Blogs Are Not the Enemy by Jeff Utecht
Why teachers need to reconsider their attitudes toward blogging and how blogs can help students learn to express themselves. Plus: Vicki Davis shows us how to blog like a king or queen. Article
From this month's
Technology and Learning Magazine http://www.techlearning.com/content/about/tl_current.php
Note: the author is responding in the blog!
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6 comments:
I found this article interesting, but was it saying that my students (7th graders) will have that conversation with the 'world'??? Students will be much more engaged when participating in a conversation as opposed to a journal style entry. Initially I was thinking of using a blog just as the author stated, a journal format. I'm glad now that it is really no different than paper/pencil, I'll keep thinking of how to implement this technology into my classes.
It would be helpful for students to learn better ways of expressing themselves. I like that a protocol can be taught.
Not only can the protocol be taught..the kids will teach it to you. My 7th graders are at a point now were they would rather blog than have class. They would rather research, write, link, quote, and think about information that engage in a classroom discussion. Blogging is more than journal writing, it's a conversation between the writer and their readers. Sure it takes time to build up a reading audience, and in fact that can become your first lessons. How do you get people to find you? How do people find content today? What content gets viewed. Great discussion questions to start the blogging process.
The one thing I've learned is to back off and allow the students to feel their way into blogging. They know this cyber space better than we do. Some will need help, but most will figure out what to do with you being the guide rather than the assignment giver.
In the end a blog has to be personal, it has to be about you, your learning, your reflections, otherwise it's just an assignment.
Thanks for the conversation!
Jeff -
Thank you for responding to the blog. This is part of a graduate program and I am introducing how powerful a blog in classroom and the connection to outside of the classroom and then, the author of the article responds ... perfect!
Thanks
While eager to make the leap from written journals to blogging, my reservations really have to do with inappropriate dialogue. The comment guidelines from Vicki Davis addressed concerns before opening to student responses....especially DC.
Thank you Jeff and Mary!
Suzanne,
I know where your fears lie. We want to protect our students, and allowing them to blog, we give up some of that control. We can not monitor their blogs for inappropriate comments 24/7. We have to sleep at some point. :)
Here's a couple of my observations.
1. Once you have a conversation with students about blogs, and how they are open to a worldly audience. Students like blogging (I think) because there is a since of ownership. They have a username and password, it's their space, their website, and they take great pride in it. We have 400+ students with blogs. http://blogs.saschinaonline.org and have not had one instance of someone posting something inappropriate. They want the space, they want the traffic, and having conversations in the classroom around how you get traffic, and what is appropriate became very engaging discussions....no matter what the level.
2. As for commenting on others, I always talk to students about the difference between a comment and a compliment. A comment is engaging, it adds to the conversation or gives a writer feedback. A compliment although nice, doesn't really give the writer any feedback on their writing or their blog. This is a great lesson with elementary students as they can understand the difference between the two.
3. We once had an outsider leave a nasty comment on one of the student blogs (this was in 7th grade). Instead of deleting the comment, I brought it into the classroom and we talked about it. How it would make you feel if someone left a comment like this on your blog, why people would do this, and what is our responsibility in a digital world.
Blogs are about conversations, about opening yourself up to feedback, or just knowing what you write can, and at some point might be read by others. What I think teachers need to realize though is that the conversations that happen on blogs can extend the conversations in classroom. Bringing a blog post that a student wrote into the classroom, throwing it up on a screen, and talking about it in class has great power. It gives that student a feeling of accomplishment, shows other students what the teacher is expecting, and many teachers find the depth of conversations in their classrooms increases.
There is great power in blogging, having the conversations at the beginning about what blogging is and is not, no matter what the grade level, is the most important part.
On a side note seeing the title of this blog is "Podcasting in the Classroom" I point you to this blog: http://blogs.saschinaonline.org/chowitt one of our 5th grade teachers podcasting Lit. Circles with his students....fun stuff.
Thanks for the conversation!
Jeff
I was glad to red that blogging doesn't have to be a graded assignment and that Jeff promoted it as an invitation to participate in the class well beyond the class time. Blogging does give the more timid student a chance to develop thoughts and possibly participate in a more in depth manner.
Blogging seems like it lends students time to really develop their thoughts and grow mentally, rather than provide a 15 second response in front of the class. I also agree with Jeff that blogging is a powerful tool in the classroom, or rather, outside.
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