Continuing the discussion on the use of blogs, today I want to focus on some ideas of how you can use a blog in your own classroom or in your school. I realize that after posting some information on blogs and what they shouldn't be (like a general listing of something), I'm going to break my own "rule" and just list some basic ideas from the book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson.
Teacher blogging ideas -
• reflect on your own teaching experiences (be careful not to list student names or other personally identifying information)
• describe a specific teaching unit and ask for ideas on how to teach it
• provide teaching tips for others
• write about something another teacher taught you or shared with you
• share an idea about an activity or game that another teacher could use in their classroom to teach a particular concept
• provide a "how-to" on an area of expertise, such as how to use a certain technology with students or how to conduct a science experiment
• explore current issues and trends in education
• share what you are learning in your master's degree classes or Rank 1 classes (in Kentucky) or doctoral classes
Classroom blogging ideas -
• post class-related information like calendars, events, or assignments
• post assignments on literature readings (create a literature circle) and have students respond
• post writing prompts for students to complete on their own blogs
• provide examples of student work (be careful not to use personally identifying information)
• post photos of class activities (again, be careful about captions and including too much personal information)
• post an online reading piece for students to read and react to
• give students some Web sites to begin researching, including the link and some analysis as to why the site is appropriate for study
• create on online book club
• post tasks for project-based learning
• ask students to create their own individual blogs where they can post their own ideas, reactions and written work
• build a class newsletter using the blog
• allow students to keep an online journal blog instead of a paper and pen/pencil style journal
• use the blog to post the results of surveys taken in class
• let students create entries on current events or daily news items or issues of interest
• write a short entry using the vocabulary terms/words for the week/month
• use the blog as a way to give students whose first language is not English extra practice in reading English online; help them with their English writing skills by having them respond to what they've read
• use the blog as a feedback area for your teaching - discuss activities or assignments you did in class and ask students to comment on them, good or bad (you can learn a lot about your teaching this way)
As many of you are aware, national standards in Language Arts are being put in place and if you read through them, many are connected to student reading and writing; understanding print and nonprint texts; reading literatures from many genres; applying strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate and appreciate texts; communicating effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes; applying knowledge of language structure and media techniques; researching issues and interests; using a variety of technological and information resources; participating in literacy communities; and using spoken, writtten, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes. Of course, blogs can address many of these standards!
Here are some examples of blogs from Richardon's book that you might want to review . . .
http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
http://practicaltheory.org/serendipity/
http://www.thethinkingstick.com/
http://www.21stcenturycollaborative.com/
http://heyjude.wordpress.com/
My next posting will get you started on your own blog!
