Blogs for the Classroom

In my last post, I discussed some possibilities for the use of a wiki in the classroom. After giving some thought to possible uses of blogs, I came up with the idea of implementing a student-run blog during my nutrition unit which lasts about 2 weeks. I would divide my classes (about 24-25 students per class) into groups of four. As the unit on "Nutrition for weight control" is the central them of the unit, I would assign each group(of 4-5 students) to create a blog, and take a "position" on the topic of which 'dietary strategy' is the best for weight control; "Low Carb", "Low Fat", or "Balanced Diet". Everyday, one group member is responsible for posting a 'thought' on their groups blog, and posting a comment on one of the other group's blog. This is manageable for me as a teacher, as I won't have to keep track of 150 blogs, instead i'd have to follow only about 20-24 total blogs, and I'd only be doing that for one two-week unit. Also each student wouldn't have to post everyday, but by the end of the unit, they'd have made 2 postings and 2 comments, which is doable for them too. I think the 'small group' format is the way to go......

Lesson Plans for Wikis

In our last class meeting we were assigned a Wiki Lesson Plan to devise. While we are just now working on our cohort wiki using all the concepts we have learned from the perevious semesters, I still find myself kind of reaching for a lesson idea that would use a wiki as the central format to display learning. I'm thinking more of a series of small group wikis, putting my students in groups of four to five and each group creating their own wiki based on a small concept. My feeling is the bigger you try & make something the 'first time around', the greater the likelihood of problems that as a teacher you will have to deal with, and the greater the liklihood that some kids will get 'lost' in the scope & size of the project. Any thoughts on this?

Wikis for Collaboration

In my earlier post, I introduced what I felt would be a good use of wikis in the classroom, and fater viewing some other blogs of the same topic( uses of wikis in the classroom), it seems that a book study is a common use for middle & high school students. Elemenatry teachers seem a little harder pressed to come up with ideas that are practical and doable for the age group they teach(especially grades k-3). Now at LCHS, we have a group of junior & senior student athletes that participate in a program called "Raider Readers". This groupof LCHS students spend one hour per week at Catoctin Elementary reading and sharing reading activities with various students at Catoctin, and this also presents a great way for a wiki to become part of what the high school students are doing. The high school students could set up a wiki and frame the main concepts of that week's reading in the wiki. The little ones could then log on a add the 'details' to supplement & complete the frame. The high schoolers would get great experience managing & editing the wiki, and the elementary students would get to share what they've learned with the high schoolers and each other. Just another of the endless possibilities......

Uses of Wikis in the Classroom

Tonight in our chort meeting we discussed the many possible uses of wikis for the classroom. In particular I liked the idea of a "book study". Most classes in public schools have a 'book' that either supplements or augments the textbook. If not, then there are many online 'books' and articles that can be easily accessed to this end. The wiki format seems to closely mimic that of the "sequential creations" that I participated in during the summer session. The key when implementing a wiki as part of a 'classroom activity' with students is to encourage very short snips of information in the begining(bulleted statements) and then progress to fully formed sentences. If you can really get this across to kids, then you'll be off to a good start......

Report Cards - Necessary Barometer or Obsolete Dinosoar?

Today was our system's 'report card day', and while most high school students already have an idea of what a lot of their grades are, its still a big deal for many to see them in black & white. This 'time honored tradition' of handing out papers with letters assigned by teachers that supposedly represent what students have learned is coming more and more under the gun to answer the question - Just how accurate is this 'letter' in reperesenting what a student has learned since the last "report card"?
The SOL tests were supposed to end the debate once and for all. The 'passing score' on SOL test is required in concert with a 'passing grade' to form a "verified credit". But the essential question still remains; how accurate is all/any of this in representing a true qualitative 'measure' of what a student has learned in their classes over the last 9 weeks? And the debate still ensues......

Today's Thought: Using blogs in Physical Education

While a lot is often discussed about blogs potential to support classes where "writing" is a large segement of how students display what they have learned. In physical education, blog would be more of a 'reflective tool' for students to share their learning experience from a class, or a video program, or even a sporting event they've attended. A great opportunity exists for 'out of class' expieriences to be shared by students, or for activities that students are already participating in (travel soccer teams, pony baseball, aau basketball) to become part of class discussions & lessons through their blog postings and comments........