BP1_2009101_GettingStartedWithBlogger

Blogs can be a great educational tool that will help students prepare for the online world of the future. Students will need to know how to effectively communicate using online tools as they continue their education and enter into their career field. According to Zawilinski (May2009), schools need to prepare students for new ?literacies? by integrating them into the curriculum, and blogs are an easy way to begin. Blogs can be used to help students share their thoughts outside of the classroom and it also empowers students. According to Tyron (Winter2006), bloggers recognized that a wider audience would read their work and caused the bloggers to write to a larger audience and take their writing more seriously, since it would be critically be viewed by their peers. A blog expands the audience, but it can also expand the type of information being shared. Zawilinski (May2009) recommends using blogs for classroom news: to inform students and families of announcements, mirror blogs: to allow student reflection, showcasing: which allows teachers to show off student work, and literature response: allowing teachers to prompt students to provide a response to a specific topic.
The ability to share a variety of information with a larger audience also expands classroom time and learning. According to Colombo & Colombo (September2007) blogs expand instructional time by providing teachers with a user-friendly online format to reinforce strategies, introduce new topics and concepts, review important class points, review for tests, and provide enrichment. The goal of most teachers is to improve learning and encourage learning outside of the classroom instruction. Research done by Ramaswami (Nov. 2008) shows before blogging, 39 percent of the third-graders said they liked writing at school; after the project, that number rose to 67 percent (12 out of 18). I believe that once students are interested and motivated learning will follow.

Referenes

Colombo, M., & Colombo, P., (September, 2007). Blogging to improve instruction in
differentiated science classrooms. Phi Delta Kappan, 89(1), p60-63. Retrieved
October 4, 2009 from Academic Search Premier database.

Ramaswami, R., (Nov. 2008). The prose of blogging (and a few cons, too). T.H.E.
Journal, 35(11), 21-25. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from ERIC Database.

Sturgeon, J. (Feb2008). Five don?ts of classroom blogging. T.H.E. Journal, 35(2), 26-
30. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from Academic Search Premier Database.

Tryon,C. (Winter2006). Writing and citizenship: using blogs to teach first-year
composition. Pedagogy, 6(1), 128-132. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from
Academic Search Premier Database. ??

Zawalinski, L., (May2009). Hot blogging: a framework for blogging to promote
higher order thinking. Reading Teacher, 62(8) 650-661. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from Academic Search Premier.