This blog entry was a bit more difficult for me. As a future K-2 teacher, I am unable to utilize a blog in the same way that a middle or high school teacher might use a blog in their teacher education program. I won't be able to instruct my students to post their reactions to each chapter while reading The Odyssey, asking them to follow a blog written by a classroom in Cambodia probably won't make my class curriculum and starting a class blog as a means for students to promote their poetry skills probably isn't feasible. When I thought all hope was lost, I found the blog titled "Let the Children Play" and I had my "ah-ha" moment.
Let the Children Play was FILLED with fantastic crafting, field trip, and hands on activities that young learners could benefit from. After looking at this site, I saw a different way to look at how a blog could be useful in a classroom setting. I realized that the students themselves don't have to play an active role in the blog to benefit from it. By using a blog to find new and exciting ways to teach and engage my students, they will indeed benefit from the use of technology, without being an active part of the technology itself.
However, after looking at that blog, and a few other blogs listed under the 50 Must-See Teacher Blogs link, I came up with a few other ways that I could use a blog within my classroom setting that would be beneficial to my students. One idea is to use the blog as a way to network with other teachers and educators that I might otherwise never have the opportunity to collaborate with. This mutually beneficial relationship could allow the exchange of new teaching ideas and methods from halfway around the world. A second way I might use my blog within my educational program is to set it up as a means to keep the parents involved in the educational achievements of their children. In this scenario, I could update the parents on what we will be working on in class that week/month, and even suggest supplemental learning opportunities and activities that parents could work on with their children at home if they chose to. I could incorporate a class calender as a means to keep track of field trip days, school picture days, and even who will be taking the class gerbil home on the weekend!
I think you have hit the nail on the head with the way to use a blog with a younger group of students. When most people think of being part of the blogging community, they only think of being the actual blogger. However, a blog can present so many ideas and resources to a teacher, and this can inspire him or her to look at a classroom or a particular lesson in a new way. Hope you find many more blogs that give you inspiration for the day when you become a teacher!
ReplyDeleteReading your blogs make me want to go back and rewrite all mine. Luckily, I am not nearly as far along as you are. (Thing 12, I mistyped last time when I thought you were on 14) Anyway, again...great blog. You are definitely operating at the graduate level. In your writing, I recognize you working in the technical aspects of our class material into a genuinely funny and mature teaching philosophy. I love it! I will strive to NOT be so technical and use more humility (maybe, more self disclosure) in my approach to sharing, learning, building my blogging skills. Thanks again for the hard work. You are making this look very easy. I am secretly hoping it's taking you days and days to prepare these well thought out responses. But, you are on THING 12! It is clear that you are truly talented. Thanks -clint
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