Blogging Practice in Our Classroom

                Blogging Practices in Our Classroom

            I would like to give you an idea of how blogging will be put into practice in our class this year. Initially, blogging will be introduced with very little computer usage. The most important thing to do is to establish parameters, expectations, and learning objectives with the students. It is critical that they conditionally appreciate how the blog is a learning tool in the same way that I have described it here in our classroom blog. While discussing log-in procedures and posting instructions we will also be addressing security and appropriate responses. It is critical to distinguish between blogging educationally and social networking. Too often children view communication online in strictly social terms. The use of abbreviations, slang, and improper grammar overcrowd text boxes from iPhones to Facebook. Social networking is fun, but blogging in the classroom is meant for a different audience and more academic purpose. Blogging then will be discussed as a collaborative vehicle of communication .

            Typically, each month a group of six students will be required to post to our blog. The topic of discussion will be something thought provoking related to our present studies in class. For instance, if we are studying Egypt, there may be a question put forth such as, “Is the excavation of ancient graves sacrilegious and disrespectful?” If we are studying ancient Greece perhaps there will be a quote from Socrates that they must respond to. Students will be given a rubric that describes the criteria for which they will be graded. A premium will be put on self-expression, self-reflection, peer reflection (response to previous postings), and cited support (if assigned). In this way students will be exercising the skills that promote life-long learning, social awareness, and meta-cognition, all incredibly valuable skills.

            Watch Out

            For many of the students this will be a new experience. While some of the students have had limited exposure to blogging, few have had formal development of the skill for educational purposes. Last year only 12 of 113 students polled informally on our team acknowledged having used blogs for school assignments. Most students will take to the idea of posting naturally. Some may find it a little frustrating at first. If your child does not use technology they may need a little assistance, but for those of you who need to limit your child’s use of the computer, you may be surprised at the results. Often times many of those students who find it painful to elaborate on their writing take to blogging famously. What seems to happen is that the child realizes that she can not only express herself through a comfortable medium, but that she can also provide meaningful information, links, video, and various other support for their ideas.