Monday, 28 March 2011

Falling head-first into the world of blogs.

One month ago I never would have thought I would ever have a blog. Not because of any particular dislike of them, but just a misinformed view of who writes blogs! However having read some of my classmates blog beginnings, I am certainly starting to understand their potential in education. Story of my life since I began teaching; I am experiencing serious sensations of disequilibrium, accommodation and assimilation in my technology scheme!

Web 2.0 and Social Constructivism
Being a keen supporter of the constructivist approach to teaching and learning, I am loving the simplicity in which web 2.0 and social constructivism gel and complement one another. Social constructivism emphasises social context in development, and we now have web 2.0, an amazing tool that allows quick and easy collaborative connections with the entire world, so of course the two go hand in hand!I believe web 2.0 has the potential to allow social contructivist education to reach it's full potential. Children now have access to all of their peers, whether they sit in the desk next door or on the other side of the planet, allowing for cross-cultural collaborative thinking like never before.

Blogs and Education
At first I was a little limited in what I perceived as uses for blogs in education, but the more I search the more I find. As journals, they have amazing potential for reflection given skilled guidance from a teacher, and I am beginning to see that they are the diary of today. I love the idea of using a blog as a tool for news communications between a class and the wider school community (e.g. http://www.ogps.wa.edu.au/ accessed 28/3/11) or as a way of recording a learning journey for a class or individual (e.g. http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees/ accessed 28/3/11). One I thought of myself (!), is what a great task keeping a blog would be for a student who is away for part of term; a child can post holiday stories and photos, and the class can enviously read about the adventures. What an exciting medium to get children reading and writing!

So there you have it, the first post of many, in my sure to be tech-savvy teaching career.
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4 comments:

  1. Madison28 March 2011 at 22:23

    Good looking blog Lis!

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  2. Rosh Logan30 March 2011 at 01:48

    I have to say Liz, love the background layout of your blog!

    It’s true what you say about blogs being the 'diaries of today'. It’s amazing that it’s no longer just used to pen down your personal thoughts and feelings but it has widened its purposes to now encompassing projects that are not limited to even primary students.

    Having said that, it’s crucial for us as pre-service teachers to be aware and skilled in these new web tools in order to plan and execute such lessons for the kids. So, thank you, Mark!

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  3. Elisabeth1 April 2011 at 02:20

    I have to say, I spent a bit of time choosing a pretty background!

    I think that a blog is even more effective than a written diary in education, as children (or adults for that matter), have put a lot more thought into what they are writing because of the audience, which may encourage more reflection.

    And I too am grateful for the introduction to these tools! So far I am finding this unit is teaching me things I never would have found out on my own.

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  4. Mark Pegrum4 April 2011 at 03:39

    I really like your idea of using a blog with a child who's away for part of a term. I haven't actually seen this done before but it makes perfect sense.

    All of the research literature suggests that when we write for a wider audience (say, a group of class peers rather than just the one teacher) we put far more effort into the writing. Blogs can therefore be a great motivator for children as well as helping them begin to develop a public voice online.

    Btw, I'm glad you're all enjoying discovering some new teaching tools!!

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