Well I introduced our new classroom blog today, that was great. I have had one student make a post, we have decided to use an alias for each student, since I feel this is safer for them. Any thoughts on how I could make use of this blog, aside from just posting comments?
November 6, 2007
November 6, 2007 at 1:45 am
Great to see that one of your students has commented already.
There are many uses for a classroom blog and many teachers are using them very imaginatively.
Have you checked out Clarence Fisher’s blog? http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/
November 6, 2007 at 2:59 am
Congrats on getting the blog up and running, I hope all goes well with it in your classroom.
November 6, 2007 at 5:49 am
Great to see it being used in the classroom. One of the teachers at our school used it to reinforce the concepts being taught during the day. He would ask them to explain in their own words something for example like osmosis and each student would have to put it in their own words. He said that it also helped the students who were struggling with a concept because he said that the students were able to explain it and give examples that their peers could better understand. He also found that the students were adding additional information that a prior student had left out. He also would teach a concept during the day and have students add examples on the blog. Just a few ideas. Good luck.
November 7, 2007 at 1:52 am
If the first day of your blog is any indication, it will be a great collaborative place.
I also follow Clarence Fisher’s blog, really interesting and innovative use of online tools in his classroom.
November 7, 2007 at 2:08 am
Yes, somehow I must fix up my wordpress blog. I am also trying to figure out Twitter.
November 7, 2007 at 3:20 pm
I recently was re-introduced to Dialogue Journals in an Adult Literacy class. This is an ELA strategy which is useful for younger age groups as well. It would lend itself well to blogs and, in effect, has many of the same features as the blogs that we interact with now. They are interactive, built on trust/respect, frequent, free writes and on-going. I think that they could progress from teacher to partner to class interactions.
November 7, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Yes, congrats on the set up of your blog. I used my class blog for an assignment for going greener. The assignment was for grade 10 Ecosystems on ways in which we can all help the planet. The name of the assignment was Going Greener A to Z – students had to come up with a couple of ways in which they could do their part in helping the environment. They had to make their statements correspond with the letters of the alphabet. A – Avoid fast food. The packaging done by fast food companies is piling up in our landfill sites. This was one example from a student. The assignment was done on word and then copied and pasted into the blog via the comments link. They too used an alias and then we read them as a group. My contribution to the environment was the assignemnt itself, as it was also eco friendly.
November 7, 2007 at 7:15 pm
I know some teachers use blogs for student journalling. I have heard of a blog being used by characters in a play. For example students would be asked to blog like Juliet would as she goes through her trials and tribulations. The class would establish blogs on each character. The class and teacher could review each blog and gage understanding of the play and its characters, plot, themes, etc.
November 9, 2007 at 1:42 am
Very nice job. Do your students comment from home or are they doing it at school? or both? I like the colours and the interaction you have going on.
November 11, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Great blog. I definitely think the alias for each student is a must have. Do you provide class time for commenting, or is that a homework expectation?