1. Creating a forum for (extended) classroom discussion
One of the greatest tools teachers have at their disposal is their students' thoughts, perspectives, experiences and voices. Unfortunately, in a 40 minute class session, it's difficult to take full advantage of what our students have to offer; most times it seems that once the conversation picks up, it's time to start wrapping it up. Additionally, not all students feel confident to speak up and participate in classroom discussions. The blog can help us solve both of these issues! We can post an interesting question or opinion (or more than one!) that was raised at a certain point in class and have students continue responding to those, or post a brand-new topic or question related to our current or upcoming classroom material to have students think about and discuss with their classmates. I have been a major believer in the benefits of using a discussion-based approach in the classroom, because in this manner, students work together to create their own understanding and meaning. The best part of discussing online (versus the classroom) is that students often will feel more comfortable contributing. While some students may simply be shy (and the computer screen might take that away just a bit), it seems that quite often students are somewhat fearful of speaking up in class just in case they say something wrong, or even worse, something that their classmates consider "stupid." When responding with the Internet at their fingertips, they can check their facts using different resources (to ensure that they are correct) and reread their response before posting to make sure it is exactly what they're saying. I love using the blog as another place to allow students to participate! During my experience using the blog, I found that the prompts have to be as far away from directions as possible (one placement required me to be VERY specific and construct my posts like a worksheet) so as to maintain the blog-esque feel. I also decided not to require my students to respond to one another, but found that once they became comfortable with the format and more excited about reading others' posts, they did it entirely on their own! If discussion is the goal, it's important to keep our prompts and set up as conversational as possible. I think if we can do this, students will be much more encouraged to get the conversation going!
2. Giving students opportunities to complete personally meaningful pre-learning exercises
This was not something I did in my blogs, but something that came to me while I was reading. One way I like to make the self-to-text connection for my students when we're reading or learning about any given topic is to have them do some sort of journaling activity that requires them to think about an experience or feeling or idea that we might come across. However, this is not always possible simply due to time constraints or how appropriate a "journal response" is. I would love to use the blog to get students think about certain upcoming ideas or units. Sometimes I could post a writing prompt a few days before the class day we will discuss to get students sharing personal experiences. Other times, I could post a picture and have them write about what they see or feel or think the picture describes. What I thought would be most exciting and effective to use would be simply giving students a topic, word, or idea, and have them browse the Internet (using teacher-suggested links, or ones they find on their own) to learn what they want about the subject. For example, if we are a 10th grade English class, and students are encountering Shakespeare for the 2nd, 3rd time, instead of spending time on learning about/researching Shakespeare in class, students could spend some time learning what they want to know about him on their own. I would ask each student to post a certain number of interesting or surprising facts about the Bard that they did not know before. This would be a great way to compile a good deal of information on the topic, and also help avoid reteaching information to students. One issue I see pop up from unit to unit is the fact that all of our students have a great deal of difference when it comes to prior knowledge. This would be a great way to allow EVERYONE to learn something new. In all of these cases, students will have an opportunity to explore our classroom material, topics and ideas on their own before we encounter them in class.
3. Helping students make connections between our material and popular culture, current issues and their world
I think one of the best ways to engage students in whatever it is we are learning in class is by making the material relevant to their world. One easy way to do this is to make connections between our big ideas or different lessons to popular culture and current issues. Once we get to know our students, we are more in tune with their interests and hobbies. We can use what we know of them to choose an athlete, controversial figure, recent news story, or even music to post a link to read about or embed in our post (in the case of music-divshare.com is a free website to upload Mp3s to if you're interested). I would ask my students to read up on a news story, think about a recent event, ponder over the journey of an athlete, or listen to a song (picked out of 5 from very different genres) and then make a connection/comparison to what we learned in class. For example, before we began reading Macbeth in my 11th grade class last year, we discussed ambition in class, and their blog assignment for that week was to choose a song (ex: Drake, "Successful" or John Lennon "Imagine") and respond to how the topic of ambition was presented in that song, and whether or not they thought it was realistic and if it lined up with their ideas on ambition or their own ambition. Or, towards the end of the Macbeth unit, we discussed people who "cheated" their way to the "top" like the Heene (Balloon Boy) family or the White House Crashers, to name a few. The responses on the blogs were excellent and the conversation spilled over into our classroom, where students wanted to continue talking about those cases of ambition gone wrong and comparing them to King Macbeth.
