I've never attempted to keep a blog in my daily life; I've never been good at keeping any sort of written record of daily thoughts or happenings, so I can't imagine that putting it online would make me any more successful.
I have attempted to use blogs in my teaching, however. I teach English and Theatre at Andover High School and have played around with blogging as a way to allow more students to become involved with a classroom discussion. At all levels I've taught, there are quiet students who are reluctant to participate in discussions in front of the whole class. I've attempted to have students blog their responses to discussion questions or post their own discussion questions in order to encourage their participation. In a few cases, this type of online discussion before class has encouraged the reluctant participants to talk in class. Knowing that they've already had a chance to get their voices and thoughts out can help students feel like they have a more viable entry in to discussion. Additionally, I've found that some of my more talkative students will help the quieter ones by inviting their participation in discussion once they've had a chance to see some of their thoughts online.
Another positive feature of having students respond to and interact with their classmates on a blog is that it necessarily requires them to hone their skills at argumentation and persuasion. In verbal discussions, students who feel more comfortable in front of the class can rely on their body language or tone to make their points. Similarly, if they're having trouble coming up with a specific word or phrase, one of their classmates is there to help. In an online discussion, students have none of these helps to fall back on; their skills alone must help them to make their points effectively. Students must find their own ways to effectively make and support their points. An online audience is quick to point out flaws in support or gaps in an argument.
One of my personal struggles with digital literacy is having the time to implement it effectively in the classroom. While I harbor no illusions that I'll continually know more or be more savvy than my students, I do hope that I can stay with them as we explore digital writing together. I also want to make sure that I'm using the most helpful tool for each task we're trying to accomplish. I don't want my knowledge gaps making an assignment more difficult for my students.
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Ann,
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of having the students blog about a topic before discussing it in a large group setting. I think we all have those students who are reluctant to share their ideas...some because they are just too shy, but others because they can't seem to think on their feet. This would give both sets of students time to ponder what they will say before they have to say it.
I have been using a ning in my class to have them respond to discussion questions and then respond to each others posts. One of my students did ask why we didn't just talk about the questions. I told him that this way everyone would participate. Having a blog instead of a ning would allow them the time for reflection on their own but still that face-to-face interaction they seem to like.