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.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Time and Paper and Organization and Understanding
Two things that are very precious to a teacher are: time and paper.
Time: Teachers are very passionate about their subject matter and I am certainly no exception. Yet, the time contrains of a period, a week, a unit or a semester can choke a teacher from providing lots of connections to related topics, research or exciting work that students may want to engage in that compliments the writing, experimenting and learning happening in classrooms.
Paper: Sometimes, to supplement the lack of time teachers feel, teachers will photocopy information for students. Although the intentions are wonderful, the outcome is anything but green. Students may read the article once and then feed it to a binder. In addition, schools are trying to go green and thus, photocopying limits are enforced.
For students, two things that are precious and required for success are: organization and understanding.
Organization: Notes and binders that are organized are key to happy studying. Yet, organization that is helpful requires an understanding of material. Students need to be able to know what information will help them write that paper, solve that problem, pass that exam. By the end of a unit or semester, it is easy for a student to know they have seen the information they seek, but they can’t seem to recall during what lecture it was discussed or what chapter of a text book it was explained.
Yes, you are still reading a blog about educational blogging. How does this seeming tangent of desires of teachers and students link to blogging you may be wondering.
Stephen Downs cites Henry Farrell in his article “Educational Blogging”. Farrell suggests five awesome uses for blogs in a classroom. His reasons save a teacher time and paper and help students stay organized and track their understanding of the course. His list includes:
1. Blogs replace the standard class webpage or syllabus.
2. Teachers can link to articles that relate to what they are teaching (think of all the trees saved by not photocopying!)
3. Blogs can help organize classroom discussions.
4. Students can file class seminars and summaries of readings on the blog.
5. Students can create a blog that shows the process of their work (example when reading a novel, they can post analysis as they read).
The possibilities are endless. Going back to my cupcake analogy, it is like once a baker has mastered the basic recipe, then the fun stuff comes out – sprinkles, frosting and edible gold flakes. In the case of blogs, the fun stuff is: graphics, blogging on the go and high levelling thinking and engagement amongst peers.
Time: Teachers are very passionate about their subject matter and I am certainly no exception. Yet, the time contrains of a period, a week, a unit or a semester can choke a teacher from providing lots of connections to related topics, research or exciting work that students may want to engage in that compliments the writing, experimenting and learning happening in classrooms.
Paper: Sometimes, to supplement the lack of time teachers feel, teachers will photocopy information for students. Although the intentions are wonderful, the outcome is anything but green. Students may read the article once and then feed it to a binder. In addition, schools are trying to go green and thus, photocopying limits are enforced.
For students, two things that are precious and required for success are: organization and understanding.
Organization: Notes and binders that are organized are key to happy studying. Yet, organization that is helpful requires an understanding of material. Students need to be able to know what information will help them write that paper, solve that problem, pass that exam. By the end of a unit or semester, it is easy for a student to know they have seen the information they seek, but they can’t seem to recall during what lecture it was discussed or what chapter of a text book it was explained.
Yes, you are still reading a blog about educational blogging. How does this seeming tangent of desires of teachers and students link to blogging you may be wondering.
Stephen Downs cites Henry Farrell in his article “Educational Blogging”. Farrell suggests five awesome uses for blogs in a classroom. His reasons save a teacher time and paper and help students stay organized and track their understanding of the course. His list includes:
1. Blogs replace the standard class webpage or syllabus.
2. Teachers can link to articles that relate to what they are teaching (think of all the trees saved by not photocopying!)
3. Blogs can help organize classroom discussions.
4. Students can file class seminars and summaries of readings on the blog.
5. Students can create a blog that shows the process of their work (example when reading a novel, they can post analysis as they read).
The possibilities are endless. Going back to my cupcake analogy, it is like once a baker has mastered the basic recipe, then the fun stuff comes out – sprinkles, frosting and edible gold flakes. In the case of blogs, the fun stuff is: graphics, blogging on the go and high levelling thinking and engagement amongst peers.
