Are You Water-Blogged Yet?
So many thoughts have been crowding my brain (and I don't have a lot of space in there) since school started one week ago. Everyone is blogging--here, there, and everywhere. Will students start to tire of this process now that so many teachers are using it? I'm hoping to start blogging with my junior honor students in about a week if I can get into the computer lab, and I want to make the process meaningful. I've been reading numerous student blogs, and several of them are so carelessly delivered--are the kids sick and tired of posting on-line? I don't know.
I also talked to Anne today about the value of writing papers by hand. If we train kids to live in a paperless society, does that mean no one will ever write thank-you notes again, and no one will send love letters scented with perfume and filled with rose petals? Will students have trouble writing their AP English exams because they no longer use pencil and paper?
Despite my misgivings, I am determined to try blogging with my classes. In fact, I loved the Chaucer Blogging site you emailed to us, Karl; and I'm thinking of doing something similar with my Shakespeare class. It would be fun to see students adopt The Bard's persona and share thoughts from his point of view. I just need the courage to begin the process.
I also talked to Anne today about the value of writing papers by hand. If we train kids to live in a paperless society, does that mean no one will ever write thank-you notes again, and no one will send love letters scented with perfume and filled with rose petals? Will students have trouble writing their AP English exams because they no longer use pencil and paper?
Despite my misgivings, I am determined to try blogging with my classes. In fact, I loved the Chaucer Blogging site you emailed to us, Karl; and I'm thinking of doing something similar with my Shakespeare class. It would be fun to see students adopt The Bard's persona and share thoughts from his point of view. I just need the courage to begin the process.
posted by mferrill at 3:29 PM
4 Comments:
Those are all good questions (well, I was never too fond of thank you notes). Much as Karen posted on her blog, I think we need to examine what our goals are for a particular assignment, what the purpose is - and whether blogging helps us meet those goals. Blogging is not the answer to everything, but when used appropriately I think it can be an amazing tool. But we shouldn't be doing it just to do it.
I also think it depends on the standards you set - and the feedback you give - what kind of quality you get from student blog posts. To me, blogging is still primarily about the best parts of writing. Reading or discussing something, reflecting on it, and composing your own ideas on the topic. (Or, more succinctly: Read. Think. Write. Repeat.)If kids were "sick and tired" of writing, would we stop doing that? If they wrote something poorly on paper, would we say "Oh, they must be tired of writing, let's stop?" Or would we give them constructive feedback and expect them to improve their writing - and their thinking?
As far as the A.P. English exams, I think a better question is: "Why in the world are the A.P. Exams still done with paper and pencil?"
I liked the Chaucer site as well and I think your Shakespeare idea is one you should pursue.
I share some of your misgivings, though I think it will still be a long while before technology makes obsolete such "high touch" activities as thank you notes. I do wonder, though, if formalizing on line writing makes kids feel as if "the system" has usurped something that has been their generation's playground.
Take the plunge Marlys! Also, know that I am still struggling with this decision about composing and creating a paperless English classroom. But isn't it about time that we meet the kids at their level and in their medium (technology) versus them always coming down to our level (stone tablet)?! He, he
Hi, I'm Molly. I tend to browse the teacher blogs when I get bored, so you may see me around a bit. I'm in your first hour too. But anyways, getting to the point, I don't think you have to worry too much about the students getting bored with the blogging. It's still pretty new to most classes and it's much more practical for us to use the blogs. Most students I know like the blogs. We get to continue class discussions and get feedback on our ideas in without taking a whole class hour to discuss. Kakos and Ackerman had their honors classes blog last year and it was very successful.
As for the paper vs. typed issue, I will admit, we like typing things. Most people my age can type at about 80 words or more per minute, which writing can not hold a candle to. It's useful to be able to record your thoughts as quickly as they come. And personally, my hand writing is artrocious enough to quickly deem any hand-written paper a lost cause. Especially when every paper we ever turn in has to be typed, hand-writing things has become inefficient.
Post a Comment
<< Home