"'That's online writing, not boring school writing': Writing with blogs and the Talkback Project"
I chose this article because I feel, at this time, that technology is lacking in my classroom. And while I have some resources at my fingertips, I still feel that I could do a lot more. This article is about writing online using a blog--just like us!
I really enjoyed this article because it didn't sugarcoat the idea of blogging. The author was very honest in noting what worked and what didn't. I think that because of this, it gave me a realistic view of the ups and downs of online blogging. I appreciate when authors do not make everything seem to perfect and "Disney," but are honest with their struggles.
I believe that I need to incorporate more writing in my classroom; however, I feel that because my students are totally bogged down with persuasive/prompt writing that giving them the opportunity to write creatively may intimidate them. However, I think that incorporating online blogging may make them more comfortable becuase they are at least using a vehicle that they are comfortable with--the computer!
I was wondering what you all thought about the idea of middle school students "talking" to preservice teachers. I think that, as an undergrad, I would have really enjoyed doing this because it would have given me a chance to read, interpret, and assess student writing. However, somewhere in the back of my mind, I feel that there is some underlying issue with adults speaking to middle schoolers that I can't put my finger on. Maybe that is me being paranoid, but what do you all think?
As you read, there was the idea that online blogging concerned administrators because of the potential for harm. I completely understand this concern--it scares me to think who my students may talk to online--however, I think the solutions they (teacher, administrators, etc.) came up with were excellent. I think that integrating online blogging is also a great way to educate students about online danger so that they can be aware not only while blogging for school, but also in their everyday computer life.
Bottom line: I think that online blogging is a great tool to use in the classroom, but I still believe that there are kinks that need to be worked out.
Questions for you all: How can we prevent online bullying with the blogs? How do we involve our students who do not have computers? Is online blogging safe?
9 comments:
Lauren,
I also found this article to be quite interesting and very applicable to today's classroom, especially with the mandates of NCLB that 8th grade students need to be computer literate. I think there are many ways that we can apply the blogging concept into the classroom. I am very fortunate that I work at a school that has a theme around science & technology so every student receives a laptop. I was always nervous about "chat groups" because they are accessible by so many, but I think that blogging, especially on a website such as this one in which you can control who views the blog, is a way around this obstacle.
I would like to try blogging next year when my students work on their Literature Circle unit. Instead of completing their Reciprocal Teaching logs on paper, they can post their "fat" questions and the Lit Circle discussion could be held on-line with students responding to each other with their responses, reactions, connections, etc. This would also be a great enrichment activity for my students that compact out of class and are engaged in Junior Great Book discussions that parent volunteers run. I would be better able to monitor their progress and there is an element of accountability.
Regarding your question on bullying, I think this may not be much of an issue if students are educated on the fact that the teacher is monitoring the discussion. If it is still an issue, there must be an on-line and computer usage policy at the school and you can always defer to that. I found that students would much rather take advantage of technology instead of going "old school" with pencil and paper, and if they realize the consequences up front, they will make wise choices. This should also be a classwork activity only (not homework) so I can actively monitor the discussions in the classroom. I would then post my comments or join in the discussion from home on a nightly basis so students know that "big mama" (as they like to call me when I'm monitoring computer activity) is watching!
Jen
Lauren,
I also found this article to be quite interesting and very applicable to today's classroom, especially with the mandates of NCLB that 8th grade students need to be computer literate. I think there are many ways that we can apply the blogging concept into the classroom. I am very fortunate that I work at a school that has a theme around science & technology so every student receives a laptop. I was always nervous about "chat groups" because they are accessible by so many, but I think that blogging, especially on a website such as this one in which you can control who views the blog, is a way around this obstacle.
I would like to try blogging next year when my students work on their Literature Circle unit. Instead of completing their Reciprocal Teaching logs on paper, they can post their "fat" questions and the Lit Circle discussion could be held on-line with students responding to each other with their responses, reactions, connections, etc. This would also be a great enrichment activity for my students that compact out of class and are engaged in Junior Great Book discussions that parent volunteers run. I would be better able to monitor their progress and there is an element of accountability.
