Some ideas I wanted to add to this blog (which I also added to the Angel discussion session):
Some reasons for using blogs include:
-Providing extra reading practice for students
-Online journals can be read by peers
-Help guide students to online sources appropriate for their level
-Increases a sense of community in a class
-Encourages shy students to participate
-Stimulates out of class discussions
-Encourages a process-writing approach
-Online portfolio of students' written work
-Builds a closer relationship between students in larger classes
How do I add myself as a contributor? I thought I set myself up for it, but my name is not there... can someone please help me?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Blogging in the Classroom
Technology is becoming more and more a part of our everyday life. It continues to grow and it is important as a teacher to not only to be familiar with the new technologies that we are being exposed to but also be able to educate our students as well and integrate them into the classroom. An example of a new and popular technology being used by many teachers is blogging. Blogging is a communication tool that is used through the internet to publish texts and artwork.
Schools are trying to incorporate more technology into the classrooms and student's learning . Blogs have been successful by combining the best of education with the best of technology, using them in creative ways to capture the attention of students. Not only do these blogs help students get accustomed to the demands that college courses and work environments place in front of them, but it also motivates the students. Teachers sometimes find that struggling readers are more motivated to participate in class because of the technology used. With technology rapidly growing, it is in the teachers’ best interest to include these teaching styles in their classrooms.
In the article, "Blog it: an innovative way to improve literacy," we can see how inspiring and beneficial blogging and technology are in the classrooms for young students. The article explains that blogs or web logs are creative websites that can be created and added to with little or no knowledge of hypertext markup. In other words, it is an easy way for those who do not totally understand the computer world to publish their work on the internet. As Linda Wells states in her article, the students in her classroom who publish their work on these blogs are excited and eager to read and write. The blogs also allow for increased communication with parents. These online blogs allow for the students to become actively engaged in their reading and writing through technology, and still allows for teachers to teach the fundamentals of writing.
The article is demonstrating what classrooms around the world are starting to do. In some schools almost are classes are "intelligent." Most of the classrooms have Promethean boards and document cameras. Technology is helping schools improve their classrooms because students can relate with technology rather then just reading a book out loud. They can go to a computer and read it online or put the book under the camera and read it. In some cases it is easier for the students to understand the teacher's lessons rather than listening to a 30-40 min. lecture. The hands on education is sometimes more effective over the norm textbooks and paper. Blogging helps teachers, students and parents. It's easier for everyone to be involved in what is going on in the classroom from home, school or work.
The idea of students blogging their written work, an amazing fixture of learning. Not only does the teacher have the ability to read the items but family members could join in, as well. Children are often excited about their writings and may want to share their accomplishments with those who are not close by. Not everyone lives near their grandparents, or parents may be separated and want to share their learning with their father, perhaps. It is a also a great way to critique and leave uplifting comments. Kids like to get involved and what better way to be hands on and innovative by setting something up 
on the web.
Blogging not only opens up a new way of learning that was not available in the past, but it also opens young childrens' minds to a whole new world. When we were younger we communicated to students at different schools through 'pen pals,' a process of that took about two-three weeks to communicate. Blogging can provide a more hands on and faster approach to communicating with other students all over the country. It also gives children something to have in common with the parents who are more than likely using the internet at work and home.
It is also quite fun for them to see how many people hit the page. As they see the number growing, it motivates them to keep posting because they know people are interested. The idea of book reports in a blog is a great idea. It is a great way for people outside the group or classroom to share in the children's learning and pick out books that may interest them. Peers often give the best impression of what they enjoy and it can give parents an idea of what books to get their children.
It is very important, these days, to get children started on the computer at a young age. Jobs are becoming more and more technology related. They will have to keep up with these improvements in order to survive with the growing technology. If they grow up working through computers, everything will come much easier to them when they are asked to work through computer programs. It is evident with the elderly of this day and age that they did not have the opportunity to work with computers. If you asked them to sit in front of a computer and turn it on, they may not even be able to complete that task. What job these days could you get that is not related with technology?
It is important to get children into writing and reading. Reading is the best way to expand a child's mind. If they have a fun way to get into it, why not promote it? I Who wants to sit at a desk all day? Get those kids involved!
Benefits of blogging in the classroom:
- Provides extra reading practice for students.
- Online journals can be read by peers and parents and the positive feed back encourages the students to participate even more.
- Helps guide students on how to use online sources appropriate for their age level.
- Creates a sense of community both inside and outside of the classroom.
- Encourages normally shy students to participate.
- Stimulates out of class discussions.
- Encourages a process-writing approach.
- Gives students an opportunity to build an online portfolio of works.
- Builds relationships between students in larger classes both inside and outside of the classroom.
Tips for blogging in the classroom:
- Inform parents of proper parental supervision and privacy controls when using the internet.
- Teach students proper behavior when using the internet and blogging as both authors and readers.
