I was thinking about how I might use a blog in my third grade classroom. I worry that my students are too young to use blogs to their fullest extent. However, I still want them to have access to our class blog and get familiar with how to use it. I think I would primarily use a blog as a class website with access to various materials and a place for communicating with others.
First, I would use the blog as a place for students and parents to find out more about our class. It would be like a class portal to place classroom rules, homework assignments, class photos, upcoming events, and more (Richardson, 2010). I currently have a class website (http://www.husd.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=4748) that allows for this, but it does not let parents or students leave comments. I know that parent involvement is important for student success in school (November, 2008). Having a blog would allow parents and students to give feedback on lessons and projects. It allows students to share what they have learned and what they still want to know more about. Those who access the blog could provide additional ideas, links, and resources that “truly expand the wall of the classroom” (Richardson, 2010, p. 27). This blog lets parents communicate with other parents and could allow for extended family members to stay updated on our classroom. What a great tool, not available in the past, to keep the lines of communication open with everyone. As Dr. David Thornburg has mentioned we are in the communication age where increased collaboration is occurring due to the internet (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).
In addition, I would post rubrics and homework assignments on the blog. This way students and parents have continuous access to these materials and can always print another copy if students misplace their copy (Richardson, 2010). This is something I currently do on my website, but I have concluded I could use a blog to post PowerPoints I showed in class or post websites students can access to supplement their learning. This could enhance the day’s lesson as some students might go home and access these materials for additional practice or learning. Finally, I would love to post a weekly summary of what we did in class and what students have been learning. Hopefully this posting will not only keep parents updated, but might initiate further comments. These weekly posts would be an excellent archive of the learning we have done all year long (Richardson, 2010).
I do not think I would use a blog too much for instruction or for student assignments. I think my students are too young as third graders. I might start students off small having them comment on a lesson or write a review of a book they enjoyed. I think once they begin blogging they will become engaged and start doing it on their own. Of course, I feel like I would have to take time to teach them blog etiquette and how to comment on other’s blogs (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a). I would be open to any suggestions others might have on using blogs with younger students.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 6: Spotlight on technology: Blogging in the classroom [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 3: The 3rd wave [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
I understand your concern about 3rd grade students posting on a blog. Have you thought about using a blog like a pen pal? You could have the class formulate the post as a class discussing what you want to include. You could have a high school class to write to or another 3rd grade class somewhere else in the country.
ReplyDeleteIf you do use a blog as a resource for parents, be careful with copyright laws. Resources that school purchases are allowed to be copied for classroom use, but when posted to the web, they are available for anyone to download. I just wanted to give you a heads up.
Christa,
ReplyDeleteDo you have technology classes at your school? If so, maybe that is a place where students would become familiar with at least typing and appropriate internet use so you wouldn't have to start from scratch if you wanted to consider using a blog in a way the students could contribute. Also, are most families at your school computer literate and have access to the internet? Again, if this is the case you could assign a "family member and me" blog assignment where students blog with the help of an adult at home. This might take care of concerns with ability to contribute.
I love your idea about posting homework and PowerPoint presentations to the blog. This is great for review and parent involvement, but also for students who may have been absent when the content was addressed. I have a colleague who posts a homework calendar on her website each week and she never has a parent concern or issue with lost homework. They simply go to the site and reprint it.
Elizabeth -
ReplyDeleteMost families at my school are computer literate. Most kids would have parents who would blog with them at home. I like your suggestion about family member and me; however, I worry about those students whose parents are not involved. I have some students who rarely complete their homework and parents who just do not seem to care. I do like your suggestion about starting them off early with typing to help build their familiarity with the technology.
Christa,
ReplyDeleteI’m sure your multifaceted blog will be very popular with both students and parents a like. Presenting a summary of the weeks learning is a great review for students. It also allows parents to consistently follow their child’s learning. As students become competent bloggers, it might even be possible to have individual students be the author for your week’s summary.
Christa,
ReplyDeleteMy initial questions, was at what level do your students use the keyboard? Elizabeth touched on this, and I think the technology class would be an excellent place for them to learn the basics of blogging. So many of our standards today require cross curriculum, and I think this would be an excellent way to incorporate your blogging into both classes.
You mentioned having the students comment on a book they had read. What about a book you had read together as a class? Could this be a forum for them to have a discussion or "mini" book reports on the same book?
Jennifer, like you I know that parents are not always accessing the online resources. Only a handful of parents check the students' grades online. I think my website is only accessed for kids to get the HW and most likely it is them doing so. It is sad when I put up valuable information. I know lots of my parents prefer e-mail so they get updates immediately because some forget to check the website. However, now that I know about RSS feeds I might suggest that to my parents so they can be e-mailed alerts when I have posted changes to the class website.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to create a class website for my students and parents as well. My school district doesn't provide us with template or software to use in order to create our own so very few teachers, if any in my building, have their own website. Any ideas as to which would be better to use, a blog, like this, or an actual website hosted through something like Google? I've tried setting up a website through Google at the start of the year, but didn't find it to be as user friendly as I would have liked in terms of creating and maintaining the website.
ReplyDeleteOne possible idea would be to teach them how to use it at the beginning of the year to get to know each other better and/or to have a chance to talk about their summer and find out about other students' summer vacations. Maybe using something really simple at first would be a good way to introduce them. Maybe even have a scavanger hunt where they have to locate things on the blog page and be able to describe it or write about it in a journal befor they actually post anything. I'm thinking baby steps.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wish is that the teachers in the grades below mine did more with technology. By the time some of my students come to me, many have had little experience except for online games. I feel like I am teaching them skills they should have already learned. My district does not push technology standards so many teachers do not fit in. We do not have a computer teacher at my school so it is my responsibility to teach the technology to my students. Thanks so much for the suggestions from everyone!
ReplyDeleteAs wonderful as technology sounds as a way to increase communication and engage our students, it is important to think of the families without this resource. What will you do for students or parents who do not have access to a computer or the internet? How will you be sure that they have all of the information involving their student and you class? Will the parents without technology access feel the same sort of inclusion that the other parents do?
ReplyDelete