today about class assignments...it must feel somewhat empowering, intimidating and motivating...I think the blog really can serve as a place for the "meeting of minds". Certainly, I wish I could have had this opportunity as a high school student.
ReplyDeleteOur introduction and discussion to blogs was interesting and something that I have been wondering how it would work in ERE. I really appreciated the comment that this wasn't another thing to do in the class, but should replace something that we are currently doing instead of feeling the pressure to add this to our "bag" of tricks. I am not sure how to get this to fit in and what to get rid of in ERE. I loved the idea of scribing and posting that. That was really a cool way to engage students and pass along information at the same time. I am just feeling a little overwhelmed how and where to start.
ReplyDelete