Using Blogs in the Classroom

Well first let me say that after reading David Warlick's article A Day in the Life of Web 2.0, my head was spinning! I had to go back and re-read a couple sections a couple of times just to try to sort it all out in my brain! It really is amazing to see how one use of technology can branch into so many more additional uses, and how teachers and students can connect to each other and connect subjects and curricular areas.

One of the most basic uses for a blog in the classroom is organization and dissemination of information such as due dates for assignments, the class syllabus, calendar of events, etc. I liked the mention of Monday reports that the teachers in the article are described as using. This gives everyone, like special education teachers, other general education teachers, the principal, board members, and parents, access to what is going on in each class for the whole week. It's a much more efficient method of communication versus email. The article shows how the various readers of the blog can use the information found in them for such things as cross-curricular lesson (teachers), preparing resources for teachers (librarian), writing a school newsletter (principal) and showcasing the school to the community (board member). I think these are great ideas, but somewhat impractical for most people given that unless it is administrator-mandated, only a handful of teachers in a given district or school will use a blog. But , it's ok to dream big, right?

In the article Content Delivery in the 'Blogosphere', authors Ferdig and Trammell discuss the importance of social interaction in teaching and learning and blogs certainly address this need. Students today are totally plugged in to all the new technologies from MP3 players to on-line gaming and teachers need to keep up. The authors discuss the importance of students' using technology for "authentic opprotunities for publication of knowledge" and a blog is an appropriate format for students to both reflect on their own thoughts and understanding and comment on others' thoughts and understanding on a particular topic. The authors state that through the use of a blog, students can become experts on the subject matter being studied simply by more exposure to information on a given topic. When students are asked to find information or review websites about the Mexican-American War, for example, they are following a 3-step process described by the authors: scouring, filtering and posting. This process leads to an expanding knowledge base of the topic.

Teachers are always looking for ways to keep students interested and motivated and the authors believe that blogging is one way to do to that because of the novelty of blogs and perhaps more importantly, because students (sometimes) get the opportunity to blog about topics that are important to them. I like the piece in the article that addresses student participation. We can all think of the students who never raise their hand in class; these shy students now have a safe place to participate. Less shy students can benefit, too, by interacting with the community of learners.

Certain types of lessons or strategies still have to be done the olf fashioned way. Science labs must be conducted with hands-on work from students; art teachers still need to have students create pieces of pottery or sketches and paintings; physical education teachers will continue to have students learn to dribble a basketball with a real basketball, not a virtual one. While Blogs can provide a platform for discussion and reflection on these types of activities, they can't replace the experience.

I see myself using Blogs in my Spanish classroom for reflection purposes when we discuss cultural topics. Students tend to have wide variety of responses to issues such as learning a new language, why one shoud/n't ever travel to a Spanish-speaking country (or travel at all!), etc. Since classroom discussion on these topics often have to be cut short, a Blog would be a great platform for students to continue the discussion outside of class. There could also be a place for language practice and learning to occur with the use of Blog. Links to internet-based resources could be placed on the Blog for student practice. Students could post questions and answers when working on homework or projects.

I'm struggling a bit with the bonus question, mostly because I'm still trying to find ways to incorporate the Blog with conventional strategies, let alone with instructional strategies that aren't easily supported witht his technology. I'm going to think a bit on this point and add more later.

A little less frustrated...

So I'm feeling a little better about the Wiki. I spent some more time playing around and trying out the different things you can do with it. And I (think) I invited all of you to be writers on my Wiki and shared a page with you. I'm still trying to find a practical application for it in my classroom. Does anyone already use one and if so, what specifically do you use it for? Thanks for looking and for your input!

GRRRRR!!!

Ok, so I'm not really getting the whole Wiki thing! I mean, I kind of get it, but I don't really understand what to put on my Wiki. I created two, the first one using Wikispaces but I didn't think it was very user friendly, so I tried PB Works, which didn't help much. I'm going to keep reading and messing around and see if I can figure it out. I feel like such a fish out of water with a lot of this stuff!! Anyone else floundering?!?!?

I did manage to find my school on Wikipedia and edit some erroneous information. Here's a screen shot:

Ok, now I'm frustrated with this--can't seem to get a screen shot on this post. Instead, here's a link to the site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allendale_High_School

I changed the enrollment information from 610 students in 2008-2009 to 591 students in 2009-2010.

Good WebQuests for Spanish

There are lots of good WebQuests for learning about the culture of Spanish speaking countries but it's harder to find ones that help students learn the Spanish language, especially for middle school. So I focused my search on that aspect, hoping to find something that I could use in my classes, maybe even this year yet. Here's what I found:

La Comida Tipica--Typical Food
http://questgarden.com/102/24/7/100425190937/evaluation.htm
In this WebQuest, students are asked to plan a typical menu for a restaurant in a Spanish-speaking city. I like this project because students are learning vocabulary and some culture at the same time as they study the sites provided for some different restaurants in Spanish-speaking cities. There are 3 excellent evaluation rubrics included for the different parts of the project. Looking forward to using this one!

Let's Learn Some Basic Vocabulary and Grammar in Spanish!
http://questgarden.com/102/24/7/100425190937/evaluation.htm
Ok, this one is mediocre at best, but I do like that students can practice vocabulary and grammar, which isn't that easy to fine. It is listed for 9-12 grades, but the material taught isn't so hard that middle schoolers couldn't use it. I see myself using this one with students who finsih another project ahead of time or want a challenge.

Why Study Spanish?
http://questgarden.com/90/33/5/091115103433/index.htm
Although this site doesn't teach the Spanish language, it does help students find the answer to one of the most common questions I get every year: why do we have to learn Spanish? I would ask students at the beginning of the school year to complete the WebQuest as a way to help them understand the importance of learning Spanish and to help them feel a little more excited and motivated for the class. It also teaches them about some Spanish-speaking countries.

Considerations for Computer-Based Projects

When creating computer-based instructional projects for students to use independently, teachers should be cognizant of several factors. As in planning any effective lesson, the learning objectives should be clearly defined and made known to the students. The teacher should also have a clear idea of what material she wants the students to understand upon completion of the project. The project should be well-prepared and in many cases that means well-researched by the teacher before students begin working on it. Teachers need not give students too much information; some things students need to find out how to do on their own. However, not enough information will frustrate students and the project will not be completed accurately. Adequate structure, guidelines and guidance should be provided. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error to find that balance, but it's an important consideration.

A clear explanation of how the students will be assessed should be provided by the teacher. It's appropriate in many cases to offer a few different assessment choices to meet the learning needs of the students in the class. If students are not yet familiar with the technology required to complete the project, the teacher should spend some time teaching students how to use the technology.

Make sure enough time is given for students to successfully complete the project, taking into consideration the abilities of all students in the class. Offer additional or more challenging tasks for the advanced learners and reduced tasks for those who are challenged.

What's the Difference?

Web pages and blogs have some similarities but significant differences as well. Web pages typically contain specific information that someone is looking for while a blog can contain a wide variety of information at the discretion of the author. Web pages are mostly factual in nature while blogs contain the opinions or personal stories of the author. Blogs are manged chronologically and are updated daily while web pages may not be changed or updated for months or years. Posts in blogs are archived so that readers can go back to read previously posted information. Readers can post comments about what the blog's author has written or posted. Blogs are considered interactive in that readers can exchange dialog with the author while the content on web sites typically remains static.

Cinco de Mayo

Today is the first day of this Blog for CEP 811. Looking forward to reading my classmates' comments! Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!