Using Blogger in the Classroom

Distribution

I believe it is really important to not only achieve academic success with each and every one of our students but to also help them be successful in life. There are many hurdles that we all, including our students, have to jump throughout our lives; many situations that our students have to go through that can make them feel sad, discouraged, even hopeless like deaths in the family, problems at home maybe divorce, issues with bullies, and even more grave problems like hunger, and physical and mental abuse. This is a reality and I am a big believer that as educators, it is our responsibility to nurture the whole child in our students not only their academic needs. So, I would distribute in my blog words of encouragement, videos, and other posts that would make my students understand that not only I am their teacher but I also care about them and they have someone they can count on and confide in. I would want my students to feel a connection with me and I feel this is a great way to do this. I am thinking that this type of blog could be beneficial for older children/teens just because they are a bit more mature and they understand more complex issues in life, maybe beginning in about 5^th grade and above (for all my students no matter the subject). Of course younger children also go through these issues however I would reach out to them in a different way.

Discussion

This idea is for 7^th or 8^th grade English Language Arts, I really love the idea of my students having their own blogs for critical discussions on the various books we read through the year. I would want them to critically examine each chapter and have them also comment on a couple of their classmates, I really love the fact that they would be sharing their thoughts and feelings about the content with each other and with me of course. I think this is a great way for me to know if they are understanding and of course also reading the books.

Demonstration

5^th grade Mathematics – students in this grade need to be able to apply mathematics problems arising in everyday life, society and the workplace. I would use blogging to have my students post how they would use a certain mathematical process (one we just went over that day or week) in their lives. I would want them to think and demonstrate in the blog their mathematical understanding.