Monday, March 21, 2005

Yes it's late, but I have homework...

Just finished reading the first assignment, "Educational Blogging" by Stephen Downes. Really informative piece.

Funny how you can tell it's a blog. Blog authors seem to have evolved a style (format?) of writing all their own. Can't quite put my finger on it yet, maybe it is all the connections Blog authors make while writing. Hmmm...

As a teacher, I'm very excited to figure out how to use blogs in my classroom.

Downes offers much evidence as to their effectiveness in an educational setting while pointing out a few pitfalls along the way. The central theme seems to be community and connectedness. People have a lot to say and even more people want to read about it. The links embedded in a blog serve as links to the outside world. Now, more than ever, people are aware that they are not alone in their interests, beliefs, or even experiences.

It's important to note that blogs cannot be forced on people. Teachers must allow students to read and explore first to get a feel of how to communicate/relate to the outside world. Teachers must also allow students leeway in writing blogs. There should be constraints/guidance, of course, but simply using writing prompts may end up stifling the creative process rather than encouraging it.

Farrell's "Five Major Uses for Blogs in Education" serve as a guide for teachers implementing blogs in their classrooms for the first time. I like the idea of the "Class Info" blog where I may communicate a variety of classroom information to my students. I also will make good use of the resource blog (most likely on the same blog as the Class Info blog). In the beginning I may simply use a Classroom Blog before I start individual student blogs. I haven't quite figured out how to use blogs with middle schoolers who do not have email addresses. I would love to have a blog for each student eventually, however, for I would like my students to use it as a sort of portfolio or personal space to express themselves with guidance by me, and a few appropriate constraints.

The bottom line, blogs are EASY to use and manage. That is exactly what I thought while sitting in Bernie's class at CUE and Downes agrees. Easy allows everyone to try using it, and free means they will continue to use it.

I will definitely explore using the "WordPress" GPL (free as in freedom, not free lunch-I'm paraphrasing here) installed blog application. What a great addition to a district's web site. Blogs for all! But seriously, the software is already written, available, and people understand how to use it, why not blogs instead of personal web pages?

This blog exemplifies Richardson's point "Blogging, at base, is writing down what you think as you read others," and this is what I was thinking as I read Downes.

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