This is post number one for my new blog for class. So, I have blogged for classes before and I always give up on them after the class is over. I set up a blog for my seventh graders on EduBlogs a few weeks ago, but things have been a little spotty. Each student has made at least one post and commented on other students' post, but it is not something we use regularly. I'm not really sure how to make it a regular part of our class I guess. I don't want to blog for the sake of blogging, but I do feel that if I can figure out how to use this tool in a productive way, it can be very useful and helpful for my students. So... my first blog post is a cry for help about how (and why) to use a blog!!!
P.S. I was inspired by the quote in the syllabus, "I believe that effective teachers of writing regularly write themselves." I'm going to keep this in mind in terms of blogging and... hopefully... I won't give up on this blog after this class is over :)
3 comments:
I, too, teach seventh grade. I'm thinking that blogging can serve a way to get to know them- for one. I teach between 85-120 students each year and it takes me a LONG time to get to know anything personal about any of them. When I used to teach elementary school this was "wicked" easy and a way to make sure I made that personal connection that would help me make educational breakthroughs throughout the year. I can think of other benefits/purposes as well. My problem comes in how to maintain the "control" that my administrators demand of me.
Sometimes we just need an excuse to write! Good luck!
We'll keep talking about this in class, but a few immediate thoughts...one is it just takes time and sticking to it to get traction (Keep the Faith, or Keep on Truckin'!). One question is whether it's an open or a closed environment. If it's open (or at least not entirely closed) then I think there's the chance to layer on other audiences (parents, another class) that help to keep the energy level up. It may even be possible to partner with a teacher in another school. Of course, this is easier said than done. I guess the main thing is just to establish top-of-mind awareness and keep thinking about whether the writing we are planning to do (have done) can be moved online.
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