The topic of this post is integrating Web 2.0 into the classroom. First off, Web 2.0 is kind of a catch phrase for anything new on the internet. There seems to be no exact definition. However, here is a great resource for exploring many new web technologies based on what you want to achieve: The Teacher Chronicles.
The assignment for this week focuses on the specific issue of what instructional strategies work well with blogs in the classroom. I’m going to take a specific slant on this. I’ve just completed 3 days (1 day yet to go...) of professional development on Reading Apprenticeship (RA) and I would like to connect the two. Two things struck me as I went through the RA training. First, reading and writing are almost inseparable. A blog is a good way for a teacher to see what is going on inside a student’s head. Moreover, it is a good way for students to see what is going on inside their own heads (metacognition) as well as the heads of their peers. This ties in the four dimensions of RA (personal dimension, social dimension, cognitive dimension, and knowledge-building dimension). By reading blog posts, a teacher can set up scaffolding for the student to approach the text being studied or help the teacher to select texts that are at a more appropriate level for a particular student (personalized learning). A second thing that struck me was that the RA program is designed around paper and pencil technology. I guess this technology is the lowest common denominator in classrooms around the world so anyone can use it. However, I feel that RA could take a step forward and embrace Web 2.0 technologies in situations where schools have the resources otherwise students will lose interest as we are no longer participating in their digital world. Students should be able to download texts and do double entry or triple entry journal entries using blogs or reader applications.
Obviously, blogs are not a panacea. They do not work well with all strategies as they are primarily a reflective tool. They could probably be used in many cases but it would be like using a hammer to drive a screw. An example would be learning by using inductive or deductive methods in math or science. There needs to be some immediate feedback in those cases so that students are not practicing the wrong thing. A teacher needs to be able to circulate and question students individually without wading through lots of text that students might generate over a period of several days depending on their access to the internet.
I think that I could alter the use blogs to fit into Chemistry as a way of incorporating Collins Writing strategies (another district initiative - that is 3 things I’ve tied together!). Instead of having the students respond on paper for a Type 3 (paper draft) or Type 4 (peer feedback on a draft) they could use a blog. Students hate to write using cursive and frankly, their penmanship stinks. They hate rewriting drafts of things, like lab reports, longhand. By using a blog they could electronically transfer the results of the Type 4 assignment over to a word processor to create a Type 5 (publishable paper). I wouldn’t use blogs for a Type 1 (capturing questions, ideas, or reactions) because the turn around time is too long. I also would not use blogs for a Type 2 (quick quiz). Both of these are not meant to be shared with others as they expose a student’s weaknesses. Type 1 and Type 2 writings are meant for fluency and are timed. Capturing Type 1 and Type 2 writings in a blog would be counterproductive to the aim of being able to handwrite answers to constructed response questions on standardized tests.
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You've said some great things here. Good reflection. It sounds like you have discovered a great use of blogs in type 4 and 5 steps. I agree that student blogs would be good tools for scaffolding and confirming that they achieved the correct level of understanding.
ReplyDeleteWhile one might say that student blogging could be dangerous in that in could get out of control with negative behavior, I believe that it is the perfect teaching environment. Students need to be taught etiquette in this environment. Because it is seen as more casual than letter writing or document submissions, student and adult language tend to be more relaxed. From a reading and writing perspective, blogging in a school environment affords the teacher the opportunity to teach and guide students on how to communicate a position appropriately. It also begins to allow students to interact with one another on a different level, as a colleague with a valuable opinion, whether I agree or disagree.
Jeff: I really enjoyed your reflection on this topic. I feel that it will take some work to integrate blogs into our particular fields. It could reward both us and the students if they were integrated successfully.
ReplyDeleteCarla: I could not agree more that we should teach students proper etiquette in the online learning environment. I often feel that we are too politically correct in schools. Students are not taught how to deal with controversial issues. I created a film club at my school district, but we are not allowed to show movies rated higher than PG -13. Many of these students are exposed to vulgarity and violence at home whether it is from their home life or from the media take part in (video games, music, television, and films). School could be a place where these topics are discussed in a controlled environment where context is addressed.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteTwo things stuck out about your Blog. First, the title, "a Tangled Web..." it seems to me that districts and society are presenting (or pushing) depending on how you look at it, so many new technologies it is mind blowing. So many choices (or applications) for one task, which one do we use???? In your district it sounds like there is a lot going on with PD and all...my district is the same way. Sometimes I just wonder why we can't stick with one thing and just get really good at that? But diversifying is good too I guess :)
Second, what I admire is your ability to take what you are learning from these PD's and utilizing Web 2.0 technologies to make your life easier. For example, traditional writing assignments completed in a Blog and transferred can save time and give the teacher insight into what students are thinking along the way much easier and efficiently than traditional methods.
-Jeff V.