Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Blogging in a Classroom
When reading all the ways that Richardson suggests using blogs in a classroom, I started thinking about all the ways I could use this tool in my classroom (including making my current Blackboard site more interactive). I think that this would be a great source for my students to turn to when they wanted help. If they have questions about a topic, they just have to look online. But there are two issues I worry about in my own class. One is that I know some of my students don't have computer access at home. Its not many, but there are a couple that would have to find the time to use school computers and so the at-home-help feature would be lost for them. The other is the same problem I have with students coming for extra help. They don't want to seem like they don't understand, so they won't want to post. I could require posts, but I think that takes out their ownership of the tool, their enjoyment since its just another task, and will create a lot of posts that don't really matter.
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Ok, so I'm your blog creeper. But you say interesting things.
ReplyDeleteThe first problem is the same you currently have with blackboard, yes?
Second, being new to this, is there anyway to make posts private? Totally clueless here. Maybe have them email with questions?
Personally, I never liked the required number of posts. Sometimes there just felt like nothing important to say!
Another math teacher in the ITs program! I agree, that although I'm not comfortable with it yet, when I was reading it gave me ideas of ways to use blogging with my class!
ReplyDeleteInstead of thinking that I would have the same problem in class of someone looking like they didn't understand...I think that they would like writing about it better than saying outloud in class! We will have to try it to find out!
I think there is an anonymous option for posting (at least comments). But as a teacher, I would like to know who is posting... Emailing is an option, but I'm sure there are other people with the same questions that would benefit from seeing the questions, and giving everyone the opportunity to respond. I guess like you say, I'll just have to think of way to try it!
ReplyDeleteI plan on assigning my students new "names" (toying with the idea of famous characters in literature) so they can post and still be anonymous. Heatcliffe may be a boy or girl so unless they tell each other their names, they can feel a little safer in posting.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to having students post on their likes and dislikes about math (yes, I teach math too) as well as being a hub to discuss homework with each other.