Blogs are similar to other ‘spaces’, such as online classrooms, Web Pages, social networking sites and wikis, as it provides an online place to post content. The creator can post relevant text, videos, music, images, movies and games.
There are some reasons, why some sites are used instead of others. The main purpose of Blogs, for example, is to journal ideas and share conversation with others. The T main difference with Wiki, is its intention to be a shared space.
These sites are brilliant for allowing the educator to isolate the information needed, rather than risk the students getting overloaded, and lost in the vast amount of information available via the internet. For this reason, these sites can also offer a safer solution.
Blogs can be used to create a sense of belonging in the classroom, with students feeling safe to share their thoughts with their peers.
The potential of tools such as Wiki and Blogs seem endless:
- Students are provided with educational tools, games, homework help and tasks. They can post their questions.
–Can provide the scaffolding needed to achieve a final project, that can be done both at home and school.
- Sharing opinions about books read.
- Becoming pen friends with another class at school or even overseas.
-Show and Tell
-Journal entries
-Appropriate to current understandings of what it means to be literate in the 21st century.
-The teacher can communicate with peers, communicate with parents, and showcase student work.
Some difficulties with blogging, that may need addressing, include:
-computer access
-Online safety.
-Ensuring friendly and safe student comments.
-Children may also need to be placed in groups for commenting purposes, but not be limited to who they follow (great for ‘round robin’ activity). This may help to prevent any feelings of inadequacy and students being followed more than others !
References
See: http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/go/schooled/school_theme_pages/pid/542
for lots of links on blogging.
See: Web 2.0 in the classroom by Black, J, Using Blogs to Promote Authentic Learning in the Classroom, January 7 2008
http://web20intheclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/01/blogging-in-classroom-why-how-and-lots.html
(Very good Blog about Blogs, with lots of good links to research and websites).
Hi Sadi,
ReplyDeleteThank by the way for your lovely comments about my blog as it made my day.
Your blogs are very insightful and I'm looking forward to reading them all when I get the chance.
Cheers,
Kirk
Regarding Blogs, I personally think blog works well really if you (the author) have an already established fan base or interest group.
For example if I wrote a blog about " Goat's Milk in Nepal" I imagine would not get many or any followers."
However if Kylie Minogue started a health blog about "Drinking Goat's Milk from Nepal makes you slim" then people would follow.
The same if I was a professional surfer and people who go on surfing holidays around the world wanted to know where the best places to surf in Hawaii then they would tune into my blog regularly if my articles reflected their need and desires.
In relations to student learning, I feel students would compel themselves to read other students' blogs or even subscribe to them if they shared in similar interests groups or philosophies.
What do you think Sadi?
Cheers,
Kirk
Thanks Kirk, Excellent point,
ReplyDeleteI feel that it is therefore important that teachers have a strategy for encouraging their students to view and comment on classroom blogs and opinions, that they would not otherwise do. I feel in our case, I have been interested in viewing and commenting on the blogs that offer a different point of view from mine, and some alternative ideas for using the tools, as well as some ICTs I haven't heard of. This has been difficult as most of the blogs come from a similar viewpoint.
So my point here is, that we need to show students the importance of having a different perspective, teach them how to make constructive comments and questions, teach blogging ettiquette and safety, and show them how having a different opinion or idea can be positive. Get them to ask the question "What are the elements that make a blog effective?"
Hi Sadi,
ReplyDeleteHow great is blogging as when I first started this subject it seemed to be a big challenge. Though as the weeks have gone i realise that it is a great learning tool to use. It allows you to work at your own pace, collaborate with your peers and see different perspectives that everyone has had on certain ICT tools. I agree with what you mentioned above about how to teach students to make constructive comments and questions with ettiquette safety and showing that having different views is okay. As all these points will have be discussed and taught/modelled to the students before implementing this ICT into the classroom.