From Responding to Reaching Out
I have been using blogs to allow students to respond to a question online rather than always in class. I have allowed the freedom to respond at their convenience. Referring back to my baking analogy, I begin to think how I can move beyond the Easy Bake oven to a blogging recipe that has even more educational nutritional value. What I mean by that is a blogging experience where students are creating their own blogs that are true to the blogging form – a log of links and comments and posts that provoke peers to think, link and learn. Stephen Downes says “Blogging is something defined by format and process, not by content”.
Format and process? Not content? Is this Marshall McLuhan’s voice in a Web 2.0 world where the media is the message?
The act of blogging is certainly about the interactive process of linking and commenting. If students are to create their own blogs, they would be engaged in a world where they will be linking and blogging and commenting on ideas that far outreach the walls of the classroom. To a blogger, they would have reached blogging perfection. Yet, for a teacher this walks a fine line of danger. Students might be exposing themselves to information that is inaccurate or does not uphold the morals of the school. Thus, content in the form of response blogs became the safe route.
I had to stop writing this blog entry partly because I was not sure I agreed with the last claim I made. I think blogging in the classroom can be about process and format and content all together. Blogging and linking to research is a great tool to teach media literacy and to teach about reputable research sources. It also forces students to reference their research. All three of these strands of curriculum are important and their longevity and applicability far extend the cyber-world of blogging.
Finally, I think what would be so incredible in a classroom is if students begin to reference each other and link to each others’ blogs. This can be useful when examining literature or creating seminars that examine particular aspects of a piece of text.
Format and process? Not content? Is this Marshall McLuhan’s voice in a Web 2.0 world where the media is the message?
The act of blogging is certainly about the interactive process of linking and commenting. If students are to create their own blogs, they would be engaged in a world where they will be linking and blogging and commenting on ideas that far outreach the walls of the classroom. To a blogger, they would have reached blogging perfection. Yet, for a teacher this walks a fine line of danger. Students might be exposing themselves to information that is inaccurate or does not uphold the morals of the school. Thus, content in the form of response blogs became the safe route.
I had to stop writing this blog entry partly because I was not sure I agreed with the last claim I made. I think blogging in the classroom can be about process and format and content all together. Blogging and linking to research is a great tool to teach media literacy and to teach about reputable research sources. It also forces students to reference their research. All three of these strands of curriculum are important and their longevity and applicability far extend the cyber-world of blogging.
Finally, I think what would be so incredible in a classroom is if students begin to reference each other and link to each others’ blogs. This can be useful when examining literature or creating seminars that examine particular aspects of a piece of text.
Blogging with your class is like trying to bake a soufflé without ever having had baked cupcakes or with an Easy Bake Oven
Blogging and Baking? Seems like an odd comparison. Yet, I have had to create the comparison for my own confidence level. As my first time as both a blogger and a teacher using blogging as an educational tool, I have come to realize that the end result is not exactly as I had dreamed. I had pictured in my mind long classroom discussions where students easily pull from their minds comments they read on the blog. Instead, I see great points made on the blog, but, like a soufflé, I see the difficulty in keeping it raised in the classroom. Seems like once the comments leave the blog, they flop like a soufflé when the oven has been opened. I am being too harsh in my comparison? Perhaps. The discussion and connection is there, but I am past the point of denying that the process is perfect. I guess I am still in the Easy Bake oven stage – learning how to modify the recipe for journaling and blogging into a perfect classroom treat. I don’t think Julia Child made a soufflé on her first day at the Cordon Bleu. Thus, I cannot expect my students to be the perfect sous chefs to the blogging experience. Like a deflated soufflé, the blog is still yummy with ideas and writing. With practice the blog with rise.
The Need for Literacy - Twice
The New Media Consortium (2005) defines literacy as “’the set of abilities and skills where aural, visual, and digital literacy overlap. These include the ability to understand the power of images and sounds to recognize and use that power, to manipulate and transform digital media, to distribute them pervasively, and to easily adapt them to new forms’” (p. 8). Thus, students need to be literate in two ways: traditionally in the textual sense and digitally, a newer type of literacy that is part of a participatory culture (Jenkins 19). In a paper on digital media and learning entitled “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century” Henry Jenkins defines as one:
1. With relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2. With strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3. With some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices
4. Where members believe that their contributions matter
5. Where members feel some degree of social connection with one another (at least they care what other people think about what they have created).
