After creating my Blogspot, I became excited about all the
opportunities blogging can bring to the classroom. I plan to be a journalism teacher one day and
incorporating weblogs into daily instruction will get students excited about
publishing their work online. But as
mention in Chapter 3 of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, blog safety must be
discussed and incorporated into all lessons.
As an instructor, I will ensure all students have an Acceptable Use
Policy signed by their parents to guarantee that all students, parents, and guardians
are aware of the policies and procedures students will follow when blogging. Once all safety concerns have been discussed
I will introduce my students to Blogspot and put them in groups according to
their interests. For example, I can
create groups of students interested in such topics as fashion, sports, academics,
or technology. Once students are grouped
together, they will create a weblog based on their topic of interest. They will be responsible for writing articles
and news stories related to their specific subject. For example, students can write stories about
football and volleyball games, latest fashions, or suggestions for new apps. Students can also post pictures of sports
events, academic competitions, and any other school events that clubs and
organizations host. Before pictures of
minors are posted on weblogs, parents must sign a consent form allowing their
child’s image and name to be published.
Students can also publish links related to their blog to supply additional
reading for their audience. There are
endless possibilities when creating a weblog and allowing students to create
their own product will enhance their learning experience. As an instructor, I will heavily monitor
weblogs to ensure all information published is appropriate and I will also
review all copies of blogs before students are allowed to publish them on Blogspot.
That's an awesome idea on how to incorporate weblogs into the classroom. Its better than a hard copy newspaper since it will save paper and ink, which means it will save the school money! As the director of my school one of the very first questions I ask my teachers when they want to incorporate new programs at the school is : what is the line? If a teacher tells me zero then I say : Lets do it!
ReplyDeleteSafety is a huge concern for me. I would like to see if there are options or maybe some type of software that will monitor the content shared. Your idea sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteHi Renee,
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about students getting excited about publishing their thoughts and products online. I have found that to be true even with my 5th grade students. It's something about knowing that others are going to be viewing their work that brings about a certain amount of attention to detail and ownership of their work. And yes, safety is always a concern when allowing students to get online. RSS feeds will help us to ensure that students are using resources that are appropriate.
Great ideas, Renee. I especially like your idea of splitting the class into different groups almost like the sections of a newspaper, or categories of online news. All of your students work combined on an RSS like feedly, could very much give the feel of an online news sources, and could maybe even be used like a school paper.
ReplyDeleteRenee, you have great ideas in how to engage your students. It is important to teach a lesson that grabs their attention and stay focus. They will learn from you as well you will learn from them. They will have the chance to get to know their classmates as well as learn from each other. It is always wise to display the procedures and policy to ensure the safely of the kids. Great job!
ReplyDelete