Yesterday, my class went on a field trip to the aquarium. When I sat down on the bus, a very nice parent started to make small talk, and asked how my grad classes were going. (Since I am a young teacher, the parents feel they are entitled to this kind of information). I responded, and briefly spoke about what my graduate degree was going to be (Leadership in Technology Integration). Much to my surprise, this particular parents got very excited. She asked what kinds of things I was learning about, and she just seemed amazed at the things that students could do. Her response was "So, these guys could actually write in a blog? That would be incredible!"
This comment got me thinking. I had the same question to Dr. Fritz on the first day of class. How would you use blogs and other sorts of technology in a primary classroom? At that point, I was determined to figure it out. That led me to do a little research on the internet (using good search techniques of course) to find out how other teachers are using blogs in their primary classrooms.
I found many examples of blogs. Many teachers use them primarily as a tool for parent/teacher communication.
One blog that I was particularly impressed was that of Mrs. Ross, a 2nd grade teacher from Jacksonville, Florida. This site has everything!! It has all kinds of homework help-pretty much anything a parent would need in order to help their child. It also gives very detailed updates pretty much everyday. I only wish that I could keep a blog this up-to-date!
I also found a really great article from the NY times. I only wish I had found it a few days earlier! The article had one section about a 2nd grade class that blogged their reflections from a field trip. That would have been the perfect way to transition from the trip back to the classroom! My students start every Monday off by writing in their journals. I would love to expand that into blogging. I could easily get each blog RSS'ed to my Google Reader and go through each entry pretty quickly, instead of flipping through each child's journal.
I also found a great podcast from the Apple Learning Exchange. This podcast was dedicated completely to teaching 2nd grade writing through blogs. I think the aspect that caught my attention the most from the podcast was idea that it motivated the students to write. They wanted to write more because they could see it in print. Presenter Paul Gates said that his students would come into the room and the first thing they would ask is if they could work on their writing blogs. It would be amazing to get that kind of response about writing!!
This podcast also spoke about the importance of getting administrative support, which is a big issue that I am stuck on at this point. All message boards and social networking sites are blocked through our schools filter. So now, not only do I have to figure out exactly how to incorporate all of this wonderful technology, but I have to tackle the administration for permission. Who said integrating technology would be easy!?!
2 comments:
Great resources, thank you for sharing! Check Amber's blog as well. She had a great primary resource posted.
Hi, I enjoyed reading your blog! As I was reading your thoughts and looking at your links, I kept coming back to your weekly journal... could you create one blog (your classroom blog, created by the students in your class - not a blog for each student, not your personal teacher blog/website, but a class blog)and each week, choose 1 to 3 students to blog instead of journal; then during free time, SSR, or at home, classmates (and parents) can log onto the blog to respond to the blogger(s) of the week. This might also encourage those pupils who are less interested in journaling? As your students and parents get used to using the blog, you could then broaden your use of it in the classroom and beyond, though I agree with what you had said about administration support; does your district have a technology committee; do you have a building representative on it? That is a good place to start.
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