Jenkins further notes that in participatory culture, all must believe they can freely contribute and that what they contribute will be valued. Thus, the focus of literacy in such a culture shifts from individual expression to one of community involvement.
Some may believe that with the Web 2.0 culture, one that is certainly participatory, that traditional literacy emphasis in education would shift to a “newer” form of digital literacy to assist in fostering digitally competent communicators – students. The belief of a shift in literacy is false. Traditional literacy, students being able to read and write, is crucial for digital/media literacy and engagement in such a participatory culture. Research argues that “ the new digital cultures provide support systems to help youth improve their core competencies as readers and writers” (Jenkins 19).
In my use of a classroom blog, my intent is to use a participatory cultural trend – a blog – as a means of improving writing – in style, quality and depth. In Carrie Windham’s article “Reflecting, Writing, and Responding: Reasons Students Blog” (2007) she notes a students response to classroom blogging. The student says that “the paragraph long responses weren’t much different from the mile-a-minute typing she did each day communicating with her friends using e-mail and instant messaging. The blog posts didn’t take very long, calming her work that the exercises would be boring and monotonous”.
In my short experience using blogging with my students, they have found the process quick and easy. Typing is a natural part of their existence. On days when we are not even blogging, students often say they think better while typing. Perhaps this is true as the responses I have seen on the blog have increased the level of engagement with a topic. I have taken this “need” to type into the computer lab in the school. For a particular assignment, I had students type at the computer rather than writing on paper. Students were more focused, wrote more in a shorter period of time and had fewer questions. Just as students are more comfortable communicating in their mother tongue, perhaps so too is the case with digital natives – the fluid ability to communicate via technology as opposed to the foreign “pen and paper”.
1. With relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2. With strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3. With some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices
4. Where members believe that their contributions matter
5. Where members feel some degree of social connection with one another (at least they care what other people think about what they have created).
Jenkins further notes that in participatory culture, all must believe they can freely contribute and that what they contribute will be valued. Thus, the focus of literacy in such a culture shifts from individual expression to one of community involvement.
Some may believe that with the Web 2.0 culture, one that is certainly participatory, that traditional literacy emphasis in education would shift to a “newer” form of digital literacy to assist in fostering digitally competent communicators – students. The belief of a shift in literacy is false. Traditional literacy, students being able to read and write, is crucial for digital/media literacy and engagement in such a participatory culture. Research argues that “ the new digital cultures provide support systems to help youth improve their core competencies as readers and writers” (Jenkins 19).
In my use of a classroom blog, my intent is to use a participatory cultural trend – a blog – as a means of improving writing – in style, quality and depth. In Carrie Windham’s article “Reflecting, Writing, and Responding: Reasons Students Blog” (2007) she notes a students response to classroom blogging. The student says that “the paragraph long responses weren’t much different from the mile-a-minute typing she did each day communicating with her friends using e-mail and instant messaging. The blog posts didn’t take very long, calming her work that the exercises would be boring and monotonous”.
In my short experience using blogging with my students, they have found the process quick and easy. Typing is a natural part of their existence. On days when we are not even blogging, students often say they think better while typing. Perhaps this is true as the responses I have seen on the blog have increased the level of engagement with a topic. I have taken this “need” to type into the computer lab in the school. For a particular assignment, I had students type at the computer rather than writing on paper. Students were more focused, wrote more in a shorter period of time and had fewer questions. Just as students are more comfortable communicating in their mother tongue, perhaps so too is the case with digital natives – the fluid ability to communicate via technology as opposed to the foreign “pen and paper”.
Often times, at the beginning of a semester, I find myself have to have the Wikipedia talk. The Wikipedia talk consists of me telling students why Wikipedia is not an accurate place to get information for a project. Perhaps a good starting point for a quick reference, but certainly not scholarly. Students have a hard time understanding that because the information can be altered by anyone, it is not the most reliable. This leads me to my research on Web 2.0 and my reflections on its connection to our class blog.
