Monday, January 30, 2012

Reflections on class one - Blogging


Today we were introduced to blogging and the power it has to motivate students. I have some experience with blogging but I have a lot to learn. I am a personal journal keeper and I write daily. Writing for an audience changes the content and how you express yourself. The blogging site we are required to keep for this course is a great way to reflect and actually review and evaluate what we learned. I am excited about taking my students into the next step in blogging. Although it is fun to explore in the beginning, kids need to be instructed as to what is appropriate for blogging. I have been exploring blogging in my classroom and I find that having directed questions based on classroom topics or material helps keep the focus. It is difficult to come up with new ideas and trying to get all kids to have access can be hard. As a teacher I struggle with how to give enough time to each subject. I love to see my students so excited about writing that they do more homework than usual or want to skip recess to blog. I think blogging is a very powerful tool for elementary students and that if teachers monitor and give feedback great learning will take place. I am going to develop a rubric that the kids can self access their entries and see if it keeps them focused and more reflective.
Link to class info
http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/rking/edt615/

Tiny URL http://tinyurl.com/y9cvyjx

Find a blogging site for kids

I need to explore the new web site the school is launching and whether we can start blogging before the true launch.

New Technology

The start of new technology is always difficult. I do not grasp new interfaces quickly.