- Set and review guidelines for posts and student access.
- Show students fun and creative blog examples to help them understand the idea of blogging and get them motivated.
Kimberly's Article
This article is showing what classrooms around the world are starting to do. At a school where I work sometimes all classrooms are almost "intelligent." What I mean is that most of the classrooms have promethean boards and document cameras. Technology is really making schools have a much easier time because students can relate with technology then just reading a book out loud. They can go to a computer and read it online or put the book under the camera and read it. Blogging helps teachers and students because it's much easier to understand sometimes then a teacher getting up and talking in front of the class for 30-40 minutes.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Paula-Eme2040 week2
Blogging classroom connects to parents
A fifth-grade class at Pinellas Park has a personal Web site, helping parents stay informed about what their kids do at school.
By EMILY ANTHESPublished August 9, 2005
[Special to the Times]
Fifth-grade teacher Fred Roemer lets his students write about what they've learned each day in an online Web journal.
Mr. Roemer's fifth grade polar bears
ST. PETERSBURG - Some parents struggle to get their children to surrender even a scrap of information about what they did in school.
But last year, Joyce Schubert didn't even have to ask. Each day, after her fifth-grade daughter, Kayla Vance, disappeared into a Pinellas Park Elementary School classroom, Schubert would log onto the Internet for a virtual peek inside.
On the class Web site, Schubert could see her daughter's spelling grades half an hour after she had taken a test or monitor deadlines for assignments. But the highlight, Schubert said, was the daily classroom blog written by the fifth-graders.
She checked it at least once a day, she said.
"I liked knowing what was going on in class, seeing what they were doing, what they were learning, just knowing my daughter was in a safe place," Schubert said.
Blogs have long been popular among teenagers and young adults, who often use them at home as virtual diaries and write about their personal lives. But a growing number of teachers like Fred Roemer, Kayla's teacher, are discovering that students are just as eager to blog about math and history.
Roemer's classroom Web journal is among a smattering nationwide. It serves as a model for other teachers who want to reclaim the technology from their students. And as school officials push for better parent-teacher communication, blogs and Web sites like Roemer's have begun to emerge as one possible solution.
Hillsborough County schools, for example, have introduced a new system this year that will help teachers set up their own class Web sites.
The number of teachers who have student-maintained blogs in their classrooms remains relatively small, but teachers are "finally starting to notice" that classroom blogs can benefit students, teachers and parents alike, said Will Richardson, an expert on educational blogs.
Roemer first created a class Web site in the mid '90s, and the daily log gradually evolved. He began by posting a few pictures, and he eventually had students post messages about classroom activities.
Now, students in Roemer's class update the blog daily. Some entries clearly bear the stamp of a fifth-grade imagination, describing giant snakes or evil chickens in the classroom.
But often, they are about the day's activities. One day last February, the class studied cells in science and the Civil War in social studies. They watched a Civil War movie, did math problems about money, and discussed a long-term writing assignment, according to a student's blog entry.
Such entries provide the classroom transparency some parents crave. Even Kayla, Schubert's daughter, said she liked that her mom knew what was going on at school.
"If I needed help on my homework, she could help me because the log would have what we did in class," Kayla said.
The Web site also enabled her to get help from her teacher, even if she was stumped at night. The blog means that Roemer often works long hours, responding to student questions and messages from home.
"But I think it's worth it," he said. "I can extend the teaching day, because it's not long enough."
Blogs can help parents stay involved, teachers be more responsive and students develop a sense of community, all while enhancing classroom lessons, Roemer said. But teacher-run blogs can also be instructive about the use of technology.
"Kids don't have any models for the appropriate use of Web logs," Richardson said. "They're kind of out there flailing away."
Instructional blogs are different than "navel-gazing" teen blogs, Richardson said, but teachers can use classroom blogs to provide examples of safe and appropriate Internet behavior.
Of course, teachers have to set up appropriate safeguards, Richardson said. Roemer identifies students only by their first and last initials. Though anyone can read the blog, only students and parents who register can post to it or access its other, private features, such as grade postings.
And Roemer acknowledges that not all of his students have computers or Internet access at home. Some parents access the blog from the public library, but others never see it at all, he said. All students, however, still get to participate in the blog, which is updated from the classroom.
It may take a while for teachers used to more traditional classroom methods to incorporate blogs into their lessons or feel comfortable with technology that some of their students have already mastered.
In many ways, the Internet is still the younger generation's domain. Eighty-seven percent of American teens, ages 12 through 17, use the Internet, compared to 66 percent of American adults, according to a report recently released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. And 48 percent of bloggers are under the age of 30, another Pew survey found.
Some teacher training programs are trying to bridge the gap.
Students in Jim Olliver's educational technology class at St. Petersburg College learn how to create blogs for their future classrooms.