Susan Church, in her book From Literature Circles to Blogs, she defines Web 2.0 as follows:
In education and more generally, Web 2.0 refers to new ways in which learning is occurring using digital services and functions. It is now possible for a diverse range of individuals and groups to post information and opinions, to receive feedback, and to respond to each other online....Digital networks facilitate the wide distribution of information and expertise, allowing users to create as well as access knowledge and to form interactive online communities. (pg 21). Students are now learning to negotiate these interactive digital communities. “’Literacy 2.0’ is the term used to describe how ‘people are appropriating digital applications, networks, and services; and they are developing ways of reading, writing, viewing, listening and recording the embody this 2.0 ethos’” (Knobel and Wilber, 2009, p. 21).
Learning and writing in a Web 2.0 world demands media literacy. Students are now participants and collaborators in their digital literacy experience. This is evident in their participation with the Bulldog Blog. They are not simply reading. Students have collaborative control over what becomes of the blog. They control the content. Yet, for the purpose of class discussion, they fit their contributions within parameters set by me.
Susan Church, in her book From Literature Circles to Blogs, she defines Web 2.0 as follows:
In education and more generally, Web 2.0 refers to new ways in which learning is occurring using digital services and functions. It is now possible for a diverse range of individuals and groups to post information and opinions, to receive feedback, and to respond to each other online....Digital networks facilitate the wide distribution of information and expertise, allowing users to create as well as access knowledge and to form interactive online communities. (pg 21). Students are now learning to negotiate these interactive digital communities. “’Literacy 2.0’ is the term used to describe how ‘people are appropriating digital applications, networks, and services; and they are developing ways of reading, writing, viewing, listening and recording the embody this 2.0 ethos’” (Knobel and Wilber, 2009, p. 21).
Learning and writing in a Web 2.0 world demands media literacy. Students are now participants and collaborators in their digital literacy experience. This is evident in their participation with the Bulldog Blog. They are not simply reading. Students have collaborative control over what becomes of the blog. They control the content. Yet, for the purpose of class discussion, they fit their contributions within parameters set by me.
Bringing Blogs into the Classroom
After reading Carrie Windam’s article “Reflecting, Writing, and Responding: Reasons Students Blog”, I realized the difficulties of making a connection between our digital classroom and my classroom at school. In her article, Tom Nelson, a graduate student instructor, mentions the importance of drawing a link between the blog and class. “The most important thing, he says, is to create a link between the class and the blog. He makes a point to bring up the blog during face-to-face time and to reference specific postings”. I have found a few challenges in doing so.
1. Students do not follow the comments on the blog. They simply respond in isolation to their peers comments.
2. Students do not remember what others have blogged.
3. I do not have the ability to show the blog in class due to internet access restrictions in the classroom.
I find it a challenge to connect our classroom with our blog; yet, I have noticed that despite the ideal of having awesome discussion that began on the blog filter into the classroom there have been some interesting improvements in the class.
1. Students are coming to class with something to contribute. I have yet to hear a student say “I don’t know” as a response to a question.
2. Students have become very conscientious of their writing in class.
This last observation may be a result of students reading other students writing more frequently on the blog rather than the limited amount of time spent reading other students writing in class. I have set little parameters around the formality of the writing on the blog, but students have become very conscious of their writing in class, often asking multiple questions around development of ideas and ensuring their responses or assignments are in accordance with the task. In the abstract to Carrie Windham’s work it is noted: “Faculty and students are recognizing blogging’s learning potential, including the chance to practice writing, reflecting on other’s thinking, and respond to critical analyses of one’s own work” (2007). I have seen the improvement in their blog comments. Something I will ask them is if their comments are coloured by the fact that they do not know who the authors of the other comments are. (Originally, I was going to compile a list for them of blogger ID’s. However, I refrained from doing so I could allow them to writing without the pressure of peer judging.)
1. Students do not follow the comments on the blog. They simply respond in isolation to their peers comments.
2. Students do not remember what others have blogged.
3. I do not have the ability to show the blog in class due to internet access restrictions in the classroom.
I find it a challenge to connect our classroom with our blog; yet, I have noticed that despite the ideal of having awesome discussion that began on the blog filter into the classroom there have been some interesting improvements in the class.
1. Students are coming to class with something to contribute. I have yet to hear a student say “I don’t know” as a response to a question.
