Too often parents want to know the ins and outs of their child’s day in the classroom but by the time students get home, homework is completed, and dinner is cooked the memories of the day have faded; important events, interesting information and funny anecdotes did not get shared.
I envision a classroom blog as a way to share the day with parents and provide the opportunity to comment and ask questions of their child and the class. Each day a pair of students will have the responsibility to record information about the day and enter it in the classroom blog. They will also be responsible for sharing any comments to their post with the class and replying to any questions posed to them. Writing as a means to inform others provides a purpose for their writing; it is not simply for a grade. Well-written entries will likely produce more comments and will encourage students to improve their writing skills and will also provide validation for their efforts. When one knows their work will be in a public forum and can be read by family, friends or anyone they are likely to put forth their best efforts. If students create the blog they will be more likely to encourage their parents to read it than if it was simply recorded by the teacher and therefore opening their life in the classroom to their family and others.
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Hi Tracy,
ReplyDeleteSetting up a classroom blog to help students communicate about their learning and allow parents to see inside the classroom, would be a nice way to engage students deeper in the lessons, promote communication, technology, and literacy skills. The concerns some of my colleagues have raised is, the privacy and safety of students. The idea of using a blog in the classroom is new to me. What do you think about having students use fictitious names and have the blog set up as private? Is this possible? Parents could get their child's nickname from the teacher or child. This would somewhat assist with the concern for privacy.
Alisha,
ReplyDeleteI think if the topic is general, such as daily classroom life and students only use first names their would not be an issue. I think if the blog was private the students would not take as much pride in it. Obviously the teacher would monitor the blog and anyone who is commenting. The nice thing about a blog, as compared to email, is the fact that everything is open for all to see.Thanks for your input!
Tracy and Alisha,
ReplyDeleteI think that the benefits of blogging about their learning would greatly outweigh any potential risks. You would need to give students clear guidelines about their assignment. Maybe you could direct them to discuss content issues...what did we learn, how did we learn it, what are we doing next. They should avoid any mention of student behavior unless it is something like, "Congratulations to Johnny for winning the school spelling bee." If the students do not use their last names and nothing negative is shared through the blog, it seems as if their privacy is ensured. I would proofread all posts before allowing them to post to the Internet just to be on the safe side.
I kept a blog for classroom assignments a few years ago, and the parents and students loved it. I posted homework, upcoming due dates, explanations, and links to websites that supplemented the lesson. It opened up a new avenue for communication that we all enjoyed. You can find that blog at http://7westmath.blogspot.com/
I did not have students post because I taught five different classes (7th grade math), and the logistics were too overwhelming. Having the same students all day would make it a lot easier. I can't wait to see what your students do with this!
Tracy,
ReplyDeleteThis idea incorporates valuable communication between parents and students. My concern would be parents feeling comfortable with the technology, even though the students are excited about the possiblities. I think the blog for assignments and homework is an important first step for parents' to understand the use of technology. The students' comments being monitored would be crucial for some privacy, maybe student id numbers could be used to protect them.
Great topic!