I would very much argue that the up-and-coming generation of students are a "click-and-learn" generation. Literally everything we could every possibly hope to understand, learn about and explore is available to us in the palm of our hand or sitting on our lap. We literally hold the world in our hands -- an immense, vast growing wealth of knowledge (mostly) that we can access and add to at any time. The phenomenal capacity this has is being realized every day in the advances and connections we can make. So where does blogging in education come into all of this? With infinite information available to us, why bother to blog at all?
I should have begun by establishing I am not a blogger. I am not much of a digital citizen; I do not know what lurks in the dark caverns of internet culture. What I do know is that most of the students I am learning to teach know all about documenting their lives to the smallest detail online. So when I ask myself about the purpose of blogging in education, I see the opportunity for students to engage with me, and I with them, over a platform that they may very well perceive as being more accessible and comfortable than speaking face to face all the time.
Blogging offers students the opportunity to express themselves freely in a low-pressure environment. They can update and revise their posts instead of stuttering or misspeaking in class. They can say something thoughtful without the fear of seeing their peers' judgement written all over their faces. More importantly, perhaps, it offers a window to being as creative as they can possibly wish to be. There is a wide range of multimedia additions students can add to make their blog their very own -- their individuality can shine throughout the classroom as students and teachers read and share their blogs together. Of course, this can happen in direct discussion in classrooms as well, but the multimedia/visual aspect is missing.
With teacher moderation and (often) mandatory requirements for students to comment on their peers' posts, blogging opens up the classroom to meaningful discussion, instant feedback and an opportunity to review. In my own Bio 30 classroom, it was a requirement that students take turn writing a blog post after every class, myself included (before passing judgement, please note that this was my writing in Grade 12). This capability fosters another environment in which teachers can learn from students, students can learn from teachers and students can learn from other students. Additionally, since students are writing on a world stage and not just engaging in discussions limited to the physical classroom, blogging has the potential to reach people the world over -- new perspective can never hurt! Pragmatically speaking, it is far less work for teachers to carry home and grade in their satchels, as well as a way to ensure that no more dogs are eating homework.
Struggles to have students write effectively and grammatically correct on the part of the teacher need not so be difficult on the internet. Blogging, in my opinion, is far more relevant to students today and much more likely to motivate them to be good writers because they are writing for the world to see and not the perceived bureaucracy of school and "the system". Being "internet famous" is much more endearing than being "classroom famous".
Having considered all this, what do I plan to do with blogging and my students?
I intend to set an example. The fact that our professional and technical portfolios in our Professional Semesters require blogging is a good start. If (and possibly when) my students Google search me in the future, they'll have a whole lot of good examples to learn from. I will be learning to blog throughout this, but the stewardship I hope to preserve will hopefully have some sort of positive influence.
I intend to blog for the students I teach. I will review lessons in class, supply links for "click-and-learn" possibilities and ask questions that I expect them to respond to in my comments section. Similarly, I will expect the same of them. This also provides me with an avenue through which I can update parents on the day-to-day of the classroom.
I also intend to act as a resource for teachers around the world. I am still learning, and other teachers are still learning -- blogging is the perfect avenue for all teachers to engage in discussions. I'll upload lesson plans, write about management strategies, post questions about teaching itself and more. I will write a post, edit it, revise it and revise it once more to make it the most effective I can be.
I will be a communicator on the world stage. The possibilities are endless.
I should have begun by establishing I am not a blogger. I am not much of a digital citizen; I do not know what lurks in the dark caverns of internet culture. What I do know is that most of the students I am learning to teach know all about documenting their lives to the smallest detail online. So when I ask myself about the purpose of blogging in education, I see the opportunity for students to engage with me, and I with them, over a platform that they may very well perceive as being more accessible and comfortable than speaking face to face all the time.
Blogging offers students the opportunity to express themselves freely in a low-pressure environment. They can update and revise their posts instead of stuttering or misspeaking in class. They can say something thoughtful without the fear of seeing their peers' judgement written all over their faces. More importantly, perhaps, it offers a window to being as creative as they can possibly wish to be. There is a wide range of multimedia additions students can add to make their blog their very own -- their individuality can shine throughout the classroom as students and teachers read and share their blogs together. Of course, this can happen in direct discussion in classrooms as well, but the multimedia/visual aspect is missing.
With teacher moderation and (often) mandatory requirements for students to comment on their peers' posts, blogging opens up the classroom to meaningful discussion, instant feedback and an opportunity to review. In my own Bio 30 classroom, it was a requirement that students take turn writing a blog post after every class, myself included (before passing judgement, please note that this was my writing in Grade 12). This capability fosters another environment in which teachers can learn from students, students can learn from teachers and students can learn from other students. Additionally, since students are writing on a world stage and not just engaging in discussions limited to the physical classroom, blogging has the potential to reach people the world over -- new perspective can never hurt! Pragmatically speaking, it is far less work for teachers to carry home and grade in their satchels, as well as a way to ensure that no more dogs are eating homework.
Struggles to have students write effectively and grammatically correct on the part of the teacher need not so be difficult on the internet. Blogging, in my opinion, is far more relevant to students today and much more likely to motivate them to be good writers because they are writing for the world to see and not the perceived bureaucracy of school and "the system". Being "internet famous" is much more endearing than being "classroom famous".
Having considered all this, what do I plan to do with blogging and my students?
I intend to set an example. The fact that our professional and technical portfolios in our Professional Semesters require blogging is a good start. If (and possibly when) my students Google search me in the future, they'll have a whole lot of good examples to learn from. I will be learning to blog throughout this, but the stewardship I hope to preserve will hopefully have some sort of positive influence.
I intend to blog for the students I teach. I will review lessons in class, supply links for "click-and-learn" possibilities and ask questions that I expect them to respond to in my comments section. Similarly, I will expect the same of them. This also provides me with an avenue through which I can update parents on the day-to-day of the classroom.
I also intend to act as a resource for teachers around the world. I am still learning, and other teachers are still learning -- blogging is the perfect avenue for all teachers to engage in discussions. I'll upload lesson plans, write about management strategies, post questions about teaching itself and more. I will write a post, edit it, revise it and revise it once more to make it the most effective I can be.
I will be a communicator on the world stage. The possibilities are endless.
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