I am having a good time with blogging with my students. I have had a few ups and downs with students who do not have internet access at home. I guess I really figured everyone had access in the days we are living in now. I had that student use a classroom computer before he left for the day and first thing in the morning to blog if he needed. I believe by blogging I am meeting my goal to promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. The students are willing and ready to participate. Although if I switched and started using a WIKI I believe the students would catch on fast and may even like it better because they can upload things.
Keeping focused on up to date information in the news, real world issues is tough. Not always can we find articles about issues we are talking about in class. That’s where the “on the fly” mentality of changing with what we are given. Students will always find some article close to what issue is being discussed. I just tweak it some to spark their interest and off and running we go.
I think I may adjust the plan just a tweak to bring in a WIKI format. I think this could make the plan more interesting.
I still feel like I am setting my ways in one blog. I am not trying new blog spots. Maybe some have more to offer than others and maybe there is a better one out there for what I am doing.
Keep it real homies!!
Have you thought about having the students blog about a specific article rather than a set topic? That might make it easier. In addition, my students love using the wiki. Having secured pages lets my students set up their individual pages with whatever they wish as only the student, his/her parents and I will see them.
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you have your students blogging and that they are really seeing the importance of it. I think you will really enjoy the wiki, as well as the students. Wiki's allow for more creativiity and when dealing with particular articles/ or subjects students can provide links to those particular sites to bring more validity to what they are wiritng about.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to see your students are enjoying the blogging. I think it really keeps them engaged in what they are doing. I am trying to find a way to fit in a blog or WIKI with my 7th grade math classes. I would love for them to get more involved in the material instead of siting there listening to me talk every day. I understand the lack of students having internet at home to blog. We naturally assume they all have the access at home these days but we come to find out that this is not true. Good luck with your blogging and hope that your students have even more fun with a WIKI.
ReplyDeleteHi Joe,
ReplyDeleteI wonder if students might offer up an assortment of topics that interest them--and then different articles can be posted (if available) and they could choose a blog to post to. (I wonder if this might help address the problem of not finding an article for a specific topic.)
A wiki is a nice way to collect information--students can personalize a page and this might be a way to increase investment in the process.
Thanks for sharing.
Susan