For my very first blog post, I wrote about some of the possibilities of using blogs in the classroom. I feel that since this class is coming to an end it would only be appropriate to add to the list. I remember writing the blog thinking my ideas were really good, but after hearing my classmates ideas and seeing classroom blogs, I realized there are so many wonderful ways to use blogs in the classroom!
First off, blogs would be a perfect way to create a classroom news page. The teacher and students could update this page with pictures of the classroom, homework assignments, notes, special events, stories written by the students, and many more! This would allow for parents and even grandparents to stay connected with the classroom.
Another idea for a classroom blog is to use it as a means for writing. There are A LOT of ways this could be done. The teacher could blog a writing prompt and then each students' response could be a comment or could be posted in his/her own blog. Blogging could also be used as a means for storytelling. This would make it very easy for a teacher to hold a peer review session. The teacher could also use blogs for journal writing. If this was done, the teacher would be able to check each journal from anywhere with an Internet connection and she would no longer have to carry around several writing notebooks. There are so many ways in which blogs could be used to for writing activities!
One of my favorite things about blogs is that I could connect with another teacher across the country even across the world and our classes could blog back and forth together in a matter of minutes! Before the Internet, if a teacher wanted to connect with a distant classroom, it could take days by the time the other class got the mail and responded back. Blogs completely changed the way this was done. I would love for my future students to be able to do a project about another country and get the information from students who live in the country. I think the experience would be amazing!
I've always known about blogs, but I never imagined being able to use them in the classroom. I'm glad that we have spent time talking about them, and that I was able to start one! I can honestly say that this is one technology I will try to use in my own classroom.
It has been great being able to read blogs and respond to them. I will miss doing that when this class comes to an end. I have enjoyed doing just what you said in your ideas for Blogs and that is sharing from teacher to teacher. Like you I have come up with many ways to use the Blog. At the beginning of this school year we were told it was optional for us to use the BLOG site that has been set up for each of us and I was panciked thinking there is No WAY I could ever do that! Since then I have become way more relaxed and ready to go. If all goes well I will be starting the class blog after the holiday break.
ReplyDeleteOnce again thanks for your wonderful ideas.
You listed some great ideas for using blogs in the language classroom. I cannot wait to investigate these within the real classroom setting. Jsut imagine the endless possibilities. Great list!
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