Comments on: Teacher Think-aloud on Student Blogging (a Fresh Start) http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/ More education. Less schooliness. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:53:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: On the Uses and Abuses of Laptops in Education | Beyond School http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/comment-page-1/#comment-3965 On the Uses and Abuses of Laptops in Education | Beyond School Wed, 28 May 2008 19:22:38 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/?p=152#comment-3965 [...] Teacher Think-aloud on Student Blogging (a Fresh Start) [...] [...] Teacher Think-aloud on Student Blogging (a Fresh Start) [...]

]]> By: C. Watson http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/comment-page-1/#comment-129 C. Watson Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:54:00 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/?p=152#comment-129 My if-I-ran-a-school thought is that I'd like to see each student (and teacher) with one blog that does everything. You mentioned Terapad, maybe that's it. And we all use a common metatagging language to organize. Cross-curricular connections, new relationships, fewer walls. My if-I-ran-a-school thought is that I’d like to see each student (and teacher) with one blog that does everything. You mentioned Terapad, maybe that’s it. And we all use a common metatagging language to organize. Cross-curricular connections, new relationships, fewer walls.

]]> By: linzel http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/comment-page-1/#comment-127 linzel Wed, 07 Mar 2007 06:27:00 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/?p=152#comment-127 You are right Clay I don't response enough to your site :) So here it is!<br/><br/>Its a fact that the danger of overloading already exists and is handled poorly. The evidence supporting the necessity of homework is scarce to begin and now Web2.0 threatens to increase the load. <br/><br/>To suggest a solution to 'How do we deal with this?' would be, as suggested by Barbara is the cross-curricular approach. When I read your post I could not help but feel the union of topics becoming more possible. Are there ways to tease out the curriculum of more than one course with one blog? Why not. Its all in how we package the assignment isn't it? Just spewing from the top of my head -- what were the social implications of Francis Bacon, Galileo, Copernicus, Newton on thier ages? How were they and did they effect their generations? <br/><br/>The question seems to be developing into - what do we want our students to know, and how do we design our lessons effectively to get them [to want] to know it? <br/>At [To] what point is it acceptable to allow our students to decide what is important for them to learn? <br/>Where is this all headed? <br/>BTW - Watching Idiocracy [hard to admit that] made me think about this to some extent.<br/>James You are right Clay I don’t response enough to your site :) So here it is!

Its a fact that the danger of overloading already exists and is handled poorly. The evidence supporting the necessity of homework is scarce to begin and now Web2.0 threatens to increase the load.

To suggest a solution to ‘How do we deal with this?’ would be, as suggested by Barbara is the cross-curricular approach. When I read your post I could not help but feel the union of topics becoming more possible. Are there ways to tease out the curriculum of more than one course with one blog? Why not. Its all in how we package the assignment isn’t it? Just spewing from the top of my head — what were the social implications of Francis Bacon, Galileo, Copernicus, Newton on thier ages? How were they and did they effect their generations?

The question seems to be developing into - what do we want our students to know, and how do we design our lessons effectively to get them [to want] to know it?
At [To] what point is it acceptable to allow our students to decide what is important for them to learn?
Where is this all headed?
BTW - Watching Idiocracy [hard to admit that] made me think about this to some extent.
James

]]> By: Kim Cofino http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/comment-page-1/#comment-126 Kim Cofino Wed, 07 Mar 2007 05:21:00 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/?p=152#comment-126 We're doing one blog for multiple classes here. All of the middle school students have one blog, with all the courses as categories, so both teachers and students can easily find the posts they're looking for. It's working quite well so far.<br/><br/>I would love for my students to see these blogs as online portfolios. My problem is that we have to censor so much of what gets put online for "safety reasons" that I don't think their blogs could ever truly be an online portfolio. <br/><br/>Unfortunately this leads to making a separate portfolio in IT class (where they learn about web design and use Dreamweaver) that can be posted on the school website behind a password.<br/><br/>I'm not 100% happy with this situation though. It seems to me that they should learn how to handle difficult "safety issues" in school so they are prepared to deal with them once they are outside of the classroom.... I'm not getting too far in convincing anyone though :( We’re doing one blog for multiple classes here. All of the middle school students have one blog, with all the courses as categories, so both teachers and students can easily find the posts they’re looking for. It’s working quite well so far.