Regarding your question on bullying, I think this may not be much of an issue if students are educated on the fact that the teacher is monitoring the discussion. If it is still an issue, there must be an on-line and computer usage policy at the school and you can always defer to that. I found that students would much rather take advantage of technology instead of going "old school" with pencil and paper, and if they realize the consequences up front, they will make wise choices. This should also be a classwork activity only (not homework) so I can actively monitor the discussions in the classroom. I would then post my comments or join in the discussion from home on a nightly basis so students know that "big mama" (as they like to call me when I'm monitoring computer activity) is watching!
Jen
I thought this article was great! I am actually on the Literacy and Technology Integration committee in my district so I can definitely relate to this article.
I think blogging can be safe if it is monitored like Jenn had said. It is definitely motivating for students to be able to communicate with others through the computers. I can remember using AOL when I was in middle school. I couldn’t believe that I was actually writing to a live person. (Of course this was a time when internet chatting was new so there was already a big buzz about it.)
I think one of the biggest issues with using blogs in the classroom is the lack of computers that many districts face. I am lucky to be in a district that has one computer in each room and a school computer lab. Although I only have 45 minutes a week to use this lab, I am imagining how I could set up a blog with my students. I think it would be great if my fourth graders next year could chat online with the fifth graders. Like it mentioned in the article, the students would be able to occasionally meet up in person to discuss the blog or just the use of the computer to communicate. It would be really neat to see if I could pull this off. (Hey we could use this blog as a model for students… so keep it clean ladies! J)
Hey Ladies~
I can see your concern with adults being able to communicate with students via the computer. With many systems, however, I've found that there are ways administrators can "check-in" with these conversations so that everyone's back is covered.
In terms of bullying, if conversations about the subject happen prior to blogging, some of that can be avoided. Also, if blogs are being monitered, then the chance of it happening or continuing would also be reduced.
I would love to implement something like this with my students. However, seeing as how they are in 4th and 5th grade, I fear that they might just end of getting frustrated with it because their typing skills aren't that great or that it would end of taking a long time as a result.
In the article, it mentioned that teachers can get frustrated with it because students don't always respond in a timely manner. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on this because personally I think that teachers should just deal with it-your students aren't going to read a book as quickly as you do nor will their comments be as rich. The point, however, is for students to have another way of communicating what their thoughts about what they are reading with their classmates in a "safe" setting and to, as a result, enhance their writing skills.
Ladies-
I am thinking of incorporating blogging next year in my classroom-similar to the way Jen does it. My students write Reader Respones, which they dislike writing and, well, I dislike reading because they are long, tedious, and don't really give me a good sense how the students feel about the book. Next year, I am looking to managee that by having the students tell each other about the book they are reading and they respond to each other in small groups like we do here.
You have all opened my eyes to the ways that I can monitor students so there is no bullying and the more I think about it and read your comments, I am starting to realize there really may not be that big of a problem.
I WISH that all my students had laptops, but I am lucky enough to have a computer in my room and access to both the library computers and computer labs. While you need to sign up quickly before these get filled up, I can get at least 45 minutes a week.
Jodi, I see what you are saying about typing skills, but what a great way to help them with those typing skills than by practicing with something fun like a blog. Maybe you could state up front that your expectations do not have anything to do with time/length of the blog, but by content. That way they can concentrate on what they are saying instead of the typing. I still think the more practice the better so they can work on their typing skills.
In terms of your question about students responding in a timely manner...I think this goes back to what Jen said...they don't respond as homework, but in class. That way you know that you have given them sufficient time to get their comments down. In terms of reading the book (which, unless I am missing something, I am going to have students read different books and talk about them--it is more of a book talk blog than a one book discussion group), I have my students read at least 15 pages a night, which means that I expect them to have at least 3-4 books read at the end of each semester. I have trouble monitoring this reading now, but I think with a blog it will be much easier because I will know if they are not talking about their books.
Were you all thinking of everyone in a group reading the same book or different books? Do you think one way is better than another?
