Please respond to two of the three questions from below.
1. The author, Will Richardson, writes that, "blogging is a genre that engages students and adults in a process of thinking in words, not simply an accounting of the day’s events or feelings." Can you predict how this new genre will impact your classroom five years from now?
2. With everyone going "green", creating a classroom portal may be the beginning of a paperless existence for teachers. How might this be a positive or negative prospect for your classroom?
3. If reading starts the path to writing, then beginning bloggers may learn to read more critically, creating an upward spiral of proficiencies in both reading and writing. Describe how you would integrate one of the examples from the second chapter into your classroom instruction to accelerate the reading and writing process.
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7 comments:
#2. It's a little overwhelming for me to think about paperless schools but most work places are, so I'm sure it won't be long. I don't like the idea right now, just because I know that my students aren't ready for that. They need to learn to use their fine motor skills when writing and cutting etc. Maybe just more for reading.
#3. I would love to have my students get on a blog to find out information when they are doing their zoo animal reports in May. They would have access to lots of pictures and video. Parents could become a part of this at home also. Students could type in what they want to know.
#1. I don't see where students would do much blogging in the LMC curriculum. We could possibly set up a blog for students to report on books they like or recommend. Most of what we do in the LMC is research looking for information not creating the information.
#2. It sounds good, but I don't see how effective it would be. Children still need to learn pencil and paper things. I would find it very hard to read and correct everything on the computer. There may also be the problem of saving and storing data electronically. Some computers do not have all that much memory. Students need the interaction with printed material.
#3. I could possibly see students use a blog to write their research findings on a topic and others could read them and make comments or ask questions about the written research. Problem again is availability of time and equipment.
Maria has a point about not going paperless. So much of what elementary grades produce needs to be documented either for grading or to send home for parents to interact with.
Sandra mentioned the other day that we should look online to see if there are any good, safe sources for lower grades to look at for information. Maybe we could approach the school district to begin to create our own blog or wiki that would hold pictures and videos that we would use each year.
Sandra-maybe it would make the students research more meaningful if it were part of an on-going blog for future classes to add their own researched facts. The sixth graders could create one powerful site and they would have their names (first only)attached to it. Being able to make comments and ask questions might motivate others to do more relevant research. Hopefully we can resolve the issues of time and equipment down the road.
#2 I agree that students in lower grades- and upper--need practice with small motor skills and some could come from typing, but definitly we would be creating a different kind of (better) world if we used less paper. I also question how teachers would have enough time to check all responses, when I get on the computer--time flies.
#3 I would question if students in lower grades would benefit as much from blogging as writing. There is a strong relationship between writing and memory. We can use the blog as a way to communicate with families and share ideas for teaching.
1&2 Just imagine if each student had a blog-style portfolio that advanced with them through grade levels. I can't grasp the logistics of how it would be set up yet. But what if it began with pictures that documented their early learning accompanied by a dialogue between the child's parents and teacher? Richardson says "Blogging links with analysis and synthesis that articulate a deeper understanding or relationship to the content being linked and written with potential audience response in mind. (real blogging.)"p.32. Fine motor skills could be showcased at younger levels through the pictures. Then adults would blog the analysis/synthesis deeper understanding of the work. If 2 of the students best things...perhaps an artwork of course ;)and a writing sample were photographed, then the adults could blog maybe twice a year back and forth about those artifacts briefly. As the child became older, (3rd grade?) they could add their analysis of their pieces. Hmmm...it sounds like an interactive running record.
From all of our comments, we agree that children need hands on materials like good ol' pencil and paper. And no one would appreciate if I had our students painting on computer screens instead of paper. Also from a personal observation, children that spend much time on computers have different hands. Their fingers are thinner and not quite as developed. Has anyone else ever noticed that?
1. Can I predict? Yes, I can make assumptions? Technology is here to stay…good grief we have seven year olds with cell phones and ipods. I agree with Sandy that blogging may be a useful tool for sharing thoughts about books or something like that, but students are looking for information (researching) for a large part on topics in science or social studies. Maybe the blogging could be used for more of a reaction to what they do the research on?
2. I hate the idea of going totally paperless. There is still something to be said about physically holding paper in your hand. I think about when Ben was in Iraq, yes…emails are nice, but to be able to hold a letter, read, and reread means so much more. I could put it in my pocket, keep it in my purse, and take it with me wherever I wanted.
I also think about not having that physical evidence of my children’s to put on our refrigerator or putting it in a box to look at when they are seniors or even my age. If we take away writing completely something would definitely be lost.
Jessica-definitely a Ying/Yang appeal to a paperless classroom. Lower grades could still have paper and pencil activities that need to be sent home. Perhaps in the future each child would have access to a computer tablet (touch screen) and still do their drawing and other fine motor skill activities digitally. Worksheets that don’t have to be archived could be done on the digital tablet, like the one Crayola makes, and then sent to your computer for you to check that task off. They could be emailed to a parent for them to review and print if they wanted a copy. (If the parents were connected of course.)
It would be interesting to see if any lower grades use blogging in their schools, maybe it’s not relevant for that age group. Julie S. has some interesting ideas for wee ones.
Julie S.-Richardson’s idea of taking blogging to the synthesis level certainly would be the way to go. Getting feedback from a parent and then going over some sort of rubric together would add new depth to assessment. Including the child’s perspective could allow you to see growth in their own analysis.
It would be difficult to hang their work on the door of their refrigerator, although the new frigs have computer screens built-in the doors. I think we are still viewing technology through our eyes and perspectives rather than the users of tomorrow. Paper and pencil may seem pretty antique in the not-so-near future.
Nicole-you got me thinking about how young children are being introduced to technology. If, in the future, a child has a Blackberry in his or her hand and is doing research via the internet and at the same time is blogging the information to a friend, are they going to take the time to access books anymore? Will it be too slow and cumbersome? How many adults already rely on the internet for information rather than cracking a book open? We may have to let go of seeing learning through our perspectives and be ready for technologies that haven’t been invented yet, technologies that may eliminate the need for books.
I agree with you, having something tangible is more meaningful than the digital alternative. I also enjoy looking at things from the past. How can we help preserve today’s work for those who may not have any interest until it is lost forever? We need to start finding ways to replace those hard copy experiences rather than losing them altogether.
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