Chapter 3 Weblogs
The following quote on pg. 43 speaks volumes to me: "How can a teacher expect her students to blog (or to use any tool, strategy, or technique) if she doesn't use it herself...?" (Ganley, 2004a). Students are aware of what teachers do, and our level of comfort with a task is usually pretty apparent. If we aren't willing to explore and take educational risks, our class won't either. Attitudes are contagious. As educators, we need to show that we not only accept 21st century tools, but that we embrace them.
Like Richardson, I think the key to writing blogs is reading blogs. By reading thoughtful blogs, we get a feel for the genre and how we might put our own personal spin on our written reflections. Hand-selecting the sites that kids check out online is important. Before they search on their own, it's a good idea to provide them with a list of pre-approved websites (or in this case, blog-sites) so that they get a feel for quality constructed pages. Even as an adult, I love the fact that Richardson has provided a list of great educator weblogs for me to peruse. He has saved me lots of time from aimlessly searching!
The next step would be to have the kids respond to a whole-class blog forum. After practicing writing and responding with classmates, the students will be ready to create their own blogs and offer them to the world! I think having this step by step approach is a good way to build the necessary skills that bloggers need. We all have to walk before we can run, but it's important to know that there are no wrong posts in a blog. There are opinions which might lead to disagreements, but that is one of the best parts of communicating online. People are more honest than they would be in a face-to-face situation. This leads to better and more authentic interactions.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Ch. 2
In the second chapter, Richardson really drives home the point of having an instant audience for writing when we write online. The feedback can be plentiful and unbiased since we often get responders who have never met us. Having the opportunity to communicate with people of different ages and cultures might provide a unique perspective to writing pieces. One of the hardest thing about teaching writing is finding the time to peer edit and help the students revise their initial work. After reading this chapter, I am thinking about getting all of my students into the computer lab and having them post their written work to the Web so that the other students can give quick feedback. If each student responded to three different writers, there exists the potential for really substantial feedback. It seems like an easier process then having to wait to pass papers around and handwriting notes. Students will probably be more open and honest with their feedback online than they would be in a face-to-face peer review session. I'm confident that getting in the habit of regularly reviewing the work of peers will improve student writing.
A class blog would be much more beneficial than my current teacherweb page. While an online spot for posting homework and upcoming events is important, I could accomplish this on a classroom blog that would also allow me to post online readings, writing prompts, photos, exemplars of student work. Most importantly, this would be a place for students to chime in and give their two cents on the classroom happenings. This blog could be open so that others could see what we're up to and provide us with feedback on our investigations across the curriculum. It will be a goal of mine to create a class blog this year. Eventually, with enough practice and guidance, hopefully students will be able to successfully create their very own blogs as well.
Finally, the distinction that the author makes between journaling and blogging is an interesting one. While journaling can be therapeutic, it is really a solitary experience. Blogging, on the otherhand, thrives on the interaction that the blogger gets. In this way, it is more conversational. Social networking sites can be both a place for journaling and blogging on some level. After reading this chapter by Richardson, I've begun to classify my Facebook "friends". Some people just need a place to announce their everyday activities, and other people are using this site as a place to reach out and connect with others and to discuss various issues. Mainly, I think it centers around what we want to see in return from responders. I definitely respect people who post discussion topics looking to see both sides of a pseudo-debate. This type of interaction is far more entertaining and educational than people who just want to inform you of their work schedule and what they bought at the grocery store.
In the second chapter, Richardson really drives home the point of having an instant audience for writing when we write online. The feedback can be plentiful and unbiased since we often get responders who have never met us. Having the opportunity to communicate with people of different ages and cultures might provide a unique perspective to writing pieces. One of the hardest thing about teaching writing is finding the time to peer edit and help the students revise their initial work. After reading this chapter, I am thinking about getting all of my students into the computer lab and having them post their written work to the Web so that the other students can give quick feedback. If each student responded to three different writers, there exists the potential for really substantial feedback. It seems like an easier process then having to wait to pass papers around and handwriting notes. Students will probably be more open and honest with their feedback online than they would be in a face-to-face peer review session. I'm confident that getting in the habit of regularly reviewing the work of peers will improve student writing.
A class blog would be much more beneficial than my current teacherweb page. While an online spot for posting homework and upcoming events is important, I could accomplish this on a classroom blog that would also allow me to post online readings, writing prompts, photos, exemplars of student work. Most importantly, this would be a place for students to chime in and give their two cents on the classroom happenings. This blog could be open so that others could see what we're up to and provide us with feedback on our investigations across the curriculum. It will be a goal of mine to create a class blog this year. Eventually, with enough practice and guidance, hopefully students will be able to successfully create their very own blogs as well.
Finally, the distinction that the author makes between journaling and blogging is an interesting one. While journaling can be therapeutic, it is really a solitary experience. Blogging, on the otherhand, thrives on the interaction that the blogger gets. In this way, it is more conversational. Social networking sites can be both a place for journaling and blogging on some level. After reading this chapter by Richardson, I've begun to classify my Facebook "friends". Some people just need a place to announce their everyday activities, and other people are using this site as a place to reach out and connect with others and to discuss various issues. Mainly, I think it centers around what we want to see in return from responders. I definitely respect people who post discussion topics looking to see both sides of a pseudo-debate. This type of interaction is far more entertaining and educational than people who just want to inform you of their work schedule and what they bought at the grocery store.
Ch 1
Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts and other Powerful Webtools for Classrooms
by Will Richardson
Chapter 1
Richardson's book starts a little slow, but right away it's clear that the world wide web has gone from a neat supplement that teachers might choose to dabble in, to an essential component needed to prepare student's for the present and the future. In my opinion, Richardson is correct. We can no longer avoid technology. It is growing at an incomprehensible rate, and education for the most part, is crawling along with its usage of technology. Even when we think we are on "the cutting edge", our processes are in the process of being outdated. If the past 25 years have just been the “warm up act”, it is mind blowing what the future of technology will bring. Even in my relatively short exposure to computers, I have seen some fairly legit advancement. With the benefits of technology, however, does come some chance of encountering unfortunate situations. Schools do their best to block inappropriate websites, but there are too many to keep up with. Richardson poses a good point, though. While we cannot completely prevent students from accessing inappropriate material from the web, we can teach them how to respond when accidentally accessing an unwelcomed site. With enough dialogue and preparation around handling awkward computer moments, students most likely will show an increase in maturity level. Since many kids are online in an unsupervised situation at home, hopefully, these lessons will carry over to their computer usage when they leave school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)