Blogging really encourages reading since in order for me to write on my blog I had to do some research and reading. I found this wonderful article, "The Joy of Blogging," by Anna P. Davis and Ewa McGraiL. I want to share some of the tips they had in implementing Blogging in the classroom.
1) Teacher must present the first post on a class blog where students and teacher will discussed it.
2) Students then explored other students' blogs, wikis on blogging and a "blook" (a book created on a blog). They then create a visual representation of their learning.
3) Teacher then create a purposeful learning environment by giving students prompts to write on eg: current events, topics they are learning in class, books they are reading, passions they are pursuing and persuasive pieces.
4) Teacher must build a respectful classroom environment by encouraging students to make thoughtful comments on their classmates blogs eg: Some of the comment starters that can be used include, " I wonder......," "After reflecting on your post.....," "Another thing to consider....," "I don't understand ......,"
5) Students are encouraged to practice, "Freewriting" (REMEMBER this strategy) before writing in their blogs.
6) Every week the teachers must acknowledge a student's accomplishments so they will know that their efforts are appreciated by teacher and peers.
7) To ensure successful blogging the teacher could recruit readers from outside the classroom community eg: university students, students in other blogging classes, retired teachers as well as the teachers professional blog. I like this idea.
What are your comments on this article?
If you are interested in reading the whole article blog me.
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ReplyDeleteYou can e-mail me the article at ntsh_pttrsn @ yahoo.com It is hoped that your SEA results were satisfactory. Unfortunately some of the interventions and support that your school enjoyed were not the same at mine. I know that whatever insights you gained will be shared with me so that I can assist those up and coming students.
ReplyDeleteHi Esther,
ReplyDeleteI must say that your article was very interesting indeed and your enthusiasm for "Blogging" is shared by many, including me. What I have found though is that "Blogging" can be quite time consuming. This made me wonder whether there were other disadvantages to "Blogging." While I do not want to be viewed as a "kill joy," I always try to take a balanced approach to life and things in general, since I believe if I do such, I would be more prepared to deal with the negative side of things. The questions that are therefore now floating through my mind are:
1) How do we sustain students' interest in Blogging?
2) How easy is it to maintain?
Hi Esther,
ReplyDeleteI do hope that you are fine and in the best of health. I also believe that blogs support reading. Esther reading and writing are linked. Therefore, since blogs assist students with reading they also assist them with writing. Teachers can view the blog post of students to assess their needs.