I am not certain if this is the proper place to post my thoughts on how best to utilize blogs in my classroom. I currently teach 5 classes of senior government, psychology & economics. I also have 1 class of freshman U.S. and world history. I may use a blog in my classroom as a source for discussions that would be furthered in the classroom. I could simulate what is required of us: make a posting or so on a regular basis and require students to respond to others' posts and carry on discussion. I could also use a blog to get ideas from other teachers about various topics that could be incorporated with one another on a "team teach" basis. Another idea for classroom use could be to have them post various resource links or sites that could help enhance one another's project or assignment.
It could also be a place to submit assignments or maybe used as an alternate homework activity for my college prep classes. Using a blog definitely could enhance the lesson if used this way because it would require them to further learning on a particular subject. This would also allow them to work with one another in a less traditional environment and maybe even one that they are more comfortable with (via the internet). The key for any lesson is to enhance student learning and to maximize their potential. I believe that utilizing blogs in this realm would definitely accomplish both of these goals.
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Kevin, I like all those ideas! The first one about furthering a discussion would be a great way to utilize a blog in my opinion and as you teach high school, that would be something they should be able to do effectively. I think using them to allow the students to collaborate outside of the physical school walls would be useful as well. One question - I know we're beginning to learn about wikis and I wonder if that medium might be more well-suited for that type teamwork? I guess we will know the answer to that question by this time next week!
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