Kid Motivator
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
CLASSROOM BLOG
At first I didn't think I could use a classroom blog for 4th grade math. Then today's 2 hour delay came and I thought...if this would have turned into a snow day, I could have used the blog as an information board and told the students that their Friday test was going to be moved to Monday. I could of let everyone know that the Math 24 tournament had been cancelled. Then I thought about how I could use it to enhance lessons. I could post a daily extra credit "Problem of the Day", or post a discussion question on the current skill and ask the students to comment on how that skill is used in everyday life. This would enhance the lesson by making it more engaging, interactive, and fun. Also, students who are reluctant to speak up in class can now respond without intimidation. I could use the blog to remind students of things that need to be done ("get your parent to sign the study guide for 2 points extra credit") or what we will be doing ("Tomorrow is "spirit day" so don't forget to wear school colors"). Now that I have seen how easy it is to set up a blog, I would certainly utilize it for the classroom. The only draw back that I see is that blogs are blocked on our school computers, so any work would have to be done at home, and not all students have access to computers at home.
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All of your ideas would be great for your blog. Do you know if there are any blog sites you can use? I know that blogspot is blocked at my school, but I have found that Kidblog and Edmodo will work which are both fairly easy to use and do not require emails. They are also kid friendly for younger students.
ReplyDeleteDo you know whether or not a wiki is blocked as well as blogs? I am intrigued by the idea of setting up a classroom wiki. The students are the authors who then participate in community collaboration.
ReplyDeleteI think using a blog for your students and parents can and will serve as a great source of communication on projects, late assignments, extra credit, and delay/cancellation information. Jill made a good comment about certain blogs being open only at home or school, but if you were willing just to use this specific website, do you see yourself willing to update daily/nightly from home? Do you think your students and parents would see this useful and look at it daily if need be?
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