Now that I have had some time to look at other people's blogs and been able to see some different things that you can do with them, I've started to think of some ways that I could use my blog in the future.
First of all, a blog is a really simple way to communicate. I know people who blog to keep up with their families. In some ways, a blog is easier to navigate than a facebook page, so people can share photos, videos and notes with less tech-savvy family members.
Teachers can use blogs in the same way that my family does. Parents can't always be in the classroom, but they might have ten minutes at night to check a blog. Teachers could put pictures of class activities and little notes about what went on in class in a blog for parents to see.
In addition to communicating daily activities with parents, teachers can use a blog to post information about homework assignments for their students. Although we might wish it weren't so, students do not always listen to teachers. I can remember forgetting to write down homework assignments in elementary school, and I wish that technology would have been advanced enough for my teachers to have a blog. Teachers can post more than homework assignments for their students as well. Links to websites, videos and articles that students could use for research would be easy to share over a blog. And it would probably interest the students more if their teacher used the same technology that they do.
Teachers can also have students start their own blogs. They could be used as an online portfolio or a way to communicate for group projects. It would also be another great way to have parents see what their students are doing. Since blogs tend to be less formal than typical classwork (essays, reports, projects), students might feel more open about sharing what they really think.
Teachers can use blogs to communicate with one another as well. I'm not sure that I truly understood what an amazing resource for teaching the Internet was until I started this class (Education 3040, Instructional Technology). By searching through blogs, I can find posts on topics from classroom management to 4th grade reading lessons to strategies for working with difficult parents. And I can post advice of my own as well. I don't always have time to evaluate every new piece of technology, research article, or teaching method that comes my way; however, I do have time to sort through some reviews and figure out what is worth trying out on my own. I am excited to see what else I could learn from reading blogs and using them with my students.
Mary, I am glad I was not the only one who did not understand the significance of this course, Instructional Technology. I am already learning so much from the class about the Internet and just how much it can do. I am slightly dumbfounded by it all. I am finally starting to get the hang of it all.
ReplyDeleteMe too!! Although there are times when I still feel like a don't have the hang of any of it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! I just hope that I can keep up with all the new things we are learning. With all the days off we are having, I hope that I don't have to figure too many things out on my own. That could end in disaster!
ReplyDeleteThat is very true about ending in disaster. This course is great in all the information that we are learning, but i do not know if i can keep up with it all! It is great to know that all of these resources are out there though to help us be great teachers!!
ReplyDeleteI agree. There is just so much, plus I have 60 hours observation to do this semester and major projects in every class. I also agree that a class blog is a great idea. Parents could keep up with what was going on as well as students being able to check it if they forgot wht they were supposed to be doing.
ReplyDeleteI love that you mentioned that parents cannot always be in the classroom, and making a blog that the parents can check to see what is going on in the classroom is an awesome idea. This will help the parents be involved in a students life. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteReading all of the comments has made me feel better. I thought this class would be easy, but there's so much to learn. It is a lot of fun though too. I agree with Jbunger. I think getting the parents involved through blogs is a great idea. If they are not into blogs, I think they would appreciate being introduced to it.
ReplyDelete