I currently teach 3rd and 4th grade students. At that age they are truly learning the basics of the keyboard and computers. I don't foresee myself assigning a blog post as an assignment or a means of reflection for most students I work with. However, with the 3rd and 4th grade students who need enrichment, I think blogging could be beneficial. Blogging would be a wonderful tool to use as an extension or a reflection to establish understanding from a young student and prepare them for skills necessary for the 21st Century. It could benefit the student in a variety of ways. Blogging would help improve their technology skills. Free writing is a form of communication that involves creativity. The student would have to think critically about what they understand and the knowledge they gained from a particular activity.
My school is on the cusp of proposing a referendum in the next few years in some shape or form. Our 7th and 8th grade students have been active participants in the master planning of the school. They have worked with the architects to place a bike path through the township. Last fall the students hosted a bike safety fair to raise awareness both of the endeavor and the need for bike safety in the community. The fair followed a string of bike injuries and deaths three summers ago. I could see blogging as a tool for the 7th and 8th grade students to comment on the progress of future projects involving master planning for the school and community. If "rational" blogging was taught by the instructor, the student's words would be viewed as powerful. Blogging in this sense would be viewed as powerful because students are problem solving and applying knowledge they have gained through the years of implementing and hearing about the master planning process.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What district are you in? This 7/8 project sounds like it has great potential for really engaging students in a real-world problem. Students sharing their work in a larger environment would be both rewarding for them and great PR for the school.
ReplyDeleteAt the 3/4 level you might consider having students post and comment in a visual mode such as VoiceThread. I have seen students this age posting some writing in a blog for feedback, but often it is slightly older students who use blogs.
I teach in Raymond School District in western Racine County. We have a majoroty of families in the district without home access to high speed internet. I think voice thread is a great tool to use at the elementary level in the school setting.
ReplyDeleteAre your students close to a public library? Does the public library allow children under 12 to access things like blogs and Voice Thread? It may be an option for some of your students, but you may also have to talk to the public library first to see what is possible. Many times they have restricted access for children.
ReplyDelete