Since I haven’t taught yet and I’m becoming certified for
EC-8 as a generalist, for this particular assignment I chose to concentrate on
4th grade English. I would
assign the class to create a blog at the beginning of the year on which they
would post journal entries on a regular basis.
Some assignments would provide formats and strict guidelines, while
others would allow for more freedom and creativity for the students. Some example formats would be book reports,
creative writing, and even artwork. Part
of the blog project would also be to have students post comments on classmates’
journal entries and also discuss posts during class to further encourage
participation.
The blog project would allow students to both evaluate and
create, among other things, which would tap into their higher order thinking
skills. Because I would be attempting to play
more of a supporting role as the teacher and students would be an active part of the
learning process, the learning theory being applied is constructivism. Student blogs would offer social, communication
and creative affordances. They would
connect to other students as well as myself, their teacher; they would have an
outlet to express their thoughts regarding books, discussions, and assignments;
and they would be able to use their creativity through not only words but
pictures, artwork and videos.
Some other possible uses for blogs in the classroom could be
for a student-generated newsletter, a hub for posting the class calendar, assignments
and projects; and even a suggestion box about how to improve classwork and
procedures. Obviously not all students
would have Internet access readily available to them outside of the classroom,
but I think as long as I provided opportunities to work on the blog assignments
during class I could overcome this hurdle.
If any other obstacles arose, I would try with all of my might to
conquer them because I feel very strongly that blogs have the potential to be great
classroom tools. They provide such an inexpensive way for students to utilize
technology and are also a great vehicle for them to creatively express their
thoughts and point of views all while learning how to become responsible users
of the Internet community.
Michelle
ReplyDeleteI love that you plan to use a blog for communicating things going on in your classroom! having students publish a newsletter not only taps into their writing skills, but also helps them think about a bigger audience than just their peers in their classroom. Writers should consider that parents, other teachers, and administrators could be accessing their blog to glean information. Considering this audience would definitely push students to create higher quality work than if it was just being used by other 9 year old students.