As I think about how to incorporate blogging for my classroom- I like the idea of having the blog act as an idea sharing/ social networking forum. It is hard to expect that every student has access to a computer and the internet. However, I appreciate the idea of having a safe place for my students to "gather" and interact.
I see this as a great way to have the students share their work and ideas with each other. In my school, I think that one of the greatest tools that a blog can afford is the ability to build a community. Instead of focusing the bog on academic lessons, I think it would be best to act more as a social networking site for the kids. Allowing and encouraging a healthy discussion could be more beneficial to my studnts.
Teaching 6th grade (math and science), I have found that one area that my students most struggle with is interpersonal interactions. Most of the conflict the sixth graders experience stem from social skills. Our school emphasizes Socratic Seminar and I envision this blogging site could act much like the Socratic Seminar. The Socratic Seminar allows the students to thoughtfully and conscientiously contribute their thoughts and ideas. By emphasizing these skills, I think that we will enable the students to perform better both academically and socially.
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteSure sounds like you have a great idea behind blogging with your students. The idea of a safe place for them to network is important. One way I think you might want to improve this sharing of ideas is by giving your students a focus point or a scenario to guide the discussions. For example, if you were trying to improve the problems that arise due to social skills, give a scenario where a student is called a name. Students then post how they would react if that was them in the scenario. It will be interesting to hear the results of problems and solutions. A topic idea could be bullying. See students' reactions to the word bullying and what it means to them. If you are trying to incorporate math and science, you could present an experiment that involves mathematical connections and have students share their results through the blog. I think the communication will still be a free place to share but the social network will have a more meaningful purpose with a focus. Great ideas and all the best as you start the blog. I am curious to hear how it all works out for you! I sometimes see instructional time wasted on problematic behaviors within my own class. Your blog post gave me the idea to guide students with a focus on how to improve their behaviors and brainstorm ideas. Thanks!
Kourtney
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteI like that you would use your blog in the classroom as a place for social interaction. Students at te age of a sixth grade sometimes have difficulties expressing themselves. Your students learning to communicate appropriately with one another is a great start to helping them with their social skills. I believe that as conflicts arise in the class you can use those topics as starter blog topics. I also like kourtney's idea.
These are all great ideas on how you can use your blog. Maybe organzing pages for different topics might help the students find what they are looking for. Creating a page about homework problems could be a good idea for students to ask each other for help. Then using a page for what we call "Put-ups" (instead of put-downs) could be fun too. A way to get on the blog and let a classmate know that you appreciate them, or that you think they are really good at something!
ReplyDeleteOops....nellbell37= Nellie (forgot to leave my name on that comment)
ReplyDeleteKatie,
ReplyDeleteSocratic Seminars are great ways to get students to share their own ideas and be willing to learn from each other. I think you are right. Blogging is a great way to host it. Also have you thought of using it for study sessions before a test...? I have tried it before and it seems to work well.
Thanks and great post!
Andrew