I have found such wonderful information and encouragement about the use of Weblogs, or blogs, from Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Today I want to focus on using blogs as a way of communicating internally for a school, some do's and don't's of blogging, and give you some ideas on how you can use blogs in a classroom.
Schools can utilize blogs as a way to share minutes of open meetings, have a dialogue about an issue, and share links to information. Teachers can share best practices, lesson plans, and other ideas about their classes. Principals can share information about what is happening within their school. One principal at an elementary school in Oregon has been using a blog to increase communication with parents and staff. Teachers post weekly Classroom Notes that serve as a diary of what students are doing and achieving at the school.
So how can blogs improve student learning? Why should we even consider using them in a classroom? Richardson gives us several reasons . . .
First - because the content is on the World Wide Web, it becomes a part of the wider body of knowledge; it is searchable; the potential audience is world-wide
Second - the walls of the classroom are expanded; students can connect and collaborate with others outside the classroom
Third - blogs provide for reflection and an archive of all conversations and work
Fourth - blogs support different learning styles; a blog can give a "voice" to a student who otherwise would not speak up in class; everyone can have a voice in a blog
Fifth - blogs can enhance the development of expertise in a particular subject; students can connect with experts in various fields
Sixth - blogs can teach students new technology literacies they will need for the future; it can provide a way for students to analyze and manage content, learn how to research, organize and synthesize
So what about some do's and don't's? Here's what a blog should not be:
1. Just a posting of assignments.
2. Just a personal journal - i.e. "Here's what I did today".
3. Just a list of links.
4. Just a list of links with short descriptions.
Here's what a blog should be:
1. A list of links with analysis that gets into the meaning of the content being linked.
2. A reflective writing piece - complex writing, not just simple comments.
3. Information about gaining a deeper understanding or relationship to the content being "discussed".
4. Consideration of the potential audience.
5. Extended analysis and synthesis over a long period of time that builds on previous posts, links, and/or comments.
Now . . . how should we introduce blogs to our students? We cannot expect elementary students to create entries of careful analysis and deep understanding, but we can provide them a way to find interesting and relevant pieces of information to share with each other. Richardson says we can ask them to do some basic deconstruction of Web sites and then post about what they learned and what they would like to see. Even at this early age, teachers might introduce some "experts" to interact with the students - perhaps even introducing primary sources to them. Authors, scientists, politicians, and others may be interested in communicating with the students at this stage in their education. Middle school students can become "experts" themselves at topics they care about. They can begin making constructive entries on each other's blogs and learn appropriate reader response. They can also utilize the blog to discuss whether or not Web sites are legitimate, trustworthy, and helpful. High school students can use blogs for extended study and for reflection on topics. They can use blogs as a way to share writing, such as portfolio entries, and then receive feedback from others. They could post reflections on readings in a literature class, or questions about an concept in science or math. Using blogs as a way to introduce effective and valuable writing skills is a great tool for teachers to use with their students.
Here are some examples of blog-style sites that have been used in actual classrooms:
http://apcalc07.blogspot.com/ - this is a blog from an AP Calculus class in 2007-08
http://missbakersbiologyclass.com/blog/ - this is a blog from a biology class in the northeastern United States
http://itc.blogs.com/househighlights/ - this is an example of how a school used a blog to celebrate student success, school success, and information on events
To end today's entry, I want to share some information that Richardson gives on how to "rate" and evaluate a blog. Blogs have become sources of information, but they are just like any other source - you have to be careful of the content.
1. Try to find out as much as you can about the author of the blog. (Look for an "About" link or a "Profile" link)
2. What is the author's profession? What is their title? Where does their authority on the topic come from? Do they have college degrees or have they established themselves as an expert in another way? (Consider doing a name search in Google to see what comes up on the author)
3. Find out what kind of reputation the blogger has among peers.
4. Take a look at the "blogroll" or list of blogs that the blogger links to on their site. Are these valid and reliable as well?
5. Take the time to read through some of the older posts on the site and click the links they provide. Does the author's writing seem credible? Is there a bias? Is something being sold?
6. Look to see if anyone else has commented on the blog and what they are saying.
Students, especially younger ones, tend to stop at the first resource they find that supports their ideas, whether or not they are credible, legal, valid, or reliable. For the most part, students should be able to find out who the author is, what they do for a living, what their level of expertise is on the subject matter, and what others have said (if applicable). Going through some sample blogs with students in the early stages of teaching them about Weblogs is probably a good idea, especially before they embark on writing their own.
Want to find more blog examples to review? Technorati has a blog directory - http://technorati.com/blogs/directory/ - which not only has a "Search for a blog" section, but divides blogs into various categories.
My next post will give you some ideas of how you can utilize blogs in your classroom.
