Technology today has made it possible in helping our students to learn. The Internet, word and presentation applications, and communication tools such as Instant Messaging, email, bulletin board, and web logs (blogs) are just some examples that are used to enhance our capabilities of acquiring information from other resources or share our own ideas.
After reading and becoming familiar with the concept of blogs, several ideas came to mind on how I could use blogs to facilitate learning with my students. First, as a technology teacher, I would use it as a tool to demonstrate to my students how networking and Internet access can be used in a beneficial way. I would promote the tool to my students as a communication device that allows them to respond to issues, ideas, or share inputs in a non-confrontational forum. Secondly, I would use blogs as another means to provide homework assignments, provide contact information, and to demonstrate how the blog environment allows for chronologically organized posts. I would emphasize that becoming familiar with the organizational makeup of blogs, it will enhance their organization abilities that can be beneficial in other curriculum activities. Thirdly, blogs can enhance the language arts and writing skills. I would create assignments requiring my students to post entries frequently, such as weekly or bi-weekly. For example, an assignment may include starting a journal on a particular issue we are discussing in class. Another example, I would create an assignment, specifically with election year coming up, where each student picks a presidential candidate and start a blog campaign supporting that contender. As a math teacher, I would post math problems and recommend student to resolve the problems with the combined help of other students in the class using the blog concept. Lastly, I would encourage each student to provide positive feedback to other students’ entries.
Prior to opening up the blog environment to my students, rules and regulations would be strictly enforced. This includes discussing proper etiquette of online posting, what is considered as an appropriate and permissible subject matter, what are my expectations, and the consequences for inappropriate behavior. I would implement positive reinforcement for those who follow the proper standards I set. Negative comments, responses, or inputs by a student against another student’s work will not be accepted. With the use of blogs, I would teach my students how to have a discussion or debate on conflicting issues in an appropriate manner and without deflating one’s values.
For my teaching purposes, I would use blogs to help me grade and monitor my students’ progress. I would evaluate their postings on content, grammar, and spelling. It would further help me see how well my students time managed, follow protocol, and how well I was able to stimulate communication among my students.
