I can honestly say that I have never been very interested in blogging. Most blogs that I had checked out over the past few years ended up being something silly that someone thought they should share with the world. One of the blogs I went to documented what this person ate every day and they took pictures and posted it. Another person took a bet about eating eggs for a whole year and documented that. I saw the "funny" in it, but honestly did not see the value in a blog. I know that many people just sit down and write about their day. I have facebook for my little blurbs about my day. I don't need a whole blog about it.
So, with a great lack of direction I just stayed away. Until I found a teacher's blog that really caught my attention. It was beautiful to the eye. That is what first caught my attention. It was clean, neat, colorful, and almost peaceful. The page setup allowed you to easily find everything you could want to know about her classes. Homework assignments, study guides, and class notes were posted. There were links that students could click on to take them to sites that would help to enrich their understanding of some of the difficult subjects that they were learning about. Parents could easily go to the site and see what their children were learning and what was expected of their student. I suddenly understood how blogging could be a powerful tool in education!
So, with a great lack of direction I just stayed away. Until I found a teacher's blog that really caught my attention. It was beautiful to the eye. That is what first caught my attention. It was clean, neat, colorful, and almost peaceful. The page setup allowed you to easily find everything you could want to know about her classes. Homework assignments, study guides, and class notes were posted. There were links that students could click on to take them to sites that would help to enrich their understanding of some of the difficult subjects that they were learning about. Parents could easily go to the site and see what their children were learning and what was expected of their student. I suddenly understood how blogging could be a powerful tool in education!
See, most of my problem with blogging was that I had no clear direction. I had no idea where to start or how to use this tool to my benefit. Sometimes it just takes that one special site to jump start your imagination and creativity. This is how my own blog got started. I am always looking for a way to share with my teacher friends the really cool technology tools that I find on the web. These are not always tools that I will use in my technology lab, but things that they could find very useful when they take the laptop cart to their room or when they come to the computer lab when I am not teaching their students. I finally had direction and purpose for a blog, and I couldn't wait to start!
Blogging in education can be a great tool if used correctly. I did a search on blogging in education and found some great sites that state why and how we should use blogging. One site that I especially like talks about why I found it so difficult to even think of a good reason for a blog. That lack of direction thing. It also describes how and why blogging can be such a great tool in education. For teachers, the benefits of using blogging are that they give them a place to communicate with students and parents. It allows them a place to post assignments and handouts so that if a student were to forget a worksheet at school they could either view or print the document and still be able to do the work. It lets parents see what their students are learning about and help support them from home. Teachers can use their blog to get great discussions going about certain topics they are teaching, or even books that they are reading.
Blogging for students can give them a place to voice their thoughts and ideas. Many students find it difficult to share, but with blogging students can possibly find an audience that shares their ideas and dreams. For many students it gives them the drive to actually sit down and write. If allowed to write about what they think or enjoy it may take a student who does not like to write and transform them into a writer. I know I never liked to write about many of the topics we had to write about in school. I think if I had been given a tool like this and some direction I could have been a much better writer. Not only does it foster a new love of writing in some students, but it can also foster deeper thinking into the subjects they are writing about. By being able to share with an audience that can comment back, they may find conversations that help them take their way of thinking to a new level and help them see different points of view on so many issues.
Are there problems with student blogging? Sure! You have to decide when it is appropriate for students to participate in a blogging exercise. You also need to find a blog site that allows you to preview any and all comments that are made because we all know that it is the perfect place for bullies to really let loose. When bullies can hide behind a computer screen they get even more bold and can be even more hurtful to their peers. You also want to preview student posts to make sure that nothing gets posted that could get them into trouble. Many students still do not know what is and is not appropriate for conversation and may post something that could be controversial or say something in a way that could easily be taken in a negative way. Does this cause more work for us as teachers? It sure does! But I do think that the benefits of students being able to be active participants in their learning out weighs the extra time it takes us to go through their posts. I also think it is a great learning activity for them so we can guide them and teach them what is and is not appropriate for posting out there for all of the world to see.
So you want to check out blogging now? I will tell you that I have looked at many blogging sites and I really like blogger.com . It is very easy to set up and is part of ....Google! You already know how much I like Chrome and I really found this site to be easy to set up and customize. Just remember that before you can start that you must have PURPOSE! That will give you your direction. You may want to start out with just setting up your blog to post homework and communicate with parents. As time goes on you will think of other things that you can post. Don't try to start out too big, and don't let it overwhelm you. As always...I am here to help you. So if you want to check this out just drop me a line and I will help you! I am also planning on teaching an inservice this summer in the school district about blogging.
Also, here is a site that has a collection of blogs that you may find very helpful. Go and read other teacher blogs an see how they use them. Pay attention to the blogs that are not good ones too! It gives you ideas of what to stay away from and how to create your blog so that it stands out from the rest.
Oh, and when I find that teacher blog again that moved me to create my own...I will post it here. I can't believe I can't find it! ACK!
EDIT: I found it! I had it saved on my favorites in the other building I teach in. I posted the link above!
Also, here is a site that has a collection of blogs that you may find very helpful. Go and read other teacher blogs an see how they use them. Pay attention to the blogs that are not good ones too! It gives you ideas of what to stay away from and how to create your blog so that it stands out from the rest.
Oh, and when I find that teacher blog again that moved me to create my own...I will post it here. I can't believe I can't find it! ACK!
EDIT: I found it! I had it saved on my favorites in the other building I teach in. I posted the link above!
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