Week 2: Reflection: Blogging? In MY class?

Assignment Part 1: Read, Read, Read!
Reflection on Articles

Blogging? It’s Elementary My Dear Watson & Panelists: Blogs are changing education, shed a new light on blogging in an elementary classroom. I have to admit I wasn’t sure how I would be able to incorporate blogging effectively into a fourth grade classroom. In fact, in one of my earlier posts I said that I would like to see how RSS and blogging fit into a fourth grade class model. This article gave me a lot of insight into what that model could potentially look like. I was able to read about and visit (using a few of the links provided on the webpage) class websites in action. Specifically, I was able to see how “Mr. Villasana's” fourth-graders at Sheppard Elementary use blogging as a tool to improve their writing. Though I wasn’t able to gain access into this particular fourth grade class blog, as it was password protected, I was able to read sample blogs on other links. Having students write for each other and respond to each other is a new approach to teaching writing then the usual complete your first draft, pass it in or peer edit, final copy, and bring home to share with a parent. My fourth grade students LOVE using the computer, any chance they get. I think by presenting writing in this way it will take away the “this is homework- let me just get through this” stigma. Also, it allows parents to see how/what their kids are writing as well as that compares to others in the classroom. We talk about students writing for an audience and purpose, what better audience than their peers. Another, aspect I was skeptical of was grading. How do you grade a blog? On this webpage it provides links to sample rubrics. I thought that was wonderful.
On the flip side, assigning an online writing assignment has potential drawbacks. One of which is parent approval, understanding, and support of blogging as a writing tool. Some parents are not computer/internet savvy and therefore are uncomfortable with their son/daughter using the internet. Not to mention, some students do not have computers and/or internet access at home and I only can bring them to our school lab every other week due to scheduling. Also, in order to get a class blog up and running I would think it would take a lot of work and some convincing on part of the parents that it is effective and useful. It would have to be presented to the parents, possibly at open house, and they would have to agree to let their son/daughter use this as a learning tool. Trying to gather my parents’ email addresses alone was a slight challenge this year. My last concern is student accountability and quality of writing. I read in Blogging? It’s Elementary My Dear Watson, that the students take more care when it comes to the quality of their writing with regard to content, spelling, and punctuation when blogging. Knowing my own students, my concern is will they all really take more care? Would they simply write as they speak, as they may on AIM? Will their lack of typing skills deter them from completing a writing assignment to the best of their ability because they become tired or frustrated? How can you be sure the work is being done by the student and not with a lot of parent help?
These were both extremely informative articles. Though I felt Blogging? It’s Elementary My Dear Watson provided a more realistic view of just what blogging look like for an elementary student. To be honest, I had no idea what role blogging would and could play in an elementary classroom.

Assignment Part 3: Education Blog of Choice. I chose Bit by Bit. Link to my blog below:
http://bobsprankle.com/bitbybit_wordpress/?p=792&cpage=1#comment-53231