It seems simple, yet it's not always the case-teachers who expect their students to be able to do something should do it themselves. I try to apply this to myself as much as possible, especially in terms of grammar, language use, work load, behavioral expectations, etc. It wasn't automatic for me to feel this way about blogging.
I see Richardson's point that blogging makes writing a daily part of our lives, and that it changes the way that we read and absorb information. In order to show students that it is important, and that there is a specific way to use it to meet our purposes, we must blog as well.
Richardson says that when "the first person responds to something you've written: that's when you'll truly start to understand the power of the Read/Write web." I can see how that will really change our perspective on the purpose and potential of publishing to the web.
I think that Richardson's advice to use our blogs first just to communicate information to our students is a manageable first step. It will get me used to posting information to a blog, but won't be overwhelming. I like the idea of then posting questions for students to respond to. That would be a nice way for students to get used to communicating through blogging. I also see the need for commenting back to students to create community and show that their thoughts are valued. I think this is the most realistic way for me to use blogging in my classroom at this point.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Chapter 2: Weblogs-Pedagogy and Practice
Up until taking this course, when I heard the term blog, I though I knew to what people were referring. My conception was a bit off. I thought of blogs more as personal journals, which, according to Richardson, don't even qualify as actual blogging. Needless to say, I learned a lot from this chapter about what blogs actually are, and how they can be used to enhance student learning.
One key aspect of blogging that I never acknowledged is the ability "to share resources and ideas with a Web audience that [is] willing to share back what they [think] about those ideas." I didn't really understand or value the conversational aspect of blogging. I love to enrich my own knowledge and understanding, especially on topics that I'm interested in, so the idea of learning more from others excites me. I can see how this could be a powerful motivator for students.
I also didn't know that a good blog is full of links. I did not understand the value of connecting thoughts and ideas in this way, and also validating what the blogger is saying through doing so. Blogging really is an interactive process, and I had never seen it that way.
Richardson says that "students are learning to read more critically, think about that reading more analytically, and write more clearly." In this way, blogging can profoundly impact student learning. For my eighth graders, I would expect an increase in the effort they put into producing what they know and understand. When other students, teachers, their parents, and really the whole world is viewing their work, I think that they will want to put their best work out there, something we don't always see from our students.
One key aspect of blogging that I never acknowledged is the ability "to share resources and ideas with a Web audience that [is] willing to share back what they [think] about those ideas." I didn't really understand or value the conversational aspect of blogging. I love to enrich my own knowledge and understanding, especially on topics that I'm interested in, so the idea of learning more from others excites me. I can see how this could be a powerful motivator for students.
I also didn't know that a good blog is full of links. I did not understand the value of connecting thoughts and ideas in this way, and also validating what the blogger is saying through doing so. Blogging really is an interactive process, and I had never seen it that way.
Richardson says that "students are learning to read more critically, think about that reading more analytically, and write more clearly." In this way, blogging can profoundly impact student learning. For my eighth graders, I would expect an increase in the effort they put into producing what they know and understand. When other students, teachers, their parents, and really the whole world is viewing their work, I think that they will want to put their best work out there, something we don't always see from our students.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Chapter 1: The Read/Write Web
As a young adult who has spent half of her life using the internet, I tend to take it for granted. Technology has been a huge part of my personal life, and has impacted my own learning, but I have yet to truly integrate it into my teaching. Will Richardson discusses how the read/write web has profoundly changed our lives. I completely agree, but I am part of "an educational system that is out of touch with the way students learn."
As Richardson points out, the vast majority of our students are extremely comfortable with technology. Many of them enjoy the opportunity to use new tools, and just play around and figure them out. In order to use them as part of our teaching, however, we must ourselves be comfortable with them. Many of the skills that are intuitive to a student of this technological generation must be learned by adults. I feel that until I am extremely comfortable with a tool, and feel able to answer any questions students might have in using it, I will have reservations about implementing the use of it in my classroom.
I know that teaching with technology sparks the interest of most students, but I wasn't aware that so many students feel that it is an extremely important part of education. I don't want to do my students a disservice by ignoring such valuable tools. I am also struck by Richardson's insight that "Giving students a chance to share their work with a global audience is an importat first step, but there is much more to it. It's the converstaions, the links, and the networks that grow from them afterward that really show us the profound implications for lifelong learning."
As Richardson points out, the vast majority of our students are extremely comfortable with technology. Many of them enjoy the opportunity to use new tools, and just play around and figure them out. In order to use them as part of our teaching, however, we must ourselves be comfortable with them. Many of the skills that are intuitive to a student of this technological generation must be learned by adults. I feel that until I am extremely comfortable with a tool, and feel able to answer any questions students might have in using it, I will have reservations about implementing the use of it in my classroom.
I know that teaching with technology sparks the interest of most students, but I wasn't aware that so many students feel that it is an extremely important part of education. I don't want to do my students a disservice by ignoring such valuable tools. I am also struck by Richardson's insight that "Giving students a chance to share their work with a global audience is an importat first step, but there is much more to it. It's the converstaions, the links, and the networks that grow from them afterward that really show us the profound implications for lifelong learning."
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