Thursday, July 2, 2009

Question: How Might We Use Blogs and Other Online Spaces for Composing and Learning?


So can we think together, here, about how we might use wikis and blogs?


<--So that this
becomes alive ;)

27 comments:

  1. I think that we can use blogs in many ways in the classroom. Perhaps we can use it to keep in touch about readings over class vacations. I also see blogs as a chance to build a stronger classroom community.

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  2. I am going to use blogs in classes this year as a way to respond to literature and spark class discussion....i am still not sure why I would choose a blog over a wiki or vice versa...

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  3. Students can create their own blogs for the class and use the space as a tool for reflecting upon their learning. It can be a space where they collect their notes and include websites, podcasts, and images that are related to the particular topic. I just thought of having the students create their own blogs and use them as online reading journals. That would save a lot of paper!

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  4. I think that we can use blogs as a good way to monitor students' summer reading progress. Students can write up book talks, make videos portraying favorite parts of the book, or create podcasts reflecting different aspects of the book. This would allow students to be creative while maintaining accountability for their summer reading.

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  5. I think blogs could be useful in the classroom and could be a place for students to share published work, pose questions to one another, and share exciting events with one another

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  6. I think that it is a wonderful way to create discussions within the classroom about anything that is being read or discussed within the classroom. Students should feel more comfortable responding in this realm and will receive responses from their peers. It is a space where their knowledge is viewed as important.

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  7. A note on typos across America... This blog USED to document the typos and the blog writers' attempts to correct them.

    http://www.jeffdeck.com/teal/blog/

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  8. Blogs are a great way for students to express themselves without feeling like they are going to be evaluated for their writing. Of course, the teacher can use the blogs as part of instruction, but there is more of a security for the student in posting work online and not having to worry about those silly red pen marks. Blogging opens up communication between teacher and student (or parent), and allows yet another medium for a student to compose written work.

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  9. We can use blogs to share information when you're researching or learning a new topic in class. Whether students are researching the same topic or different topic they can share or elaborate on for other peers. Students can also use this to do an online book talk and share their ideas with others. Students can also use this as a forum for things they may need help with in the classroom and others can post ideas or strategies to help the other student.

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  10. Blogs would be a great opportunity to continue a class discussion outside of a classroom. I am still wondering when one would use a Wiki and when one would use a Blog in the classroom. I understand the idea of collaboration in a Wiki but I am still thinking that they are very similar in nature.

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  11. I think that having students create thier own blogs would be a great way to get the kids excited about writing. Blogs could also be uses as an assessment tool to track student's writing.

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  12. Blogs can be used in literature circles, where students can discuss different books. They can ask questions to each other or clarify misunderstandings in the book. Students will have ownership of the discussion and the path(s) that are taken in the classroom. It becomes student-centered and student-run, rather than teacher-centered. It opens up the questions and comments to a wider spectrum of participants.

    I think that wikis will be very useful with collaborative work. I can have students from different classes work together in groups. It does not limit how I group students and gives them more variety. I will be able to have students work on projects or activities during my class period and outside of the class period: at home, during study hall, etc... Wikis also allow me to view when students are doing their work, how active they are, and allows them all to contribute and have a voice.

    I will use blogs and wikis in my ELA, science, and social studies classes for collaborative work, literature circles, final projects, and journaling in the upcoming year.

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  13. Students can interact and network with each other without the pressures of speaking up in the classroom. This could be especially beneficial for students who are typically resistant or unmotivated to contribute to the class discussion.

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  14. I love the idea of using the blogs to find grammar errors and common misspellings. I actually just created a new blog for my new 7th graders. Check it out at http://nhacsgrammardetectives.blogspot.com

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  15. I plan on using blogs to allow the students to ask questions and get support from each other. I presently receive way too many emails from students. By having a blog, students would send me fewer emails because many of the questions could be answered in a group setting. In addition, I would post assignments, extra credit options, and allow the students to offer feedback on each other's work.

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  16. I work with fourth grade students and I am wondering about trying to use a blog as a planning tool for them as they prepare for book discussions. My students are struggling readers and I think they would benefit from seeing some of their classmates' discussion ideas before the actual discussion takes place. This "planning" blog would give my students the chance to think of possible responses in advance of the discussion. It would afford them the extra "think time" they often need. This blog then becomes a tool for differentiation.

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  17. After learning a great deal about blogs and wikis these past few days at Fordham's Literacy program, I have created various ideas in my mind about how to incorporate these into my classroom. Being a new teacher and just having graduated from Marist College this past December, I am always eager to listen to what others have to say, especially those which have had great experiences within the field. In terms of connecting with my students on a level where technology can be entwined within my instruction, I believe, would be extremely beneficial to them.

