In reading the thoughts found in Chapters 1 &2 of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, I had some mixed feelings surface. I definitely see the potential and endless possibilities blogging has for both the teacher as a researcher and the students to make learning more fun. In all the NCTE standards, a place for blogging can be found and pursued. Students are already technologically savvy, so why not put to good use their skills with electronics and apply it to reading and writing.
I also agreed that careful consideration needs to go into making blogging safe for all students. I don’t want to see my student end up in a Chris Hansen Internet Predator t.v. show. Students’ privacy must be protected without sacrificing the ownership they need in publishing their material. Parental approval and student education of acceptable blogging behavior are the first steps. The teacher as moderator should have to approve all comments left on a students’ work.
I disagreed with Will Richardson’s definition of what blogging is. On page 32, he gives a run down of what he thinks constitutes blogging and what is just journaling or posting assignments. I agree that if I post a link or an assignment I’m not blogging, but I *AM* adding to my blog. I disagree with him that journaling is not a form of blogging. I think to journal about feelings, thoughts about writing, or answering questions about an assigned book all constitute blogging. In my opinion, journaling is the supreme form of blogging because you are giving your thoughts, your analysis, your answers on any given subject. Just the process of journaling in the blog creates critical thinking and analysis. Maybe it’s just symantics, but journaling is blogging and both promote thoughtful and careful answers, which in turns encourages synthesis and metacognitive construction. Even just eight pages later in his description of classroom uses of weblogs, he includes “reflective, journal-type” as a blog. I just don’t buy into the arguement that an excercise has to be some huge analytical, amalgamation of thoughts and exchange of ideas. Even elementary school students can blog, has he acknowledges, just not at that deep of a level.
On a seperate note, I think a class blog is a fantastic idea. There is a time and place for individual blogs, but I think a class blog has the advantage of encouraging students to go beyond their limits by the very fact that what a student writes will be reviewed by a peer. I know I always try to put more thought and effort into a group discussion so my classmates won’t know how ignorant I am. Class blogs are going to encourage the student to do more research, reflect more on his or her topic, and offer more than a simple posting. Without a doubt, this will improve their reading and writing skills.
In addition, and I know from experience, there is such little parent/teacher interaction these days. By having a class blogs that parents can access, the teacher can post homework, show what students are working on in class, describe how week is going, and allow for parental comments. Not only are students plugged in to the blog, but parents are attuned to the information as well. And as teachers, that is one of our hardest challenges is getting parents involved with the education of their children.
There are drawback to blogging, as Richardson points out. But the power blogging has to improve upon students’ writing can not be overlooked or denied. As easy, beneficial, and appropriate as it is, I can not understand why any teacher wouldn’t participate.