Jodi, I also had the same concern about fourth grade students not being able to type fast and respond on a regular basis. I do think though that this practice would help students face these tasks independently at home. I actually learned to type fast because of instant messaging. I am thankful for that opportunity because I felt that school did not provide it for me. Lauren, I also think blogging would act as a tool for helping students learn how to type faster.
Lauren, I have actually discussed the question about reading same or different books with our reading and language arts coach at my school. She has responded by saying that you could actually do both depending on the availability and needs of the students. One thing you may want to consider is the purpose of your unit in regards to which text you choose. During my focus on characters unit I made sure that each student was reading a book that allowed them to have deeper conversations about characters. I set up many partnerships/small groups with books from the same series so they could track the same character in different story situations. This worked out well with last year’s third graders. I can’t imagine what you could do with middle school students. With a little teacher support, I think that online book conversations would be extremely successful, not to mention motivational.
Ladies-
We do one or two novels in my class-The Outsiders and/or The Westing Game, so in that way, we could probably do the same book using a blog. We do The Outsiders with characterization and problem/resolution. And The Westing Game, I just did for the first time and it was more for a fun end of the year activity, but I can definitely incorporate it into my curriculum.
I think that may be the only time that we could do the same book because my students have different reading levels/interests and to have them read the same books may cause some difficulties. With the novels, we have tools for differentiation (did I butcher that spelling?) and I can account for that.
Again, I think either way would work and as I think the bottom line is that online discussions will be fun, exciting, and motivational for the students.
I think the blogging can work with either a whole-class novel or with differentiation. With the whole-class novel (which I'm not a fan of because not all students have the same reading ability) the teacher can start the blogging strand with thought-provoking questions and have students respond like we are now. For just a book discussion, the blog could serve as a discussion room or a book review site. Our students have a goal of reading 25 books by the end of the year, and I struggle to keep up with recommendations because they outread me! I'm looking into starting a book review area on a blog site such as this one so students can share their opinions on books and then once another student reads the same book, they can post their response to their peer. I would break it down into genres so it is easier to search...just my brainstorming right now!
I wouldn't let the typing abilities get in the way. Their blogs don't have to be as lengthy as ours, but posing those "fat" thought-provoking questions to each other and giving time for others to respond is highly effective teaching. The students technology skills will develop throughout the year and it will only get easier!
Taking the blogging idea a step further, I'm in talks with a school in Ecuador in which we are looking to have students blog about books (kind of like a book talk) and then have students meet via videoconferencing to actually "meet" the students they are blogging with. This may be a technological nightmare, but I have to try it at least once!
Hey everyone-
Wow Jen-that’s quite an ambitious task you are taking on. I’d love to know how it turns out. What a great way to also integrate multicultural appreciation into your curriculum! I actually found a program online near the end of the school year that I would love to try next year. It’s sort of along the same line as what you were discussing. It’s basically a bookmark exchange with students in a different part of the world. You e-mail the woman whose in charge your school address and number of students in your class. Then you have your students each make one bookmark – they can write anything you suggest from their favorite book to their favorite subject in school. Then in a couple weeks you get bookmarks from that class. It’s one of those things that, like you said, might not work, but you have to try it just once and see what happens!
In terms of using online blogging in the classroom I’m left wondering…would this be something you had to clear with parents first??? I guess this is something I worry about because I know that so many of my parents are always concerned with EVERYTHING going on in the classroom. I have to wonder if there wouldn’t be some parents out there opposed to the idea. On the other hand, it would be a great way to build that home-school connection because it might force parents to look at what their children are doing on the computer at home.
I am definitely a fan of setting up an online blog as long as it was closely monitored. I don’t see why it couldn’t be-and the results would be amazing I’m sure. Lauren-I can see what you mean about the positive affects blogging can have on typing skills. While the first few times might be a little frustrating for the students, they would in time improve and see a difference in their abilities. I also think it would be such a great way to get them enthusiastic about learning to type. I remember too, Jess, the first time I discovered the joy of talking to someone online. While students might get frustrated with blogging in the beginning due to weak navigational skills on the keyboard, the tradeoff would certainly be the excitement in talking to classmates online!
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