Title: Classroom Blogging: What is the Role in Science Learning?
Authors: Sawmiller, Alison
Source: Clearing House; 2010, Vol. 83 Issue 2, p44-48, 5p
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Summary:
The number of blogs worldwide is estimated at around 70 million, with 120,000 new blogs created every day (Sifry 2007). Educators may create them in order to connect with students’ interest in technology while making the learning extend beyond the classroom walls. This will increase the effectiveness of the whole process of learning and may make our students more curious about the world in which they live. Those who have been born during these times is referred to as a “digital native” and views technology as essential to learning, not a tool. The gap between their home and school experience is growing as far as the use of technology is concerned.
Technology’s role in the classroom can either be learning from technology or learning with technology. An increased pressure is put on the teacher to effectively utilize technology to aid in learning, not just for the sake of using technology. The use of technology allows the student more autonomy in the direction of the learning. There is now so much information available to students, that schools must realize this and implement it accordingly. Being able to effectively communicate what you are learning is paramount to today’s student. By blogging students are organizing their thoughts and writing about their experiences in the classroom.
Motivation to do one’s best is high with this mode of writing. As a student prepares for the blog, many factors come into play, one of which is the audience. When writing in the classroom, the audience is usually just the teacher. In a weblog the audience is the whole world. Student collaboration is high in a weblog and the differentiated instruction allows students to effectively aide one another’s progress. Those students who normally are quiet in the classroom can find their voice through the use of a blog. The actual implementation of weblogs needs to be considered carefully before beginning such a program.
Review:
Writing about a subject, even science, will increase the learning that takes place. It is through the critical process of analyzing our thoughts that real clarity comes to our minds about what we are learning. Science journals and lab reports written on paper are now being replaced with electronic media, like a weblog. The use of a weblog in the science classroom can aid in differentiated instruction, while making the connection between school work and a student’s interest in technology.
The author poses real reasons why the use of a weblog will be beneficial to learning in the classroom. My experience with online instruction at college has shown me that with a bit of help from tutorials I could learn just about anything for free. The interaction between students would be most effective in the classroom in person to establish the weblog. Once it is up and running, then interaction could take place more online. There are not any real examples of using science in this article, so it could be true of any subject.
In relation to the students doing a better job of organizing their thoughts before posting to the web, it may or may not be true. With the teacher’s guidance the students will be challenged to create better posts. This could be an aspect of the grade, that the teacher guides the student to increase the degree of verbal expressiveness, thus increasing writing skills. As far as the implementation of a weblog, there needs to be communication with parents, principal, and even other teachers to make sure it would have support. I agree the use of the Internet is increasing. It’s up to us as teachers to make sure we utilize it effectively.
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