Some Real Blogging Ideas

An ongoing problem for me throughout my coursework in getting my master’s has been to find concrete examples of using specific forms of technology in my MATH classroom.  I understand using technology will enhance learning if I use the tools meaningfully and I get that I can apply many methods to my classroom.  But is there really a benefit (in some cases) to using technology over traditional methods?  I think blogging is pretty neat and I would love to use it in my classroom but I wanted to see some evidence of how it is benefits students with specific topics.  So I went on a hunt.  I found some great examples.  A math teacher named Laurel Janewicz in particular created one that I really enjoyed.  She developed an assignment called Telling a Story With Data.  She describes the success of the students and how they meet many of the math standards as well as literacy and media standards.  She sums up what the students are capable of by completing the assignment and says one thing in particular that resonates with me to give me the push I need to use blogging in my classroom.  She simply says that she “makes thinking visible”.  I like this point of view.  If you are a math teacher, check out the assignment.  I might give it a try.

concrete examples of using specific forms of technology in my MATH classroom.

Finally when looking for math specific examples I came across a website that gave examples of real classroom blogs.   This list gives many links to blogging examples.  The good thing is that it is listed by subject and type of blog.  This is a great resource.  I know I am going to refer back to it every now and then. 

Sources

The Edublogger. (2014). Check out class blogs. Retrieved from 

          http://www.theedublogger.com/check-out-these-class-blogs/.

Tolisano, S. (2014). Telling a story with data. Retrieved from       

          http://langwitches.org/blog/2014/05/26/telling-a-story-with-data/.

Image retrieved from http://langwitches.org/blog/2014/05/31/and-you-thought-it-could-not-be-done-             blogging-in-math/.

The pros of blogging in the classroom definitely outweigh the cons.  Let’s face it kids today are not exactly nice to each other and bullying occurs everywhere we go.  The Internet is a place where bullying is growing and students become unknowing victims at times.  It is imperative for our students to feel secure in exploring content and find the confidence to respond to real world problems and make conjectures.  I believe blogging allows students to participate in ways that they would not otherwise do within the classroom.  I also believe that this controlled method takes away the ability for students to snicker at one another or put forth judgment on a specific response.  Instead they are expected to critique each other in a more nonjudgmental way.  Setting up blogs in the classroom will allow students to practice the communication skills needed to deal with bullying or just interact with others appropriately.  Students will be less likely to post inappropriate comments knowing that there is a record of their every move.  A reflection on blogging presented by the University of Edinburgh states that reluctant students are more likely to post comments and even challenge those who are more vocal than they are in a face-to-face setting.  Blogging just gives more subdue students another medium to join and share in discussions. 

Sources:

Teach Thought. (2013). 6 Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/social-media/6-pros-cons-social-media-classroom/

Cyberbullying Prevention in the Classroom. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/blog/cyberbullying-prevention-classroom.

Engaging learners in critical reflection. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningpedagogy/engaginglearners.doc.

My First Blog

For my first blog, this seems to be a pretty good experience so far. Setting up this blog was straight forward and simple to do. Blogger is definitely user friendly. With this being said, I definitely have a lot more to learn.  There are so many features that I know will make my blog worthwhile in the classroom. "Playing" with the tools and apps throughout this assignment will be valuable. I believe that using blogs within my classroom will take the mindset that I am learning as well as my students. Putting myself in their shoes will allow me to create meaningful blogging opportunities for everyone                       image:  http://www.planetwebsolution.com/blog/ 
and hopefully meet individual needs in the mean time.

I chose the image above to represent how I feel about blogging. It is another means of communication. I want to use blogging within my classroom as a way for my students to have a voice. Each conversation cloud reminds me of how important discussions are in math and how communication in solving problems is important. I definitely think that blogging can create a way for students to construction arguments in solving a problem and critique each other's work, thoughts and opinions.  

Throughout the course of this assignment, I would like to find more ways to incorporate blogging in my math classroom. It is not as easy in math to begin discussions that lead to multiple answers or ideas. However, blogging will give students a good idea of how to discuss math effectively.