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.