However, the site I was using (edublogs) kept having issues where it would block students out of their accounts, or the blog site would go down for a period of a few days, so I switched to to 21 Classes (21classes.com). This site was even better because it allowed my students to have their own blog that they could design and build without requiring an email address. I could monitor what they were doing and could even access their accounts from my computer. After a while, students started to create the blogs like it was their own socializing website, and less like a blog. After several warnings about their conduct, I revoked student privileges to those that were misusing the pages, and when I went through them all, I realized about 75% were using the pages not as intended. I have since stopped using them with these students, but will begin them again as soon as the new semester begins (in two weeks!), with a lot more instruction on the appropriate use of blogs.
I have seen some other uses for blogs in the classroom where students used it as a portfolio for their work demonstrating their understanding of the material they are discussing in class. This could be a great tool in a science class because students could create RAFT activities where they must respond as a scientist as they are discovering something new and exciting (such as Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection), or to explain their thoughts on a lab done in class that week. The possibilities are endless, but either way, it is a great tool that students can use to showcase their work, or voice their opinions. These are two things that all students enjoy doing.
Posts
Travis
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that everyone has to pay for the bad behavior of some. Your idea for a blog sounds great, however, and I'm glad that you plan on continuing to offer it.
Are the parents able to get on the blog as well? If so, maybe the students would focus more on school/class related issues. I plan to include a few administrators from our school in my blog. Students will be aware before we start, and this should help keep everyone on task and respectful.
Do you give a grade of any sort for proper blog participation? Perhaps that would be a motivator as well. Good luck with your next attempt at offering this technology to your students.
Travis,
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to hear your ideas on how we can use blogs in the classroom like having it so that the students can create a portfolio for the class. Although I feel the same way about blogs as you do because blogs can only be useful if you can monitor them. I can easily see many teachers having the same problem as you did. In order to prevent that from happening you could possibly have a grading system. Point for contributing and be able to take points away if they were not contributing in a positive manner. I think using blogs as a discussion scene may be great but at the same time it can easily lead to so many off topic situations. Maybe a class project would be easier to advise. It is nice that you have already tried to use this in a school setting, because I have not. So you are already one up on me.
Bryan Ropp
I actually did have a grading system, but apparently, not good enough for them. That is one of the things that I would like to work on this new semester is to create a better grading system for the blog within the classroom. I'm really glad that we discussing this in class because it is giving me some good ideas.
ReplyDeleteThat is great that you are already trying to use blogs in your classroom. Thanks for letting us know some of the pros and cons that come along with it. I like the idea that you were able to control everything on your own classroom blog as well as the students' blogs. I think that is extremely important since as you could see for yourself how the blogs eventually turn into a socializing network like myspace and it could be used in a way that was not orignally intended for. Last year at our school we had to take away email from the sixth graders since they were abusing it. I'm not sure what the solution for this is but maybe teaching a few lessons or a unit on online behavior or including it in your school's parent/student handbook might help.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in the situation where you had to take the email from the 6th graders. Is it safe to assume you give email addresses to your students? We are not allowed to do that in our district, although I think it would be a good thing. This did cause a problem with blogs, but using 21classes.com, I was able to set up blogs for them, without using email addresses. It worked out well.
ReplyDeleteWe are not allowed to post student information at any time. The only loop in this is that certain students can receive application, that their parents sign to give them an opportunity view material such as blogs. What do you think is the best procedure?
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of having create their own blog. The only setback that I could possibly see is the administration of their own blogs and how to keep the information related only to the topics of your class. Have you run into any problems related to this? I would be interested to see how things would fall, because the interest level would definitely be there because they are creating something of their own. Great idea!
ReplyDelete