Thursday, January 15, 2009
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I teach 5th - 8th grade Computer Literacy, Keyboarding, and Computer Applications. I think blogs are a good tool for instructional context if used properly. It can be very beneficial to students to be able to express their feelings about a particular subject without being criticized in the classroom for voicing their opinion.
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Do you think that students will be just as critical to responses written in a blog if they are critical in the classroom? Or would you allow students to post anonymously so that no one would be aware of who was blogging?
ReplyDeleteWhen students are blogging, they have to read what is written first, and not just say the first thing that pops into their heads like they would in a classroom setting. Blogging gives individuals time to pull thoughts together and actually "think before they talk." To answer your other question, depending on the subject matter, will determine whether or not I would have students to post anonymously.
ReplyDeleteMrs. H., have you ever had a bad experience from blogging with your students?
I apologize, but I may have worded my questions incorrectly. I was not referring to critical thinking skills, but more to the way I sometimes see students in my classroom treat one another. Some students seem to make negative, critical comments to one another in class, and I'm sure part of it is to receive attention from their classmates. I was wondering if you thought this might be an issue in blogging. My administration is requiring that I give the students online IDs so that only I know who makes each comment. They feel this will protect the students who are sometimes picked on in class. I stop this behavior when it occurs in the classroom, but we all know that it goes on in school. I am also required to read all comments before they are posted to be sure they are appropriate. After being warned several times of inappropriate comments, the administration wants me to remove that student from the blog. My class begins its first blog next week, and I'm hoping this will not be an issue. I want them to learn about proper online etiquette. I was just wondering if you had ever run into this issue with students.
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