As a media specialist, I think blogs are great tools for use in education. They can be used as bulletin boards, student journals, or sources of research. Blogs can be informal and easy to use, encouraging everyone to participate. According to the article, “Blogging? It’s Elementary, My Dear Watson!” blogging is most often thought of as an activity for high school students. Today, though students as young as kindergarten now blog on a daily basis in a variety of exciting ways. Educators know that students write better when they have a real audience--not just a teacher with a red pen. There are a variety of easy getting started ideas listed in this article, including Web-based programs such as Blogger, LiveJournal, Blogmeister, and KidzBlog. These programs are easy to use, but teachers must be aware of the safety and supervisory features, in order to ensure student’s online safety.
One way I plan to use blogs in the media center is by creating a book-talk blog. Students and teachers can post their favorite books, insert a picture of the book, and write a summary and review of the book. Other students can read and share opinions of the book. This would really help students at my school, because they are often undecided about which books to read. By participating in a book-talk blog, they can find out what other student’s favorite books are. The book-talk blog could continue through the summer. Students could check-out books from their local library and discuss them with friends. This would be a good way for students to stay in touch over the summer.
I could also engage students in creating story element blogs, famous American blogs, biography blogs, fiction/non-fiction blogs, etc.
I’m planning to conduct a teacher in-service on using blogs in the classrooms next fall during pre-planning. Teachers could use classroom blogs in a variety of ways in all subjects, including classroom management (e.g., posting assignments). Hopefully the teachers will understand that blogs support the collaborative element so important for peer to peer learning.
The Journal. K-12 Tech Trends: Moderating and Ethics for the Classroom: Instructional Blog. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from
http://www.thejournal.com/the/newsletters/k12techtrends/archives/?aid=20257
Educational World. The Educator’s Best Friend: Blogging? It's Elementary, My Dear Watson. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech217.shtml
Source: Atlanta Parent Magazine
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1 comment:
Given that you are already experiencing life as a media specialist, it was really beneficial to hear your take on the benefits of using blogs in the media center setting as well as in the classroom.
I think you have an excellent idea about doing a teacher in-service at the beginning of the school year. Through a demonstration of how easy a blog is to set up and their numerous applications, hopefully the teachers will jump on board and take advantage of this great tool.
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