I would use a blog in lieu of student journals in my sixth grade Language Arts class.
The class blog would serve as student journals but also take on the role of a student discussion because students would have the opportunity to read and comment on their classmates posts. I would include a variety of blog topics such as personal opinion topics, responses to content, and creative writing topics. Each student would be required to post one response to a designated question or writing topic for the week and also comment on two of their classmates responses. Each blog assignment would be a homework assignment required to be completed by Sunday of each week.
This blog would be a good tool for the instructional context because it would create a digital classroom community. This Web 2.0 instructional tool would hold my students’ attention while incorporating classroom content into their daily lives. A blog incorporates the digital communication that my students crave with the class content they are required to learn into one learning environment.
This is a great idea. When my son was in 5th grade his LA teacher did blogs for reading logs. It was the first and only time that Matt actually participated in reading logs. The 6th grade teachers at my school use them in much the same way you are proposing.
ReplyDeleteI have just recently after beginning this class and creating my own blog, I have begun creating a blog for my classroom. It is in the beginning stages, but I am excited and have my students excited too. Hopefully, I can take what I am learning and make my classroom blog a wonderful learning experience.
ReplyDeleteKim Jordan
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ReplyDeleteI have been using brief journals to activate background knowledge before each chapter in my 7th grade world history class. Right now the students are e-mailing me but I believe they would be very open to blogging so they could respond to each other's ideas. I am interested to see how this works for you.
ReplyDeleteMy only concern with blogging is the lack of in-class time to connect. I would love to use a blog everyday for a short discussion/journal post or to activiate prior knowledge from a reading assigned the previous night, but it's not possible due to the lack of computers in my class. Currently I have one student computer! I do have access to a computer lab once a week, but that eliminates the possibility of everyday posts. Any solutions for working around the lack of technology in my school?
ReplyDeleteI think the part I like best about the idea goes with the old line "Work smarter, not harder." Taking home 100 journals per night/week is a huge burden. Having a place for the kids to do the same work, all in a medium they prefer anyway, is the way to go. You don't have to worry about a kid losing a notebook, forgetting to take them home, or carrying all the notebooks. Accessing the posts from the comfort of your own home, during a sick day, or from a conference keeps the work from piling up. Sounds like sheer genius to me!
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