I would love for my students to see these blogs as online portfolios. My problem is that we have to censor so much of what gets put online for “safety reasons” that I don’t think their blogs could ever truly be an online portfolio.

Unfortunately this leads to making a separate portfolio in IT class (where they learn about web design and use Dreamweaver) that can be posted on the school website behind a password.

I’m not 100% happy with this situation though. It seems to me that they should learn how to handle difficult “safety issues” in school so they are prepared to deal with them once they are outside of the classroom…. I’m not getting too far in convincing anyone though :(

]]> By: Clay Burell http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/comment-page-1/#comment-125 Clay Burell Wed, 07 Mar 2007 04:46:00 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/?p=152#comment-125 Jeff, this all points to a way to make students see their blogs differently, too, doesn't it? More as a mirror (and a CV?) than as a homework notebook.<br/><br/>Hm. That needs emphasizing when the blogs are first "given" to the students. If they really understand that from the beginning....<br/><br/>Would be an interesting experiment, comparing blogging attitudes and blogs from a group without the "growth record" concept with another group who had the blogs framed in that way. Jeff, this all points to a way to make students see their blogs differently, too, doesn’t it? More as a mirror (and a CV?) than as a homework notebook.

Hm. That needs emphasizing when the blogs are first “given” to the students. If they really understand that from the beginning….

Would be an interesting experiment, comparing blogging attitudes and blogs from a group without the “growth record” concept with another group who had the blogs framed in that way.

]]> By: Clay Burell http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/comment-page-1/#comment-124 Clay Burell Wed, 07 Mar 2007 04:42:00 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/?p=152#comment-124 Thanks for the feedback, folks. It will support the idea if any locals oppose it.<br/><br/>It's funny, Barbara, I was thinking the same thing after posting this. The whole interdisciplinary world (in other words, the real world) on one blog might mitigate against the violence our "factory" schools do to holistic thinking. <br/><br/>C. Thanks for the feedback, folks. It will support the idea if any locals oppose it.

It’s funny, Barbara, I was thinking the same thing after posting this. The whole interdisciplinary world (in other words, the real world) on one blog might mitigate against the violence our “factory” schools do to holistic thinking.

C.

]]> By: Barbara http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/comment-page-1/#comment-123 Barbara Wed, 07 Mar 2007 02:21:00 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/?p=152#comment-123 Clay- Good to "hear" your thoughts. I think you 100% right!. As an administrator I faced the exact same problem earlier this year and realized that it had to be one blog per student. The other upside of all of this is that it can promote cross-curricular assignments. Students can explore ideas more deeply, make connections in their learning and blog work can be part of more than one class assessment. We have not done this well yet but we do see the potential.<br/><br/>I am also interested in how you use Moodle. We are just getting started. Clay- Good to “hear” your thoughts. I think you 100% right!. As an administrator I faced the exact same problem earlier this year and realized that it had to be one blog per student. The other upside of all of this is that it can promote cross-curricular assignments. Students can explore ideas more deeply, make connections in their learning and blog work can be part of more than one class assessment. We have not done this well yet but we do see the potential.

I am also interested in how you use Moodle. We are just getting started.

]]> By: Jeff http://beyond-school.org/2007/03/06/teacher-think-aloud-on-student-blogging-a-fresh-start/comment-page-1/#comment-122 Jeff Tue, 06 Mar 2007 21:52:00 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/?p=152#comment-122 I've been there--I had each of my sophomores set up his/her own blog in the beginning of the year. They're all in the same history classes with the same history teacher, so we established from the start that they'd use their blogs for both classes. One student, one blog, two classes. Solved.<br/><br/>Now, the fun will come next year when these guys move on to new classes with new teachers--I imagine that the kids'll be coming back to me to beg me to tell their new teachers not to make them set up new blogs. And I'll do that--I love the idea of the students having blogs as records of their personal academic growth across the disciplines. And I can't think of a single argument against it. I’ve been there–I had each of my sophomores set up his/her own blog in the beginning of the year. They’re all in the same history classes with the same history teacher, so we established from the start that they’d use their blogs for both classes. One student, one blog, two classes. Solved.

Now, the fun will come next year when these guys move on to new classes with new teachers–I imagine that the kids’ll be coming back to me to beg me to tell their new teachers not to make them set up new blogs. And I’ll do that–I love the idea of the students having blogs as records of their personal academic growth across the disciplines. And I can’t think of a single argument against it.

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