Hopefully not my last post...

Although this may be the last required blog post for class, I'm hoping it won't be my last. I never saw myself as a "blogger" but when we first started our blogs I realized how it can also be an outlet for us, as students. I'm sure the same old people get sick of me venting to them after a rough day interning so maybe I can turn to this for a new outlet and a way for me to express how I feel. Being able to read other blogs in the class is also comforting and allows me to see that I'm not the only one who has a rough day, feels like they are sleep deprived or has learned something new about teaching.

Throughout this course, I truly learned a lot about incorporating technology into a classroom. As weeks went by, something else would pop into my head about how I can use blogs, wikis and even digital stories in not only language arts but many other content areas. Students love technology, so why not take advantage of it? I know I will!

Wikis

I never really knew that much about wikis until this class. I knew about Wikipedia, but that's about it. I never even thought about incorporating wikis, blogs or digital stories into the classroom but there are many ways it can be done. This link shows how two schools on opposite sides of the world who use web 2.0 tools to communicate in a project called A Celebration of Learning an Culture. These two teachers have worked together for over a year to have their first graders pen pal with one another through wikis, blogs and digital stories. What a great idea!!

Response to Chapter 2: Blogging and New Literacies

When I first began reading this article about incorporating blogging in the classroom, I did not realize how many ways it can actually be done.  Incorporating blogs within the curriculum can actually be beneficial for many reasons. Some ways in which blogging can be tied into literacy are mentioned in Using Blogs to Enhance Literacy by Diane Penrod. Two reasons in particular that stood out to me were that it encourages fluency and helps emotionally challenged or at-risk students.

Today at school was parent teacher conferences. I had the opportunity to meet with parents of diverse students with different needs. As the ESOL teacher came in to a few conferences, she encouraged parents to have their children work on websites  such as Starfall and Tumblebooks as a way for them to enhance their reading and writing. She explained to the parents that this was something fun for them to do because they are using technology. As much as that made sense to me, I realized that blogging too has this same affect. Allowing the students to participate in a fun activity such as creating a blog will certainly be rewarding in a way which will encourage students to keep on going. Penrod mentions that working on a blog is rewarding because of the immediate, tangible feedback that the writers feel after publishing their posts.  Penrod also mentions that writers are more likely to write for longer and with more care when they find this act of writing enjoyable and rewarding.

Although I found many of the ways in which blogging can be tied to literacy important and interesting, I particularly found that it can certainly help those who are emotionally challenged or at-risk. Blogging gives the opportunity for students who many times feel lonely or secluded to overcome this by allowing them to display their emotions and their creative sides in an interactive writing environment.  Penrod explains that these types of learners typically feel good when they discover material on their own.  Blogging helps learners do this by encouraging self-directed inquiry which develops discovery learning. I definitely think that blogging can be a great way for at-risk and emotionally challenged students to overcome their sad feelings and be encouraged to discover ways in which they can learn best. This website would be a great way to have students start their own blog in the classroom. It is kid friendly and allows students to experience language arts in a new way!

New Blogger

I think the last time I made a blog was about 4 years ago in undergrad. I'm pretty sure it was an art class which had me blog about different art pieces... I think i'll like this experience more than the last :) Looking forward to sharing and reading other blogs in this class!