The Bulldog Blog Project is far from over. Rather, it is in the oven still baking. However, I have decided to share my secret recipe with everyone on creating a classroom blog. The recipe is flexible. Any yummy add ins (themes, assignments, videos or even chocolate chips) can be tossed in.
Preheat Classroom to Excited.
Ingredients
1 teacher (digital native or immigrant)
Approximately 25 students (more or less will affect the yield of the blog recipe)
Tasty topics or questions
Equipment:
Internet access
Email account(s)
Computer(s)
Directions:
1. Mix teacher with Blogger website
2. Slowly add graphics, messages and topic starters
3. Slowly introduce students to the mix
4. Place blog in excited classroom and watch carefully as it grows in excitement and scope.
Baking Time: Ongoing
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yields: an educational conversation space that transcends the walls of a classroom
Happy Baking and Happy Blogging!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Climbing Up the Blog
I came across this diagram when doing some research on the link between student centred learning and blogging. It is from the Education Vision Leadership Blog. I really think that blogging can increase student participation and allow them to be autonomous in their learning. The above mentioned blog indicates that student centred learning is found in a classroom where "the teachers roam around as mentors and individual learning coaches; learning is tailored to each student’s differences; partake in interactive learning with computers and other technology devices; students are engaged and motivated. The teacher is not the sage on the stage but the guide on the side. In the student centered classroom, the teacher is a coach and mentor, a support person who troubleshoots and problem solves when students need such help. The teacher floats amidst a classroom that is entirely individualized. Not only is each student exposed to a unique curriculum, the pacing of that curriculum is also unique.”
I know that is a long quotation, but I think it really sums up the possibilities blogs in the classroom can create. The only difference is that the learning is in a virtual space, rather than the four walls of a classroom. It allows for greater flexibility, increased participation for the more shy students, and more processing time for students. All elements I have previously blogged about in relation to me approaching blogging in the first place.
I can't really decide where I would place blogging on the ladder. I think it depends on how the blog is used. Are students responding to the teacher, each other, tracking their own progress? Regardless, any flavour of blogging is still yummy...going back to my baking analogy. I guess the higher the rung on the ladder, the healthier the cupcake...I mean blog.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Over the past few months, teachers across the province have received print and electronic information about the use of electronic communication and social media presented by the Ontario College of Teachers. Professional Advisory by the Ontario College of Teachers
With the exponential growth of social media, the College saw a need to reduce harm for teachers and students with the advisory. The obvious warnings apply to email, texting, Facebook etc, but what about blogging?
In their video outlining the use of social media, Jennifer Newby is quoted as saying that social media is a “tool that we can use in education” and it would be “wasteful not to take advantage of it”. Chris Vollum, social media expert, says it our students’ “window to the world today”. The OCT says that since we are governed by the Standards of Practice – care, trust, respect and integrity – we must be aware of the impressions we make, the vulnerable situations and the permanent nature of using the internet.
As with the use of any technology, the Technology Knowledge piece is crucial in outlining for students how the process of how using blogs will work. Clear rules, agreement contracts, information to parents and full access for parents and administrators are crucial.
I think discussions that occur online in the form of a blog can make teachers more accountable in their actions. What is posted is public and it provides the opportunity for both teachers and students to “think twice” before they post.
With the exponential growth of social media, the College saw a need to reduce harm for teachers and students with the advisory. The obvious warnings apply to email, texting, Facebook etc, but what about blogging?
In their video outlining the use of social media, Jennifer Newby is quoted as saying that social media is a “tool that we can use in education” and it would be “wasteful not to take advantage of it”. Chris Vollum, social media expert, says it our students’ “window to the world today”. The OCT says that since we are governed by the Standards of Practice – care, trust, respect and integrity – we must be aware of the impressions we make, the vulnerable situations and the permanent nature of using the internet.
As with the use of any technology, the Technology Knowledge piece is crucial in outlining for students how the process of how using blogs will work. Clear rules, agreement contracts, information to parents and full access for parents and administrators are crucial.
I think discussions that occur online in the form of a blog can make teachers more accountable in their actions. What is posted is public and it provides the opportunity for both teachers and students to “think twice” before they post.
Tastes like TPACK
In order to successfully use a blog in a classroom setting, it does require a balance of technology, pedagogical and content knowledge. Yet, the relationship between the three, or rather the ratio, is most important.
