I embrace the idea of using blogs in the classroom. In the words of Will Richardson, "Writing stops; blogging continues. Writing is inside; blogging is outside. Writing is monologue; blogging is conversation. Writing is thesis; blogging is synthesis." (From Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Corwin Press, 2nd Ed, July 2008).
While reading Beach’s book, I found myself excited at the examples he showcased while feeling disappointed that there was no connection made for elementary teachers. That is really lacking in this book so far. Implying “you the reader can make the leap and tweak this to fit your teaching world” is disrespectful of K-5 teachers. In Chapter 6, the classroom blog vs. individual blogs part should have considered an elementary level audience. There are some great examples of blogs at the elementary level, most of which are classroom blogs.
Dear Isa,
ReplyDeleteI wonder about Richardson's statement: "blogging is conversation." It might be, if you have followers who respond, but I'm pretty sure no one would be reading my blog if it weren't a class requirement. If you are thinking about conversation, isn't email a better technology? That way I am reaching out to people who have some interest in me, or my topic, and will engage in conversation. Posting to cyberspace doesn't mean anyone will answer.
You're right, JoAnn: simply posting something online doesn't mean anyone will respond. However, if your blog is public and contains tags, then anyone can find your blog based on its topic. As the book explained, “students can promote their own blog by tagging their posts with certain key words so that their peers or other audiences can find their post (p. 128).” That's when blogging opens up the communication to outsiders so we can have asynchronous conversations (like the one we're having right now).
ReplyDeleteIf you devote a blog to ELL instruction and tag the posts with key words, then people will find you from around the world. That’s how I found blogs from teachers in New Zealand and Australia!
I think tags are the key to exposure. JoAnn, I agree that many blogs exist in anonymity (which is OK for some of us!), but I never really thought about tagging or categorizing my posts as a way to increase readership. That's a purposeful choice: categorizing as a way to gain readers, or staying "tagless" so as to write without thinking so much about an audience.
ReplyDeleteWhen we introduce these interactive digital formats with our kids, it's great to be excited by the opportunity of an audience beyond the class or school. But the audience doesn't magically appear, and I guess I haven't really thought much about how to build a social network for students through blogging. Yet another thing to ponder :)