The incorporation of blogging within my classroom can take several forms, but the one I am most enthused about is what I will refer to as the pen pal approach.
First, though a little bit of background:
Within my district there is a predominant community of first and second-generation Chinese immigrants. In an effort to better understand my community of learners and their families I took several courses on Chinese History, culture, literature and art. I also traveled to China, once as a tourist an once as a teacher of sorts. As a result I was able to develop relationships with colleagues in China; we are collaborating on ways to incorporate peer communication and cooperation across the globe. As an eighth grade social studies teacher, it is my goal for my students to think in global not simply American terms and perspectives.
The pen pal approach, then, would incorporate blogging in an informal manner. Studts from both countries would weigh in on issues (cultural, societal, educational_ posed by instructors and eventually the students themselves. Dialogues would be opened and insight gained in an informal atmosphere. Students would be responsible for posting opinions as well as replying to each other.
Another utilization of blogs in my classroom would be to facilitate scaffolding for struggling or at risk students on research papers, essay writing, and long term projects (though the blog would be available for utilization by all students). Listing possible resources, graphics, topic brainstorms, and more would provide further support at home for students. The blog space would provide students with opportunities to ask guidance questions that could be answered by me, the instructor, or their peers. This would save class time and facilitate the creation of a close knit, supportive community of learners.The blog space in this instance would act as both a springboard and a lifeline.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteI think the pen pal approach is a wonderful idea in that students are involved in the global community and have real audience from around the world! I myself have been aiming / longing for this kind of online community.
So you already have coleagues in China who can cooperate with you. Now it would be great if you can count me in (I teach 10th graders English in Japan)! Then I bet the network expands to three countries. Actually I also have some colleagues in Camodia, so eventually it would extend it to four? Well, dream goes far beyond our imaginations if the human network is properly leveraged on...
If you truly aiming your classroom blog to be "global" rather than "international," I would recommend you extend the network of colleague teachers aroud the globe - not only between America and China.
I am very appreciative of you sharing this wonderful idea with us. It does open up bright future for K-12 classroom through technology. I hope this idea will come true soon.
Thank you and with best regards,
Yoshio Kamakura
Michael, you have definitely outlined an ambitious and global collaborative approach to blogging. This will truly be an experience your students will not forget. As I read through chapter 3 in our textbook this week, one of the statistics Mr. Richardson discussed was how the number of household connecting to the internet was at 62% and soon to be 70% by 2012. Would you say these statistics represent your population of students? Will most of your students blog entries be done at school or home? As you created this amazing connection with classes in China, I’m sure you are thinking of the students connecting beyond your classroom time. How are you planning and preparing your students for interactions beyond your class assignments?
ReplyDeleteWhen I connected with classes in Argentina, Thailand, and Hungary, one of the biggest barriers was language. I’m interested to hear how you are working through this aspect of your culture exchange through blogging. Maybe you could find some parents who are bilingual in Chinese and English who could assist you in this aspect.
As Dr. Thornburg suggested in his video, “The Third Wave,” creativity in our thinking of how to implement technology into the classroom very well could possibly be the next wave. As you brainstorm the creative side of peer communication, what do you see developing beyond your students blogging? Have you considered Skype, video conferencing, wikis, even a student exchange in the future. There is so much potential for your idea and a lot of opportunities ahead of you. I wish you the best of luck in this adventure.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Third Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.