"I tell my students when we start the class to bolt themselves in," Olliver said. "When you're involved in technology in the classroom, it's like drinking from a fire hose. There's just so much coming at you."
In addition to learning the technical aspects of blogging, Olliver's students use a class blog of their own to debate the merits of teaching with blogs.
"Education," he said, "is no longer someone standing up in front of a class at a blackboard."
A fifth-grade class at Pinellas Park has a personal Web site, helping parents stay informed about what their kids do at school.
By EMILY ANTHESPublished August 9, 2005
[Special to the Times]
Fifth-grade teacher Fred Roemer lets his students write about what they've learned each day in an online Web journal.
Mr. Roemer's fifth grade polar bears
ST. PETERSBURG - Some parents struggle to get their children to surrender even a scrap of information about what they did in school.
But last year, Joyce Schubert didn't even have to ask. Each day, after her fifth-grade daughter, Kayla Vance, disappeared into a Pinellas Park Elementary School classroom, Schubert would log onto the Internet for a virtual peek inside.
On the class Web site, Schubert could see her daughter's spelling grades half an hour after she had taken a test or monitor deadlines for assignments. But the highlight, Schubert said, was the daily classroom blog written by the fifth-graders.
She checked it at least once a day, she said.
"I liked knowing what was going on in class, seeing what they were doing, what they were learning, just knowing my daughter was in a safe place," Schubert said.
Blogs have long been popular among teenagers and young adults, who often use them at home as virtual diaries and write about their personal lives. But a growing number of teachers like Fred Roemer, Kayla's teacher, are discovering that students are just as eager to blog about math and history.
Roemer's classroom Web journal is among a smattering nationwide. It serves as a model for other teachers who want to reclaim the technology from their students. And as school officials push for better parent-teacher communication, blogs and Web sites like Roemer's have begun to emerge as one possible solution.
Hillsborough County schools, for example, have introduced a new system this year that will help teachers set up their own class Web sites.
The number of teachers who have student-maintained blogs in their classrooms remains relatively small, but teachers are "finally starting to notice" that classroom blogs can benefit students, teachers and parents alike, said Will Richardson, an expert on educational blogs.
Roemer first created a class Web site in the mid '90s, and the daily log gradually evolved. He began by posting a few pictures, and he eventually had students post messages about classroom activities.
Now, students in Roemer's class update the blog daily. Some entries clearly bear the stamp of a fifth-grade imagination, describing giant snakes or evil chickens in the classroom.
But often, they are about the day's activities. One day last February, the class studied cells in science and the Civil War in social studies. They watched a Civil War movie, did math problems about money, and discussed a long-term writing assignment, according to a student's blog entry.
Such entries provide the classroom transparency some parents crave. Even Kayla, Schubert's daughter, said she liked that her mom knew what was going on at school.
"If I needed help on my homework, she could help me because the log would have what we did in class," Kayla said.
The Web site also enabled her to get help from her teacher, even if she was stumped at night. The blog means that Roemer often works long hours, responding to student questions and messages from home.
"But I think it's worth it," he said. "I can extend the teaching day, because it's not long enough."
Blogs can help parents stay involved, teachers be more responsive and students develop a sense of community, all while enhancing classroom lessons, Roemer said. But teacher-run blogs can also be instructive about the use of technology.
"Kids don't have any models for the appropriate use of Web logs," Richardson said. "They're kind of out there flailing away."
Instructional blogs are different than "navel-gazing" teen blogs, Richardson said, but teachers can use classroom blogs to provide examples of safe and appropriate Internet behavior.
Of course, teachers have to set up appropriate safeguards, Richardson said. Roemer identifies students only by their first and last initials. Though anyone can read the blog, only students and parents who register can post to it or access its other, private features, such as grade postings.
And Roemer acknowledges that not all of his students have computers or Internet access at home. Some parents access the blog from the public library, but others never see it at all, he said. All students, however, still get to participate in the blog, which is updated from the classroom.
It may take a while for teachers used to more traditional classroom methods to incorporate blogs into their lessons or feel comfortable with technology that some of their students have already mastered.
In many ways, the Internet is still the younger generation's domain. Eighty-seven percent of American teens, ages 12 through 17, use the Internet, compared to 66 percent of American adults, according to a report recently released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. And 48 percent of bloggers are under the age of 30, another Pew survey found.
Some teacher training programs are trying to bridge the gap.
Students in Jim Olliver's educational technology class at St. Petersburg College learn how to create blogs for their future classrooms.
"I tell my students when we start the class to bolt themselves in," Olliver said. "When you're involved in technology in the classroom, it's like drinking from a fire hose. There's just so much coming at you."
In addition to learning the technical aspects of blogging, Olliver's students use a class blog of their own to debate the merits of teaching with blogs.
"Education," he said, "is no longer someone standing up in front of a class at a blackboard."
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