I would argue that PK is the most important element for utilizing blogs in the classroom. My reasoning for this is that a teacher must have a reason for using a technology, rather than it is “hot” in culture. Our primary job is to deliver curriculum. We must ask ourselves if blogs will help deliver curriculum in a more efficient and engaging way. There is no doubt in my mind that the collaborative nature and accessibility of blogging allows for classroom walls to be expanded into the home, cellphone etc. The blog, in my opinion, is an extension of a classroom discussion. Or at least a class blog can be. When students begin to blog their projects and research, there is the potential that other students will not engage in the blogs of others. That is where good teaching plays a part. PK allows for a teacher to iron out these issues before they start.
Obviously, the CK is important for curriculum. Yet, I don’t think it is the be all and end all. If the intent of blogging is to create dialogue and promote critical literacy (this is my intent), then talking about anything can foster this.
Finally, but obviously necessary, is TK. In creating this blog as both a place to discuss educational blogging and as a classroom blog, understanding the capabilities and limitations of blogs can prove a challenge for a digital immigrant.
Have a look here, for a diagram of TPACK and how it can work. “True technology integration is understanding and negotiating the relationships between these three components of knowledge. A teacher capable of negotiating these relationships represents a form of expertise different from, and greater than, the knowledge of a disciplinary expert (say a mathematician or a historian), a technology expert (a computer scientist) and a pedagogical expert (an experienced educator). Effective technology integration for pedagogy around specific subject matter requires developing sensitivity to the dynamic, [transactional] relationship between all three components.” (Mishra and Koelher 2006)
I would argue that PK is the most important element for utilizing blogs in the classroom. My reasoning for this is that a teacher must have a reason for using a technology, rather than it is “hot” in culture. Our primary job is to deliver curriculum. We must ask ourselves if blogs will help deliver curriculum in a more efficient and engaging way. There is no doubt in my mind that the collaborative nature and accessibility of blogging allows for classroom walls to be expanded into the home, cellphone etc. The blog, in my opinion, is an extension of a classroom discussion. Or at least a class blog can be. When students begin to blog their projects and research, there is the potential that other students will not engage in the blogs of others. That is where good teaching plays a part. PK allows for a teacher to iron out these issues before they start.
Obviously, the CK is important for curriculum. Yet, I don’t think it is the be all and end all. If the intent of blogging is to create dialogue and promote critical literacy (this is my intent), then talking about anything can foster this.
Finally, but obviously necessary, is TK. In creating this blog as both a place to discuss educational blogging and as a classroom blog, understanding the capabilities and limitations of blogs can prove a challenge for a digital immigrant.
Have a look here, for a diagram of TPACK and how it can work. “True technology integration is understanding and negotiating the relationships between these three components of knowledge. A teacher capable of negotiating these relationships represents a form of expertise different from, and greater than, the knowledge of a disciplinary expert (say a mathematician or a historian), a technology expert (a computer scientist) and a pedagogical expert (an experienced educator). Effective technology integration for pedagogy around specific subject matter requires developing sensitivity to the dynamic, [transactional] relationship between all three components.” (Mishra and Koelher 2006)
Friday, June 3, 2011
Get Your Blog While It is HOT!
So the recipe for baking blogs is only getting better with practice. In this post, it is getting better because I have found a secret recipe I want to try to move from Easy Bake Oven Blogs closer to the souffle baking I mentioned.
As discussed in earlier posts, students tend to not engage critically and the full extent possible with blog discussions. They seem to be engaging on the lower end of the thinking spectrum. Then I began to wonder, maybe it is not entirely the students’ faults. They are only engaging as far as their teachers are pushing them. I came across the article HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking without really searching for it. Maybe it is a sign or at least a potential solution or method to enhancing the blogging experience in relation to building literacy, particularly critical literacy. In the article, Lisa Zawilinski outlines four steps “that integrates both traditional reading comprehension skills and the new, higher order thinking skills often required during online reading comprehension” (8). It is called HOT blogging because it promotes Higher Order Thinking. The four steps are outlined below:
1. Bolster the Background: A teacher posts activities and questions on the blog for the purpose of building background knowledge about what students are reading/studying etc. Students read online to “locate, critically evaluate, synthesize information, and communicate their ideas by posting what they have found to the blog, inviting others to comment” (8).
