I am participating in 8 Things so that I can get better at integrating technology into my classroom. It is interesting that you can allow students to interact with comments and participate in class so easily. I think it would enable relunctant learners an avenue of participating that is not so confrontational.
I am concerned about having technology available to use these ideas successfully in the classroom.
I believe that you will have to be careful about what you publish and make sure your students understand the ramifications of what they put on the internet.
I think it would be a great way for students to participate in discussions of issues and books. I think they would be more likely to participate and give their true insights into the matter.
I have not thought of a way to use this with math but am interested in reading others ideas.
You make some great points about how blogs can appeal to reluctant readers and can be an effective means of engaging students who are less likely to participate in class. Expressing themselves online just seems to appeal more to certain types of students, and the fact that it's for a real, live audience can really motivate them to put thought into what they write!
ReplyDeleteYou're right that it can be difficult to generate ideas on how to use blogs in the math class. One of my favorite examples is "A Difference" (http://adifference.blogspot.com/). This blog pertains more to professional development, but if you scroll down and look at the right side of the page, you'll find a list of "My Class Blogs," which contains links to blogs for various high school math classes. It's very interesting to see the way he engages students online!
Great start to the course! Thing 1 complete!
Thanks for sharing the math website with me. I was able to get some beginning ideas and learned a little more about what you can add to a blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found it beneficial! One of my favorite things about the Internet-there are lots of FREE examples of educational practices. :)
ReplyDelete