    I think I could use the blog I created today to post information and updates to students and parents every couple of weeks about student progress and the types of things they have been working on in class. This gives parents an indication of where their students stand, the effective teaching techniques, as well as upcoming events and important dates. Students could also log into this in their free time to read about these exciting things they have experienced. Further, I could have my students each create a blog or in small groups that they can post reflections on things they've read, drafts for narrative writing, or other posts involved cross-curricular writing.

    Further, I would like to use wikis in my classroom. I have found that these tools are successful in guiding students' writing and leaves many opportunities for progress and student growth and reflection. I would use these for students to collaborate and do research on each of these sites in search for the most reliable information. This group effort leads to cooperative learning and a research-based assignment for any of the content areas.

    Blogs and wikis will sure be in my future teaching practices!

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  18. Wikis - I would like to have my students to complete a group project using wikis. I would require the students to brainstorm ideas and come up with a way to present their project by collaborating on a wiki.

    Blogs - I would like to have my students use blogs to discuss literature. I might require them to answer open-ended questions (like I am doing now) on a piece of literature or I might have them create book reviews based on their outside reading books. Other student could them comment on whether or not the agree with the individual student's reviews.

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  19. We might be able to pose questions and create a discussion board for fellow bloggers to respond to and follow from the convenience of their own home. This allows everyone involved in the discussion to view all comments, look back, and reflect on any and all comments made throughout the discussion. This also allows everyone to catch up on a particular topic if they haven't visited the page in a long time, or start a new thread in the discussion that hasn't been introduced yet. By creating an online forum like this, everyone will have a voice and everyone's voice will not only be heard but will also be accessable from anywhere in the world at any time. By using this platform to communicate through, people will be able to connect, share, and exchange information in a community-based environment.

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  20. I've used wikis as a group collaboration tool for almost all of the workshops and courses I have led. It is a great way to organize all of your resources and it allows others to quickly add to the resources that are discovered over the course of a semester or workshop. I've also used wikis for a quick website for my kids, to sell my house, and to put together a 20 year class reunion information site. They are versatile and so much fun to use!

    Blogs are a great way to build community with your classroom. I used blogs and RSS feeds to allow students to communicate with each other. They share ideas, post reflections and respond to articles and videos assigned in class. It is a great way to connect with students--often the shyest of the students are the best bloggers!

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  21. Blogs can be used to facilitate learning by posting reflections,summaries and suggestions for literature read by students either in or outside of the classroom. They can be used as a motivator for reluctant readers to engage in reading outside or inside the classroom and responding to texts.

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  22. Blogs - pose question - discussion pt., discuss student answers/posts; provide links for finding info. related to specific topics, provide forum for voicing concerns (vs. face to face critiquing, connecting to other members of community (professional, social, academic, etc.)

    Wikis - in place of teacher website (still not sure if it's really a substitute), go-to place to find out info. about topic - the style seems to be less list format, meeting pt. for collaboration on student projects

    It seems like some of the features of blogs and wikis overlap.

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  23. Blogs can be used for literature circles and to have an ongoing commentary on a book or novel. Students can post their comments about a specific book and have other critique thier thoughts or comments.

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  24. I have used wikis with a great deal of success in my classroom, but always feel like blogs fail to capture my students' interest in a similar way. For instance, I have them share their professional responses on their blog, and then invite them to read others' blogs and post comments there, too. However, most of my students only engage in this task in the classroom, and they rarely make any kind of outside connection in their initial blog posts.

    Thus, I need to consider how and why I ask my pre-service teachers to use blogs. Should I have them keep it more as a journal than as a space for more formal professional responses?

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  25. You can use blogs in the classroom to help generate ideas when brainstorming. Instead of creating a web on the board of different ideas, you can have students respond to a blog you create on a certain topic. For example, what are some topics you can write poems about? You can also have students respond to a KWL chart, by asking them things they already know about a topic you are going to be learning about. For example, what do you know about ancient Egypt?

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  26. There are many ways in which I can use a blog with my students this school year. To start with, I can create a blog for certain units of study. I can also use a blog to keep track of the curriculum. The blog can become a reference point throughout the year. Two areas I want to explore are: peace - community building and poetry writing. I already keep a blog, but it serves primarily as a place where students conduct homework; there are in class possibilites to explore. I am eager to read what others have to say. This may fuel the thinking for next school year.

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  27. As a bloger and a student, I really like the idea of incorporating blogs into the classroom and learning process! People are able to create and share information and learn in the blogosphere - why not apply that to the world of education? Exciting!

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