2. Prime the Pump: Students think about the background they have built and their initial interpretations of the text being discussed. Some examples are: their confusions, connections to self, other texts or world, or their impressions. A final aspect is to require students to read the posts of other students in order to prepare for a discussion. It is suggested that student have to oral share the ideas of others instead of their own. This hold students accountable for reading and considering the comments of their classmates.
3. Continue the Conversation: “Students begin to summarize and synthesize understanding across multiple textual units” (9). Using graphical organizers is suggested to help students create new ideas. Some sample prompts or areas of the graphic organizer can include:
• Student’s initial comment on the blog
• Two comments from other students
• Notes from the discussion
• “How do my ideas differ/similar to those of my peers?”
• “What new ideas do I have about the text?”
• Based on the last two sections, combine to write a new idea. (Synthesis across multiple texts).
4. Make Multiplicity Explicit: “By inviting students to read, think, and comment on the classroom blog, you make multiplicity explicit” (10). When engaging with various ideas, students are supported in thinking deeply about the positions of others. As students encounter various perspectives, they will see the importance of supporting their own ideas with examples.
Obviously, these steps are cyclical and need to be repeatedm, especially steps 2-4 so that ongoing discussion can occur.
I guess only time will tell if HOT blogs stay warm or cool quickly out of the oven, I mean classroom.
As discussed in earlier posts, students tend to not engage critically and the full extent possible with blog discussions. They seem to be engaging on the lower end of the thinking spectrum. Then I began to wonder, maybe it is not entirely the students’ faults. They are only engaging as far as their teachers are pushing them. I came across the article HOT Blogging: A Framework for Blogging to Promote Higher Order Thinking without really searching for it. Maybe it is a sign or at least a potential solution or method to enhancing the blogging experience in relation to building literacy, particularly critical literacy. In the article, Lisa Zawilinski outlines four steps “that integrates both traditional reading comprehension skills and the new, higher order thinking skills often required during online reading comprehension” (8). It is called HOT blogging because it promotes Higher Order Thinking. The four steps are outlined below:
1. Bolster the Background: A teacher posts activities and questions on the blog for the purpose of building background knowledge about what students are reading/studying etc. Students read online to “locate, critically evaluate, synthesize information, and communicate their ideas by posting what they have found to the blog, inviting others to comment” (8).
2. Prime the Pump: Students think about the background they have built and their initial interpretations of the text being discussed. Some examples are: their confusions, connections to self, other texts or world, or their impressions. A final aspect is to require students to read the posts of other students in order to prepare for a discussion. It is suggested that student have to oral share the ideas of others instead of their own. This hold students accountable for reading and considering the comments of their classmates.
3. Continue the Conversation: “Students begin to summarize and synthesize understanding across multiple textual units” (9). Using graphical organizers is suggested to help students create new ideas. Some sample prompts or areas of the graphic organizer can include:
• Student’s initial comment on the blog
• Two comments from other students
• Notes from the discussion
• “How do my ideas differ/similar to those of my peers?”
• “What new ideas do I have about the text?”
• Based on the last two sections, combine to write a new idea. (Synthesis across multiple texts).
4. Make Multiplicity Explicit: “By inviting students to read, think, and comment on the classroom blog, you make multiplicity explicit” (10). When engaging with various ideas, students are supported in thinking deeply about the positions of others. As students encounter various perspectives, they will see the importance of supporting their own ideas with examples.
Obviously, these steps are cyclical and need to be repeatedm, especially steps 2-4 so that ongoing discussion can occur.
I guess only time will tell if HOT blogs stay warm or cool quickly out of the oven, I mean classroom.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Grammar Wars
I thought the grammar and punctuation would be less than wonderful on the blog. Yet, to my pleasant surprise, I have observed writing that is coherent, well developed and supported. Yes, spelling is still an issue. However, to the benefit of my students, Blogger does not automatically check for spelling.
I told my students that I was not looking for grammar and spelling. Secretly, I knew I was interesting in seeing if there was any noticeable changes. We had discussed the blog as having a potential global audience. Will Richardson, the self proclaimed educational blogging guru, notes that students tend to be more careful with their logic, grammar and writing style when they know they will have a potentially large audience. This may be true of my students, but it may also be a result of me, their teacher, being their number one blog fan or reader.