-Standards (from the Richardson text, pp. 41-42)
#1-Students reading a wide range of print and non-print texts &
#2-Students read a wide range of literature to build an understanding of human experience: The blogs give teachers a space to expose their students to so many more texts (mostly non-print) than they ever could in the classroom and give students additional links and avenues to learn more, if they are interested in furthering their understanding to acquire new information, to respond to, and to learn more about the "human experience."
#4- Students adjust their use of spoken or written language to communicate effectively &
#6-Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print text:
The blog requires or allows for a different type of language to communicate effectively than a classroom discussion or research paper would, which means that students will have to adjust their usage! And, as many of the posts for an English classroom might involve, students will definitely be critiquing and discussing texts on my blog, and can do so in creative and figurative ways! Each of their responses or different activities will definitely be their own creation, which they will have to use language effectively for.
#7-Students conduct research on issues and interests
#8-Students use a variety of technological & informational resources:
The blog lends itself to having students explore different websites to do their own research on a topic we might discuss, and they will certainly be using a variety of technological and informational resources to do so, along with many other tasks they will complete, as we will use different programs, websites, and educational tools available online.
#11-Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative and critical members of a variety of literacy communities
#12-Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes:
Our social interaction via the blog will certainly allow students to become members of our very own classroom community, and possibly others if that's the direction the blog takes! Hopefully students will find their own motivations and purposes behind completing each blog task along the way, whether it be to learn, to enjoy the experience of being online or a member of our community, and to exchange information.
A few thoughts on my own blog experiences
I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to use blogs at both of my student teaching placements, which allowed me a great deal of experience. I already mentioned a few things I found to be successful (ways to use the blog) and some things that I learned. I also found that the settings of a blog are crucial to their success. In one placement, my students from all 5 classes posted on the same forum, which was also public. I heard students discussing each others' responses before and after class, students being critical of others' posts (I can't believe that's all he had to say! That topic was awesome!) and students getting really into their posts, which I think was a result of knowing that so many others would see it. My blog at the other school was password protected (only students could see it) and separated by class period. A lot less students posted, and there was a significant amount of enthusiasm lost. I think another big factor was the grading of the blog. At my first placement, grading was more flexible, so I discussed with my students that their blogs would be a certain point value at the end of our unit, but did not grade them week by week, but gave feedback during class because the blogs were referenced so often and became an organic part of our class. My other placement required me to give immediate feedback and grade on a rubric the day after each post was due. The end goal of these blogs were not discussion and discovery, but instead, getting the grade. Our blog died once the rubric was passed back. This was also the placement where my setup modeled a worksheet (as per my requirements from ct). Students only stuck to the directions and did what they thought they had to do to get an A. Just a few things I experienced that I thought were worth mentioning here!
