I believe that I would use a blog as a information center about classwork like due dates, reminders, and encouragement for each student as my educational tool. My blog would allow students to ask me questions about difficulties they are having at home with their homework or any other assignments. It would also be a place for students to ask questions and/or advice from other classmates. My classroom blog would provide the extra communication at home that some students need.
I teach 10th grade literature and having a classroom blog would allow me to post examples of assignments of writings and give websites for citing and extra readings for students and it would allow open communication for students to contact me after school hours. My blog would be an extension of my classroom. My blog would be a great way for students to interact with me and each other out side of the classroom and give them a comfort knowing that every assignment, due date, and examples will be provides for them at all times. With high school students, staying in contact and developing a good rapport is key for having a great teaching/learning environment.
It is a great way to keep details of assignments. I tried to interact with my students about their homework and sometimes I found that the feedback I could provide through the blog was not immediate enough. What I found useful was creating a private chat room using a service like chatzy and posting the link in the blog for that evening. I then opened it between 5 and 6 and students knew that they could get help at that time and immediate feedback. You can also have a password that only you and those students know and this will help to keep it even more private. This will then help the students at that moment. Of course a blog also allows questions to be answered but it is more public and the comments are kept as part of the blog for everyone to see, which some students may be embarrassed about.
ReplyDeleteI liked the thought about setting up certain times that students can access you if you have a blogging system working for your class. This would allow for instant feedback for those have serious problems on assignments. It is important to keep those students who post questions from getting embarrassed but in class the students have to be taught that some students may have more difficulties than others and all questions and comments are for the betterment of the assignment and class. Blogging is a great way for extending the class discussions and if used correctly, it is a great asset to have in class.
ReplyDeleteI would think that blogging as an extension of your classroom is a great way to keep your students informed and keep communication open for questions and guidance with assignments in literature. Posting writing samples and providing links to other outside resources would also be useful and helpful to students. Again, there is always the issue of finding the time to manage the site but student feedback and interaction would hopefully be responsive enough to keep momentum up.
ReplyDeleteI too agree that, especially with high school students, a good rapport is key. It's key for several reasons, but first and foremost, is safety. I think that if they respect you as a person and feel safe with you, it creates an environment where a student can learn. No teenager I know can learn well and grow in an environment where they feel like their teacher is their adversary. And by communicating with them in a forum where they feel comfortable, on the internet, it extends a bit of an olive branch I think.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts!