My intial attempt at a Blog

One of the initial reasons for exploring the process of blogging and determining to what extent it can be used in the classroom stems from the never-ending push to incorporate technology in the classroom. With such a strong commitment to creating 21st century learners, it would be foolish to ignore the technology that is available for students to extend and enhance their learning in a traditional classroom setting. Besides, a majority of students are probably already using some form of blogging in their personal lives and their familiarity with this tool would make it a comfortable addition to their academic experience. Another tremendous benefit to adding a blog to a traditional/required high school course is that it moves away from the emphasis on the learning that must occur in the seat and expands the learning opportunities to anywhere that the Internet can be accessed. With the nature of the majority of my students' schedules, this, I believe, would be a welcome inclusion to their learning experience.

Another reason I am interesting in exploring the role of a blog in the classroom is the effect it might have on the writing process. Many students tend to be reluctant writers, at least in the traditional sense, and providing them with a more technology driven option may open up some doors to written expression in a way that they have never thought of or engaged with to this point in their lives. The safety of their own personal blog and the freedom that accompanies it could provided a confidence that they previously lacking with many other writing assignments. But not just for specific writing assignments or writing course would a blog be useful. It is also a way to extend classroom discussions of literature, incorporate visual images (related to the discussions and the texts), and provide for a greater time and space than a traditional 47 minute period would allow. Similarly, some students do not find the idea of expressing thoughts or opinions easy in a larger group discussion format and through the use of blogs, these students might achieve a level of comfort they never thought possible.

Finally, the single greatest reason for exploring how a blog might be used in my classroom centers around the idea of engaging with the material. There will always be students who can and will learn in a traditional classroom setting with traditional materials. Time has proven this and I don't foresee this changing. But how successful is this in meeting the needs of all learners? I imagine that by including blogs in the classroom that students would have an outlet that is much more in line with their daily experience with technology. Working with so many reluctant learners in an inclusion classroom, blogs would provide an alternative form of assessment -- one that moves away from the traditional paper and pencil assessment. Finding unique and interesting ways to broaden the learning experience, while remaining true to a successful core curriculum, will give me a more accurate measure of what the students are capable of, what they are actually learning, and understanding how they are able to articulate it.

Using blogs in this manner will hopefully reinforce some of my beliefs of how we can develop lifelong learners at the beginning of the 21st century.