Blogging in the Classroom

I selected and read the blog of a student from another class and found it interesting how, although the subjects were the same and many comments were similar, there was still another perspective to be seen. Things that captured her attention, were not necessarily the same things I had written about, even though we watched the same material. Blogs can be a source of expression, whether it's our random thoughts or information on a particular subject, they allow us to glimpse inside someone's thoughts, experiences, or ideas and learn something.

I was familiar with blogs before this class, but had very limited experience. Once I began to see how they are being incorporated into today's classrooms, I was fascinated by all their uses. I believe it is a very useful learning and informational tool, one I fully plan on taking advantage of in my 'future classroom'. I see two major functions for the use of blogs in the classroom, as a source of collected information for parents and students to view and as a way to incorporate technology into the classroom by student involvement to create the blog information.

As an informational tool, blogs can contain homework assignment information, class calendar, school announcements, upcoming project dates, etc. Parents who want to stay up to date with classroom affairs have a place to learn what's going on and feel apart of their child's learning. There could be links in place for additional learning sites, places for further information on subjects currently being studied.

As a technology learning tool, students can have the chance to learn about computers by blogging and having fun at the same time. There are endless possibilities to how they can be used, for all age groups. They can help to establish a sense of community in the classroom, a group project that everyone is proud of.

Today's classroom needs to be exciting and adapt to teach kids in a changing world. Blogging helps to bring technology into their academic realm and teaches them to embrace the opportunities available. I really cannot see any negatives to their use, I plan to not only use them in the future, but continue to find new and improved ways to learn from them.