Blogging


 * Blogging Articles: **


 * Lisa Reas's Blog:** http://www.horizon4reas.blogspot.com/

http://blogsforlearning.msu.edu/articles/view.php?id=6 This article addresses the question of how to make technology an effective critical thinking tool. I agree with the author of this article in how he views web 2.0 tools as a source of collaboration and teaches students to be critical navigators in the digital spaces. RSS feeds and social networking sites allow students to ask questions and learn from new perspectives. Web 2.0 tools open doors for critical thinking which takes reading and writing to a whole new level.

http://www.edutopia.org/place-based-blogging-how-to This article is great to understand basic guidelines of what blogs can be used for, how to use appropriately, and how to incorporate them into the classroom. It is very important that boundaries are set for students so that they have a purpose for what is put on their blog. Students should have technology incorporated into the classroom but the fear that administration and parents have sets some districts back. Technology can be great and technology can be evil but teaching students how to use technology will make the difference. If we want our students to be successful in math, we teach them how, if we want them to be successful in writing, we show them how and give them examples, well the same goes for technology. The Internet can be dangerous and confusing if we do not educate our students on the appropraite behavior when using such a powerful tool.

http://www.edutopia.org/how-use-social-networking-technology This article discusses the debate of using social networks as a form of an educational tool. Looking at social networks from a new prespecitive can open up a door to an unlimited and engaging academic world. Our students live in an ever-growing technological world where students can find answers to any question through a simple web 2.0 site such as Google. Collaboration is a large part of being successful. As educators, we need to teach students how to gain knowlege from others, especially others that come from different backgrounds. Through the use of social networking, or as the article refers to it as academic networking, students can find reliable resources for assignments, debate on controversial topics, peer edit stories, and so much more. Additionally, students can share ideas, brainstorm, and even work on projects together simutaneously on the Internet. Administration and the traditional teacher might find technology a pathway to a dangerous world but the key ideas is to educate. Educators do not only teacher the reading, writing, and arithmitic (the formally known 3 R's) but they should also teach respect, responsibility, and relationships. Students will abuse any tool when when given the opportunity, but under strict rules and having class discussions, any child can learn proper computer and Internet etiquette.

http://www.edutopia.org/place-based-education-blogs-multimedia A great article offering ideas of how blogging can fit into your classroom in a cross-curricular way. Blogging can serve a way to have pen pals that will offer immediate contact and communication. Through carefully planned projects, students can be pushed to critically think. Blogs can be a showcase for publishing students' work and allowing positive feedback as well as editorial suggestions. The article explains a great neighborhood project that incorporates interviewing, photography, research, descriptive and expository writing. Ideas such as the article example can be blended into any subject area and through educators collaboration, learning opportunities are endless.

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/technology/foltos.htm Technology and education is my mind belong together but after reading this article, I realize that my opinion way based on anecdotal evidence on student motivation but I have never really looked into the research evidence that technology improves student learning. The article goes into detail on how using technology appropriate is where true academic success comes from. Using the computer to have students type up papers, complete "drill and kill" practices, and lower level thinking skills will not lend itself to academic success. However, simulation activites using technology offers students higher level thinking that has been proven to increase academic scores but more and more research will need to be taken to make a consistent statement. The main idea that I have taken from this article is that each eduator needs to take a look at the technology they intergrate into their classroom. Each opportunity to use technology in education needs to be evaulated for its purpose and effectiveness that it will have on student learning.

I plan to continue and use my blog as a communication line for parents and students for easy access at home. Information such as homework assignments, special events, test dates, pictures, and updated information will be posted daily. To keep track of views each day and whether or not the blog serves its purpose, a hit counter is added. Parents and students can leave comments on the blog for additional feedback to keep the communication line open both ways.

After reading some articles, I would like to incorporate other blogs into my classroom to keep indiviudal student portfolios online so that they can be access from any computer with Internet access. Blogs and Wikis can play similar roles and depending on the lesson objective, slight differences can make one web 2.0 tool more effective than the other.