Blogging would be a great tool that could be used in the classroom. Blogs could be used to discuss any topic with anybody. Blogs can also provide opportunities for collaboration between teachers, students, classrooms, parents, etc. There are endless amounts of purposes for which blogs can be used in the classroom.
An example of how a blog could be used in the classroom could be to supplement a reading lesson. Let's say a class was required to read the book "Tuck Everlasting". The teacher of this course could post questions or thought ideas related to each chapter in the book. Students would then be required to respond to the questions/thought ideas posted by the teacher. This would be a great supplemental activity to teaching this book to a class.
When my son was in first grade, I can remember his teacher telling us at parent teacher conferences about how his class was blogging with the fifth grade class about books they were reading. His blogging experience began by his teacher blogging a daily question, and required the students to respond to the daily question. Next the students blogged with students in the fifth grade class. The fifth graders would post questions about a book that the first graders would comment on. The use of this blog in my son's classroom allowed his class to collaborate with students from another classroom and with their teacher. It also supplemented curriculum material.
As a special education teacher in a self-contained classroom setting, I think it would be a little more difficult to utilize blogs. One way in which I could see using a blog in my classroom setting is to collaborate and communicate with parents. This could be done by posting activities our class has done each week and allowing parents to comment on the activities. I could also ask parents for input in planning activities in my classroom. Blogging would be a great tool to improve communication with my students' parents.
The uses for blogs in the classroom are endless. I see many wonderful benefits to using blogs in the classroom.
What a terrific idea to use it for a "vertical" book club between classrooms of different ages. The 5th graders really would have had to think more carefully about their comprehension in order to better communicate with their younger buddies. Thanks for sharing a real world experience like that!
ReplyDeleteI agree that blogs could be a great way to interact with parents. It would be a nice way to have one location where everyone could go for information.
ReplyDeleteI can see how blogging may be difficult in a self-contained special education classroom. It's a great idea to use it as a tool to update parents.
ReplyDeleteErin
ReplyDeleteI too think blogging would be a great tool to collaborate with parents.
What a great idea though 1st graders blogging with 5th graders. I think this activity provided for unique opportunities that simulates (a little) a combination room or one-room school house. Kids like to listen and learn from other kids. - great idea.
molly
I like the idea of using blogs to communicate with parents. My brother is severely autistic and while he was in school, my parents and his teachers used a journal to communicate. With a blog, you could post pictures of the activities students did in class. Also, you could use a blog for a "get to know you" session. For each week you could post students favorite food, movies, toys etc... They could find pictures of their favorites and post it for the parents to see.
ReplyDeleteYou have great ideas for using a blog in the classroom. As a 1st grade teacher, I liked the idea that your son's teacher used. I may have to steal it. :)
ReplyDeleteAs others have mentioned, I think it's pretty incredible that the teachers used a blog to connect students in the 1st and 5th grades. It's an excellent way of doing so without needing to mess around anyone's schedule, too. Each class can work at their own pace, and the first and fifth graders still both get the benefits of learning and mentoring from a different grade level. Great thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of having 5th and 1st graders blog together. I also like the idea of using blogging as a tool for discussion with parents and teachers. I really like the look of your blog!
ReplyDelete