Monday, September 1, 2014

Blog post 1: Teachers and Blogging

  As a teacher, the first use I would have for my blog as mentioned in Blogging in Language Learning would be to communicate with absent students. As a student teacher there was nothing  worse than hearing "Srta Talty, I wasn't here yesterday wha'do I do?". On our class blog, I would post all class notes, assignments and due dates, and pdfs of any worksheets. Students would be responsible for any work they missed and if they came back to class without it, it would be graded as a late or missing assignment since it was on the blog and easily obtainable (within reason, obviously. I would not expect a student fresh from the hospital to complete assignments). I would also communicate with them via the blog if they had any questions regarding the posted notes or assignments.
  Another way I would use a blog would be to create literature circles. Standard LOTE1 ML2 states that students should be able to use reading and writing skills to express personal opinions and feelings. Perfect! If we read a novel or short story as a class, we would discuss it (in Spanish, of course) using the blog. I would post some prompt questions on my page and let the students do the discussion from there. In class, we would then post the blog up on the smart board(a teacher to be can dream) and discuss some of the posts and comments.

7 comments:

  1. These are both excellent uses for blogging. However, in your post you still need to add links. See syllabus for details.

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  2. I like the idea of posting the class notes online as well. This makes the students more accountable for missed work. Instead of always relying on you to hand them their missed work the next day, you can simply remind them to check the class link online to view the missed notes. Students should have no excuse for not getting missed notes and materials. I would still have missed assignments, worksheets, etc available to students without internet access. Catching up on the notes should always be thestudent's job. They also have their friends to borrow from. That's a good idea!

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  3. I really like your idea of communicating with absent students too! Although to teachers, it's more like a way to prevent the students from having excuses for not doing their assignments, to students, it's a great help. As a student, I hated to miss any classes because I would have to learn the missing lesson by myself. I was only absent once in my life, and I was 7 back then. That one day absence made me realize how much I missed and had to catch up if I didn't go to school. After that, I would go to school even if I was having a serious fever. I would really appreciate it if my teachers could do something for the absent students like you said!

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  4. Hi Briana! Your idea of using blog to communicate with absent students is really great! I like it because I wont miss what the teacher taught in class, as a student personally. I think it's a really kind action for a teacher.
    I also like the clear format in your blog, and maybe you can add some pictures to make it more colorful! ^ ^

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  5. Bree,I like your idea of using the blog to get in touch with absent students. It is certainly effective and easier for the teacher to make sure that the whole class is following and at the same pace.

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  6. Hi Briana! I really like your idea of communicating with absent students. I wish there was a way to do that back when I was in high school. I would hate to miss a day and then be behind and stressed for the rest of the week. It always made being sick that much harder. I also like your idea about facilitating class discussions online. When students are able to talk in and outside of class, it promotes an atmosphere of a community. I think it's a great way for students to feel connected to one another. Thanks for sharing.
    -Brittany

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  7. Hi Briana. I really like your idea of pulling the blog up on the smartboard while discussing the assignment in class. I suppose this is a natural step (assuming you have as smartboard in your room), but I hadn't thought of it. I like using the smartboard for things like this because you can have a student be in charge of navigating through the posts while you circle the classroom and lead discussion. Students love using the smartboard and having a role like that in class. Also, projecting the blog in class makes a direct, visible connection between what the students are working on at home and what we're doing in class. Maybe you could ask some students to share their posts as part of a warm-up/do now that would then launch into the day's lesson/discussion.

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