I really like the questions that Shoffner mentioned in her article on page 249.
1. Why do I want to use weblogs?I think these questions can really help you implement blogging into your classrooms. In second grade, our end of the year DSPA is a persuasive letter. I could have students blog about their opinions and reply to other students' opinions. They could practice agreeing and respectfully disagreeing. They would also be able to defend their own opinions. I could have them write letters to each other to practice the format. Not only could they write letters to other students in my class, they could write to other classes.
2. How can weblogs enhance my ability to reach curricular goals and meet content standards?
3. Are my students capable of handling weblogs? How much previous experience have they had with technology, in general, and weblogs, in particular?
4. How comfortable and knowledgeable am I with weblogs?
5. What weblog technologies are available to me?
6. What am I teaching my students with weblogs?
7. How am I going to assess the weblogs?
8. How will the school environment affect my use of weblogs?
Right now, in my school I am the only second grade teacher with a classroom set of iPads, there is a first grade teacher with a classroom set, and all three third grade teachers are getting a classroom set. My students could blog with the other classes, but I have to ask myself some more of the questions from above. Are the first grade students going to have enough technology and weblog experience to interact with my students? I will also have to check with the third grade teachers and find out if writing letters is part of their curriculum too.
I really thinking that students would be so motivated and engaged by using weblogs with other classes. We would have to start out slow and work on it all year. It would be an authentic experience for students to have other classes see their postings and be able to comment back to them.
Amy, interesting that you focused in on the questions. I thought they were quite useful myself, which is actually one of the reasons I continue to use this piece - even though it is a bit dated.
ReplyDeleteI am working on a blog post about this same article! I really liked those questions as well; it helps really focus in on why we choose to use blogs in our classroom. I plan to share them with other teachers as well. :)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of starting blogging so young to help students with the idea of agreeing and disagreeing respectfully. Giving them sentence starters to help in this process is a great tool for life! Every grade level will have some sort of writing skill, blogging doesn't have to be about letter writing or iPads. They could even share their blogs with an older class (5th or 6th grade) that uses computers and connect with a wider audience. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted that you found my article useful. MKB is right, of course: it is quite dated, which is always the frustration with any technology piece - by the time we write it, technology has taken another three steps forward. Perhaps the questions that arise from utilizing technology in pedagogically appropriate ways never go away, however; our students change every year, which means our considerations of technology should change, as well. Good luck with your blogs this year; my niece is in 2nd grade and she would love such a project!
Melanie S