One of the greatest tools teachers have at their disposal is their students' thoughts, perspectives, experiences and voices. Unfortunately, in a 40 minute class session, it's difficult to take full advantage of what our students have to offer; most times it seems that once the conversation picks up, it's time to start wrapping it up. Additionally, not all students feel confident to speak up and participate in classroom discussions. The blog can help us solve both of these issues! We can post an interesting question or opinion (or more than one!) that was raised at a certain point in class and have students continue responding to those, or post a brand-new topic or question related to our current or upcoming classroom material to have students think about and discuss with their classmates. I have been a major believer in the benefits of using a discussion-based approach in the classroom, because in this manner, students work together to create their own understanding and meaning. The best part of discussing online (versus the classroom) is that students often will feel more comfortable contributing. While some students may simply be shy (and the computer screen might take that away just a bit), it seems that quite often students are somewhat fearful of speaking up in class just in case they say something wrong, or even worse, something that their classmates consider "stupid." When responding with the Internet at their fingertips, they can check their facts using different resources (to ensure that they are correct) and reread their response before posting to make sure it is exactly what they're saying. I love using the blog as another place to allow students to participate! During my experience using the blog, I found that the prompts have to be as far away from directions as possible (one placement required me to be VERY specific and construct my posts like a worksheet) so as to maintain the blog-esque feel. I also decided not to require my students to respond to one another, but found that once they became comfortable with the format and more excited about reading others' posts, they did it entirely on their own! If discussion is the goal, it's important to keep our prompts and set up as conversational as possible. I think if we can do this, students will be much more encouraged to get the conversation going!
2. Giving students opportunities to complete personally meaningful pre-learning exercises
This was not something I did in my blogs, but something that came to me while I was reading. One way I like to make the self-to-text connection for my students when we're reading or learning about any given topic is to have them do some sort of journaling activity that requires them to think about an experience or feeling or idea that we might come across. However, this is not always possible simply due to time constraints or how appropriate a "journal response" is. I would love to use the blog to get students think about certain upcoming ideas or units. Sometimes I could post a writing prompt a few days before the class day we will discuss to get students sharing personal experiences. Other times, I could post a picture and have them write about what they see or feel or think the picture describes. What I thought would be most exciting and effective to use would be simply giving students a topic, word, or idea, and have them browse the Internet (using teacher-suggested links, or ones they find on their own) to learn what they want about the subject. For example, if we are a 10th grade English class, and students are encountering Shakespeare for the 2nd, 3rd time, instead of spending time on learning about/researching Shakespeare in class, students could spend some time learning what they want to know about him on their own. I would ask each student to post a certain number of interesting or surprising facts about the Bard that they did not know before. This would be a great way to compile a good deal of information on the topic, and also help avoid reteaching information to students. One issue I see pop up from unit to unit is the fact that all of our students have a great deal of difference when it comes to prior knowledge. This would be a great way to allow EVERYONE to learn something new. In all of these cases, students will have an opportunity to explore our classroom material, topics and ideas on their own before we encounter them in class.
3. Helping students make connections between our material and popular culture, current issues and their world
I think one of the best ways to engage students in whatever it is we are learning in class is by making the material relevant to their world. One easy way to do this is to make connections between our big ideas or different lessons to popular culture and current issues. Once we get to know our students, we are more in tune with their interests and hobbies. We can use what we know of them to choose an athlete, controversial figure, recent news story, or even music to post a link to read about or embed in our post (in the case of music-divshare.com is a free website to upload Mp3s to if you're interested). I would ask my students to read up on a news story, think about a recent event, ponder over the journey of an athlete, or listen to a song (picked out of 5 from very different genres) and then make a connection/comparison to what we learned in class. For example, before we began reading Macbeth in my 11th grade class last year, we discussed ambition in class, and their blog assignment for that week was to choose a song (ex: Drake, "Successful" or John Lennon "Imagine") and respond to how the topic of ambition was presented in that song, and whether or not they thought it was realistic and if it lined up with their ideas on ambition or their own ambition. Or, towards the end of the Macbeth unit, we discussed people who "cheated" their way to the "top" like the Heene (Balloon Boy) family or the White House Crashers, to name a few. The responses on the blogs were excellent and the conversation spilled over into our classroom, where students wanted to continue talking about those cases of ambition gone wrong and comparing them to King Macbeth.