Regardless of spelling or grammar, students get their voices heard, or in the case of blogs, read. In an article by Rhea Borja in Education Week called "Blogs Catching on as a Tool for Instruction" she notes that “Blogging allows everyone in the class to share their opinion, not just the loudest or the most outspoken”. Blogging does not replace the beauty and value of classroom discussion. Instead, it enhances it by providing students multiple and varied opportunities to have their voices heard.
I told my students that I was not looking for grammar and spelling. Secretly, I knew I was interesting in seeing if there was any noticeable changes. We had discussed the blog as having a potential global audience. Will Richardson, the self proclaimed educational blogging guru, notes that students tend to be more careful with their logic, grammar and writing style when they know they will have a potentially large audience. This may be true of my students, but it may also be a result of me, their teacher, being their number one blog fan or reader.
Regardless of spelling or grammar, students get their voices heard, or in the case of blogs, read. In an article by Rhea Borja in Education Week called "Blogs Catching on as a Tool for Instruction" she notes that “Blogging allows everyone in the class to share their opinion, not just the loudest or the most outspoken”. Blogging does not replace the beauty and value of classroom discussion. Instead, it enhances it by providing students multiple and varied opportunities to have their voices heard.
Survey Says...
Students:
At the end of class last week, I took a quick survey of hands to get a feel for the love of blogging. All thirteen boys said they found blogging to be more beneficial to their writing. They said they wrote more and it was “easier”. For the female students, eight out of eleven girls said they preferred blogging.
One girl made a really interesting comment. Although she found blogging fast and easy, she found the most challenging aspect of blogging was finding the time to sit in front of a computer.
It may seem like an odd statement coming from a digital native, but I think I understand her position. I find students to be attached to their Ipods and cellphones and less likely sitting in front of their computer. They are still too young to all have Blackberrys where they can blog on the go.
Teachers:
When I first began the Bulldog Blog, my Department Head said “Blogs are so awesome! I used them with my media classes.” I felt really reassured when I heard that other people found success in something that I was about to experience with my class. My Department Head, clearly a great blog baker, had her students create their own blogs on various research topics for their course. I was intrigued, but was going to stick to my simple boxed cupcakes – blog responses.
Two days after I put my Bulldog Blog in the oven, I mean online, another colleague decided to give the recipe a go as well. Seven weeks later and her students are fully immersed in contributing to a blog that centres around current topics that are relevant and “hot” to the course. Am I starting a trend?
Principal:
My Principal was so thrilled that I was going to start an new initiative in class, especially one that was both green and linked to media literacy. Later that first week, I received an email from her stating that upon showing the blog to her own teenage daughter, her daughter that I must be a “hip” English teacher since I was blogging with my students. Although my goal was not to be hip, it is great to hear that teens appreciate the effort by teachers to tap into their cyber lives.
At the end of class last week, I took a quick survey of hands to get a feel for the love of blogging. All thirteen boys said they found blogging to be more beneficial to their writing. They said they wrote more and it was “easier”. For the female students, eight out of eleven girls said they preferred blogging.
One girl made a really interesting comment. Although she found blogging fast and easy, she found the most challenging aspect of blogging was finding the time to sit in front of a computer.
It may seem like an odd statement coming from a digital native, but I think I understand her position. I find students to be attached to their Ipods and cellphones and less likely sitting in front of their computer. They are still too young to all have Blackberrys where they can blog on the go.
Teachers:
When I first began the Bulldog Blog, my Department Head said “Blogs are so awesome! I used them with my media classes.” I felt really reassured when I heard that other people found success in something that I was about to experience with my class. My Department Head, clearly a great blog baker, had her students create their own blogs on various research topics for their course. I was intrigued, but was going to stick to my simple boxed cupcakes – blog responses.
Two days after I put my Bulldog Blog in the oven, I mean online, another colleague decided to give the recipe a go as well. Seven weeks later and her students are fully immersed in contributing to a blog that centres around current topics that are relevant and “hot” to the course. Am I starting a trend?
Principal:
My Principal was so thrilled that I was going to start an new initiative in class, especially one that was both green and linked to media literacy. Later that first week, I received an email from her stating that upon showing the blog to her own teenage daughter, her daughter that I must be a “hip” English teacher since I was blogging with my students. Although my goal was not to be hip, it is great to hear that teens appreciate the effort by teachers to tap into their cyber lives.
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