2. Students have become very conscientious of their writing in class.
This last observation may be a result of students reading other students writing more frequently on the blog rather than the limited amount of time spent reading other students writing in class. I have set little parameters around the formality of the writing on the blog, but students have become very conscious of their writing in class, often asking multiple questions around development of ideas and ensuring their responses or assignments are in accordance with the task. In the abstract to Carrie Windham’s work it is noted: “Faculty and students are recognizing blogging’s learning potential, including the chance to practice writing, reflecting on other’s thinking, and respond to critical analyses of one’s own work” (2007). I have seen the improvement in their blog comments. Something I will ask them is if their comments are coloured by the fact that they do not know who the authors of the other comments are. (Originally, I was going to compile a list for them of blogger ID’s. However, I refrained from doing so I could allow them to writing without the pressure of peer judging.)
Why Use Blogs in the Classroom?
I began to think about this question soon after I decided to use blogs in my classroom. I realize that even before doing any research I knew why blogs were a great addition. Blogs speak to my audience – my students. Instead of shying away from a social media, I am embracing it and using it to my advantage. As already mentioned, teenagers are fitting more hours of media into less hours than on the clock. As a teacher, I am fighting for their attention amongst Facebook, Ipods and text messaging. By using blogs, students can participate in a digital discussion that will lessen the dead air time in class. (What I say “dead air time”, I mean the awkward silence before a student beings the chorus of responses in a class. Although students are thinking during this time, blogs allow for thinking to happen even before students come into class.) In addition, even the shy students will be able to have their voices heard, or rather their ideas read. Below is a list of reasons I have found that support the use of blogs in the classroom.
· Promote critical thinking
· Combine solitary reflection with social interaction
· Become an online filing cabinet for a students ideas and documentation for their development
· A means of building relationships
· A space for shared learning
· Fosters ownership and choice – students decide what to write rather than giving what the teacher wants to hear.
· Bloggings interactive nature creates enthusiasm for writing
· Allows for lessons in digital citizenship, “netiquette”, digital privacy and responsibility
· Suits many learning styles
· Students are digital natives – using the internet to communicate is natural to them
· Parents can view students work
· Fosters peer to peer mentoring
For my classroom, my focus is on promoting discussion in as many ways as possible. I have noticed that when asked a question in class, students provide little detail in their oral answers. Their comments always beg me to follow with “Can you elaborate on that point?” I have noticed that after the second session of blogging, responses are more thoughtful. Perhaps it is because students have as long as they wish to respond. Blogging provides a student with an unlimited amount of think time. There is no audience starting at them – only a blank comment box. I think a question I have for my students will be in regards to how long it takes them to blog a response.
· Promote critical thinking
· Combine solitary reflection with social interaction
· Become an online filing cabinet for a students ideas and documentation for their development
· A means of building relationships
· A space for shared learning
· Fosters ownership and choice – students decide what to write rather than giving what the teacher wants to hear.
· Bloggings interactive nature creates enthusiasm for writing
· Allows for lessons in digital citizenship, “netiquette”, digital privacy and responsibility
· Suits many learning styles
· Students are digital natives – using the internet to communicate is natural to them
· Parents can view students work
· Fosters peer to peer mentoring
For my classroom, my focus is on promoting discussion in as many ways as possible. I have noticed that when asked a question in class, students provide little detail in their oral answers. Their comments always beg me to follow with “Can you elaborate on that point?” I have noticed that after the second session of blogging, responses are more thoughtful. Perhaps it is because students have as long as they wish to respond. Blogging provides a student with an unlimited amount of think time. There is no audience starting at them – only a blank comment box. I think a question I have for my students will be in regards to how long it takes them to blog a response.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
"Suffer the Little Children"
Hi Class,
Is Miss Sidley from Stephen King's "Suffer the Little Children" crazy or are the children possessed by evil forces? Please be ready to discuss in small groups tomorrow as it will help you with an assignment! Thanks!
Bulldog Blog
Is Miss Sidley from Stephen King's "Suffer the Little Children" crazy or are the children possessed by evil forces? Please be ready to discuss in small groups tomorrow as it will help you with an assignment! Thanks!
Bulldog Blog
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