What instructional strategies would fit well with using blogs in the classroom? Why?
I think that blogs can be used with a variety of strategies. If using a more traditional didactic approach, blogs can be used as a channel for students to reflect on their learning. Teachers can then use this as an assessment tool to check on student understanding.
If working on a more inquiry-based method, students can use a blog to report and reflect on their progress throughout the project. Teachers can then provide feedback via comments.
What instructional strategies would not fit well with using blogs in the classroom? Why?
If using a more collaborative approach, blogs are probably not the best tool to use. Wikis would provide a much more team-based setting for working.
How could you see Blogs being used in your classroom with your subject matter?
In a music classroom I can see blogs being used in a couple of ways. From a teacher standpoint, I could use a blog to communicate announcements, feedback/reflection, and other important ideas to my students.
Students can use a blog as a reflective tool or even as a practice log. They blog about how their practicing is going, what kind of music they are listening to, and even their opinions on various concerts. At the end of each semester, the blogs can be used as a tool for them to reflect on their progress and even on how well they did at a concert.
Bonus Question: Sometimes it is not the technology that imposes the limitations but our own imaginations and ability to adapt technology to fit our needs-- How could you adapt a Web 2.0 technology to support an instructional strategy that you feel it doesn't easily support? (e.g., using a blog to help students understand their math facts.)
Many people may think that marching band and technology don't really go together. Recently though, I began to think about a way to utilize a wiki into our music department. My goal this season is to create a marching handbook that our staff and students can all have input into creating. That way next year students can use it as a reference.
Love the collaborative handbook idea. I might incorporate something like that. At least give the students an option to add something to the handbook if they feel its missing.
ReplyDeleteI disagree about blogs not being useful in a collaborative approach to learning. I have done this in the past and it works well. As the teacher, you can just post a question for the class to answer. This way students can correct misconceptions from other students. I also think it helps students close the gap between their prior knowledge and the new information.
ReplyDeleteI also have a wiki, which students collaborate in adding information, but it is done as more of an review activity.
Erik,
ReplyDeleteGreat points about deductive and inductive learning via blogging. I think blogs are not necessarily collaborative like you mentioned, but I do think they provide an excellent opportunity for interaction. When we see the ideas of others it reinforces or facilitates additional learning on our own part. The cycle of post and respond creates dialogue and the ensuing conversation supports the idea that knowledge is constructed and social in nature.
Nice thoughts.
Cheers,
Corey