My first thought when we had to create a blog was ‘facebook’ or ‘my space’. I simply considered it a place for kids to unwind and chat with their friends. I have since changed my mind. When I compare a blog site to my class homepage I see it as a dynamic page that invites the world in to read and comment about your thoughts. It also gives the author the ability to maintain, update and add content. A blog site has many possibilities for a classroom. I have considered three different ways I might use a blog in my third grade class.
The first method would be a way for my students to showcase their work to the world. My second idea would be an on-going blog for my students to reflect either to a question of the week or an open reflection. I would also require my students to respond to their peers. The last idea would be for my parents. I would like to create a podcast resource page. It would also be a page my parents could ask me questions regarding homework, class field trips, and class work.
As an educator it is also my responsibility to teach my students the skills they need in order to interact appropriately. In the beginning of the year we would collaborate to create class rules. I will extend the collaboration to include web rules.
Kids love to show their work. It gives them pride in what they produce. By showcasing their work on the Internet it gives them a bigger audience and a new place to shine. I believe my students will try harder to create a perfect paper if they know others are going to read it. I think this will show my students the importance of proofreading their work and using proper grammar. Their work can also be showcased in many different ways. My students can create podcast and upload them, or they can type them and add their own flair by using different fonts and illustrations.
The Alaska grade level expectations (GLE’s) for third grade writing requires students to write on different topics, use a variety of forms, provide feedback to their peers and write to a specific audience. I believe my second idea about having a reflective page will be an effective place to practice these expectations. I will post a variety of questions that will address different cognitive skills. In order to give my students ownership of the ‘question of the week’ I can ask for their input.
My last idea is to have a resource page for my parents. At least once a week I have parents sending me notes or calling asking a variety questions. If I had a page with a podcast on classroom lessons as well as other comments my parents might get their answers in a timely manner. On this page I think it would be important to establish a time of day that I respond to questions. This page could become a managerial nightmare if I don’t establish ground rules.
I look forward to reading your ideas and getting feedback on my ideas.
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