Using Blogs in the Classroom

I enjoyed checking out Mr. Harbeck's blog and thought the integer story idea was really cool, once I found the original story. I must admit that I am still very new to viewing these blogs and they sort of blow my mind -- I'm not sure where to click first. But I managed to navigate to a few of the areas and read some of the comments left by students. I also found myself wondering where it all started, so I scrolled down to the posts from 2006 and read a few of the first ones, which sort of helped give me a context for the whole thing. It's obvious that this is a school-wide method of teaching with all of the teachers buying into it, as well as all of the students. I wonder how much of their grade relates to what the post? I also checked out the coolcatteacher blog and was impressed by the variety of topics she was discussing. I have bookmarked both sites and plan to check back periodically to see what's going on.

I thought the article on civil discourse was very important. I'm glad we are having this information presented to us at the beginning of this class because I think it's important that we are all on the same page regarding how we will treat each other online as well as in class. Plus it's great to think about how to present these ideas to our students.

As for using blogs in my classroom, I think it will be a necessity! I can see myself uploading assignments and educational videos (I really liked that idea on Harbeck's blog), asking for student comments and parent input. It might be a little harder with the younger grades, but by third or fourth grade I can see a classroom community evolving. I like the idea of having a calendar with all of the assignments posted on it and maybe even a spreadsheet so parents and students can see what has been handed in and what hasn't. I'm sure the more explore the blogverse the more ideas I will come up with.