Blogs in the Classroom

Identify possible instructional uses for blogs in the classroom and address any related issues regarding the use of blogs in education. Describe how blogs may provide advantages over traditional forms of instruction.

Blogs in the classroom can have many instructional uses. Blogs provide a communication space that teachers can utilize with students whenever there is a curriculum need to develop writing, share ideas and reflect on work being undertaken in the classroom. Some students even find it easier to communicate with a teacher through a blog, rather then face to face. But using a blog does have some disadvantages. First it can be viewed by anyone, not just the teacher or other students in the class. Students need to know that what they write will not be private and they need to know not to write any personal information they wouldn’t want people to see. As well as make sure the material they are posting is school appropiate because they are using it for educational purposes. Another disadvantage is that students may have difficulty signing in, I know myself everytime i went to log in it took a few trys because the system said my email was invaild. dispite their disadvantages, blogs advantages in the classroom are far better. Blogs provide advantages over traditional teaching methods because it is more interactive for the students.

A few ways teachers can use blogs in the classroom include:

have students write a journals on a daily basis in their blog

book/movie discussions

student/parent book discussions

book reviews

current events

student opinions

reflecting on visual images

reflecting on primary source documents

debates

student poetry and reflection

posting student artwork for critiquing

posting student books for critiquing

Overall I feel that blogs would enhance a classroom, and help the students communicate better with the teacher as well as provide a space for students to post their opinions and ideas.

Reflecting on Teaching with Technology

Were the students focused on learning, not on the technology?

I feel that the students were actively engaged in learning and were not focused on the technology. We were able to gain their attention by having them view the Photostory from the front of the room instead of on their own computers, as we had originally planned. I think this method worked much better, and allowed for the students to focus more on the information being taught and not the technology.

Was the technology a seamless part of the lesson?

I think that we worked the technology into the lesson well, and that the lesson was able to flow nicely, that the technology added to it as a whole.

Can you easily describe how the technology contributed to the lesson?

The technology contributed to the lesson in a variety of ways. We started out using a photostory, which captured the students attention, and hopefully their intrest in learning about the great depression. We also used a webquest idea so that the students had specfic details to find, making the learning more hands on.

Was the reason for the technology obvious to the students?

Yes, I think the reason for the technology was obvious to the students. Using Photostory, they became acclimated with The Great Depression and the lesson objective. Using the internet, they discovered the impact The Great Depression had on families, farmers, African Americans and industrial workers and submit answers to their Guide Questions. Lastly, using the Inspiration Graphic, students were able to organize what they had learned and share the information with the class.

Did the technology help a particular student?

i think that the technology helped all students not just one particular student.
Because it gave all students access to a computer to better view the screen. but if the students were visually or hearing impaired they may have benefited more.

Would you have been able to accomplish the lesson without technology?

Yes, we would have been able to accomplish the lesson without technology but I don’t think it would have been as effective. If we were not able to use technology, we could have printed out the websites and questions for the students. The students would have hand written their responses to the Guide Questions and we could have used the chalkboard to create a graphic organizer instead of using the Inspiration Graphic. The only thing we would have been unable to use was the Photostory.

Were all students participating with the technology and benefiting from it?

yes all students were participating and benefiting from the technology. Each student was able to access the information and work at their own pace.

Source: Roblyer, M.D. & Edwards, J., (2003). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (Third Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. (p. 340).

Determining the Relative Advantage

Determining the Relative Advantage

Describe the notion of "relative advantage" with respect to improving technology implementation methods. Identify specific teaching and learning problems that technology can help address and how it can create learning opportunities that did not exist.

Relative advatage is a way in which one looks a current method of doing something and compares that to an older/other method, then make a decision based on the advantages and disadvantages whether to adopt the new method or not.
In respect to technology and improving technology implementation methods, relative advantage is crucial because of the fact that technology is constantly changing and being updated. If more teachers are shown the benefits to using new and updated forms of technology, they are more likely to adpot the new technology and put it to use in their own classrooms. Some teaching and learning problems that technology can help adress include the following:
~easier asscess to information
~Visual examples help clarify new concepts
~Takes out time consuming skills and allows for students to focus on learning
~Provides students with technological competence in order to prepare them for the outside world, namely the workplace
~reviews of missed work
~Technology can create learning opportunities that did not exist in ways such as offering distance courses when a school cannnot find or does not have a teacher for advanced courses
~Offers the use of multimedia or simulations to enhance learning is areas of study where materials such as science labs are not provided
~Drill and practice software allows teachers and students to become involved in the use of technology by having the students complete drills on the computer and receive immediate feedback.


Resources:Roblyer, M.D. & Edwards, J., (2005). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (Fourth Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

hi!

My name is Alysha Scott. I am a Junior at Towson University and I am majoring in History with a Secondary Education subplan. I set up this Blog page for my ISTC 301 class.