-Standards (from the Richardson text, pp. 41-42)
#1-Students reading a wide range of print and non-print texts &
#2-Students read a wide range of literature to build an understanding of human experience: The blogs give teachers a space to expose their students to so many more texts (mostly non-print) than they ever could in the classroom and give students additional links and avenues to learn more, if they are interested in furthering their understanding to acquire new information, to respond to, and to learn more about the "human experience."
#4- Students adjust their use of spoken or written language to communicate effectively &
#6-Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print text:
The blog requires or allows for a different type of language to communicate effectively than a classroom discussion or research paper would, which means that students will have to adjust their usage! And, as many of the posts for an English classroom might involve, students will definitely be critiquing and discussing texts on my blog, and can do so in creative and figurative ways! Each of their responses or different activities will definitely be their own creation, which they will have to use language effectively for.
#7-Students conduct research on issues and interests
#8-Students use a variety of technological & informational resources:
The blog lends itself to having students explore different websites to do their own research on a topic we might discuss, and they will certainly be using a variety of technological and informational resources to do so, along with many other tasks they will complete, as we will use different programs, websites, and educational tools available online.
#11-Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative and critical members of a variety of literacy communities
#12-Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes:
Our social interaction via the blog will certainly allow students to become members of our very own classroom community, and possibly others if that's the direction the blog takes! Hopefully students will find their own motivations and purposes behind completing each blog task along the way, whether it be to learn, to enjoy the experience of being online or a member of our community, and to exchange information.
A few thoughts on my own blog experiences
I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to use blogs at both of my student teaching placements, which allowed me a great deal of experience. I already mentioned a few things I found to be successful (ways to use the blog) and some things that I learned. I also found that the settings of a blog are crucial to their success. In one placement, my students from all 5 classes posted on the same forum, which was also public. I heard students discussing each others' responses before and after class, students being critical of others' posts (I can't believe that's all he had to say! That topic was awesome!) and students getting really into their posts, which I think was a result of knowing that so many others would see it. My blog at the other school was password protected (only students could see it) and separated by class period. A lot less students posted, and there was a significant amount of enthusiasm lost. I think another big factor was the grading of the blog. At my first placement, grading was more flexible, so I discussed with my students that their blogs would be a certain point value at the end of our unit, but did not grade them week by week, but gave feedback during class because the blogs were referenced so often and became an organic part of our class. My other placement required me to give immediate feedback and grade on a rubric the day after each post was due. The end goal of these blogs were not discussion and discovery, but instead, getting the grade. Our blog died once the rubric was passed back. This was also the placement where my setup modeled a worksheet (as per my requirements from ct). Students only stuck to the directions and did what they thought they had to do to get an A. Just a few things I experienced that I thought were worth mentioning here!
animeblogger.net
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteIt seems that you're a very experienced teacher. I love your ideas of posting picture and let students describe how they feel or what they see. From this open-ended task, I definitely think that students could develop their critical thinking and enhance their abilty of observation. Moreover, giving them a topic to have them browse the internet to learn what they want is a great way to learn. Additionally, your class about Macbeth sounds very interesting. I never thought of choosing a song to respond to the topic,it's awesome, I'll try it when I back to Taiwan. I have some questions, is it a reading class? and are those ESL learners or native speakers of English? Sometimes I do want to use more learning by blogs for my students too;however, I found out that students need more pressure from the teacher to make a request for them,espicially 5th or 6th grade students. Students in Tawian are so busy going to cram school( after-school class). They usually don't have time during the weekdays to surf the net or might be restricted to use computer by their parents. Thus, though I used blog as learning tool before, some students might not participate as I expected. What fo you usually do when there're some students working passively?
Yen Jen
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! I'm going to suggest that all course participants take advantage of your excellent post.
ReplyDeleteDr. Burgos
I love your opening sentence! "One of the greatest tools teachers have at their disposal is their students' thoughts, perspectives, experiences and voices." I think too many teachers forget this! It seems that we are on the same page for utilizing blogs as a way to help shyer students speaking up with their opinions, that they may not be willing to do in class.
ReplyDelete