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.