Putting the Blog into action in the classroom

Today my purpose was to investigate how I would set up a blog for my classroom, insure I had a safe environment for student access and design some sort of activity for them to get started.  I discovered the blogging site for teachers called 21publish.com.  At this blogsite you can set up community pages for any type of group.  You designate who can access your website either by inviting them through email, or providing them with their own log in information.  If you allow the server to run advertising on your blog than you can set up a simple free blogsite for up to 100 community members with 2MB memory for each blogpage.  Your page runs in two layers...the first layer consists of the administrators (or teachers) page, posts, news, etc. that only the administrator can post new items on.  Members or students can comment on this page for all postings.  The second layer allows students to create their own individual blogs which can be useful for them to post their own interesting links, digital portfolios (post on these to follow), or submit projects.  Each person in my group should have received an invitation to join my community in the wou.edu email account.  If you did not receive this, please let me know!  If you are not in my group and would like to be a member please let me know and I will set you up so you can see the site.  At this point, it isn't fancy...many of the features are not available with the free membership.  But I have posted a link to an interactive math game which you can access and then comment back on.  This type of blogspot can be a useful tool in assessing student abilities.  It fosters a sense of community because no one student has any advantage over another and all students can participate in a non-intimidating environment.  Teachers can post homework, interactive games, extra credit activities, projects and can communicate with parents.  Use is restricted solely to the group.  Teachers can manage these type of pages easily as once the class has completed, the pages can be deleted in order to make room for your next class.  Postings can be archived to keep a record at hand of past activities. 

Blogging in Society

This weekend I spent some time looking around the internet to find out who's blogging and why?  My first thought when asked who blogs is the movie "Julia & Julia" where a girl named Julia who loves to cook, cooks her way through Julia Childs cookbook and blogs about it...a great movie!  I have a little better understanding now.  A blog serves as a home base hub where you can control the content and are in charge of the design.  Social networking sites like Facebook and twitter, are used to direct traffic to your blog, which you can use in a variety of ways...sell products or services.  But...I am still confused, isn't that a webpage?  So maybe blogs are less expensive, or in our case, free.  Hmmm. 
I could see the use for networking with people who share common interests.  You must have consistent, interesting material for posting, otherwise why would anyone be interested in reading it?  I happened upon one where a woman was going to diet for 365 days and try 12 different diets in an effort to lose 50 pounds.  I read several posts and it was really a personal journal of her dissappointment at not being able to stick with any of the diets.  She had been posting for months!  I did run across a good website on blogging, how to make money blogging, creating a business around blogging with lots of tips.
http://www.buildabetterblog.com/

Why Blog? Science students answer

Further Assessment...

Well, I still think to a certain extent, blogging has a familiar facebook ring to it.  But after a looking into it a bit more, it got me thinking about how I might use blogging as a tool in a Mathematics class that I will be teaching.  And I started to really see the value in it from this perspective.  I found a great blog maintained by a Math Instructor named Jamie Tubbs. 

http://futureofmath.misterteacher.com/classroom_blogs.html

Many students are to shy to speak up in class and utilizing a blog, as this teacher has done, has allowed through postings, a "one on one" feel for the students and teacher.  The teacher could post useful hints, fun websites, interactive games, and the students could ask questions without immediate peer pressure.  The teacher could gage where his class was regarding certain topics by their responses.   I really like the website and highly recommend it!

Blog Assessment

Hmmm...how to assess this?  I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the difference is between a blog, a social networking site, or a members only review posting site.  They all seem to have alot in common, in fact isn't the same basis used for each?  Okay, a blog is a site where you give out information and then people who are "following" you are allowed to comment.  Still sounds like facebook to me.  I like networking sites, there just seems to be so many of them.  How do you find the one that best suits you?  Keeping up with all of them seems impossible.  So...to answer this question I am going online to do alittle research and find out what the difference is.  More posting to follow :-)

Blogging for education

This post is a discussion regarding the role of blogging in the educational setting.  There is an abundance of reading out there at the click of the search button.  First and foremost...some of my own thoughts about it. 
We are a technology driven world.  Most of the younger generation (I am 46) are so much more technology savvy then I am, and I consider myself pretty capable on my computer.  Never the less, blogging is new thing for me... 
The internet has provided an avenue for people of all ages with communication disabilities or social phobias to participate in society without the anxiety of not being able to find the words, or make eye contact with the person they talk with or, in the case of blogging, participate in information exchange without the necessary construction of a conversation.  I have an autistic son that has a very difficult time having a conversation yet is brilliant at negotiating a computer.  For students like him, the internet has provided learning opportunities within a comfort zone. 
One particular article I found, which was contributed by Mollie Crie, an educator with Bedord County Schools in Forest, Virgina cited four basic functions of a blog:
1.  Classroom managment
2.  Collarboration
3.  Discussion
4.  Student Portfolios
For a student who would benefit from a more individualized learning platform, a blog could serve a multi-faceted purpose in the ability to organize information critical to a subject, and secure direction without having to participate in a face to face conversation, which, for students like my son, can be excruciatingly difficult.  The opportunity to access information on demand, also allows for any schedule the student might need to adhere to. 
This blog subject could take up several pages...but for me, in my immediate opinion, I will conclude this as something that opens opportunity for students that struggle with a standard, historical method of delivery inside of a classroom.

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my first blog.  Created for the purpose of exploring the use of blogging in education.  My name is Lisa Holley and I am a MAT student pursuing an endorsement to be a Mathematics teacher.  I live in Redmond, OR with my two awesome teenagers, my significant other Kirk and our 2 dogs, 2 cats, 5 horses and 15 chickens!  I love to utilize the internet for information, ideas, cooking recipes, horses for sale....and....I am a Chess Titans junkie.  :-)