But when I think of a specific lesson where I could use blogs and where blogging could enhance the learning experience, this lesson comes to mind.
Every year my team of ninth grade teachers do a interdisciplinary unit. It revolves around my content but it incorporates elements of other content areas. The unit is a "create your own country" unit. I have been doing this project for years and every year we tweak and to make it better. At the end of the school year the students in my World Geography class take all the major concepts that they have learned about countries, cultures, governments, and economics along with of course geography, and they apply this to making up a new country.
This project last around 6 weeks to complete. One way that I think I could use blogging to enhance this project is they could create a blog about their country. They would write about what life is like on their country. The could talk about the history and historical events on their island. They could make entries that would deal with the economic situation in their country, as if it were a news article. They could write entries about the government and current laws or issues that may be arising in their country. The students could incorporate all the elements of this project into one place, their blog.
I would be able to go to their blog and offer feedback. This could be pushed further with interdisciplinary but having students do various entries that would tie into what they have learned in English about writing in different styles, informative, persuasive and so on.
In the past I have given the students an opportunity to create a website about their island which many students have done but this would enhance their learning much more by asking them to apply these concepts and actually think what life would be like in their made up country.
The only issue I see is that I would need daily access to computers and as of now we have 6 mobile computer labs for a school of 2400. I'm not sure the librarians would allow me computers every day for a couple of weeks but who knows. I might be able to come up with so way to work it out and if I was able to, I feel as though it would take this project to the next level of learning.
Hi Layla,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your great idea. This project sounds very engaging for the students - I would love to make my own country.
I think the blog would help make the project even better. The students could really get into making up the news for their own country, and I think they would also like reading their peers' news stories. I am sure some of them would be hilarious.
It is too bad you have so few computers for so many students. An alternative, if there isn't too much writing, would be using their cell phones to post to a blog. I would guess that many of your students have smartphones. In that case, they could add smaller articles. Additionally, they could also use their phone to upload pictures of things around your city that they want in their country.
Thanks again,
Ben
One difficulty you might face is a lack of participation on your blogs. If students will not have regular access to computers in the classroom, I wonder if they would make the effort at home to get online and go to the blogs to make comments. I suppose you can assign it as homework, but I don't know if your students would respond to that. Alternatively, you could also give the parents the blog URL and they could keep tabs on what their child is doing.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Ben those are great idea. I really like the idea about them being about to use it from their phones. Almost all my students have a smart phone or iPod touch that can get them online. We are lucky to have wifi in the school so I give students the password all the time and get them to look up stuff on their own. I might could swing having computers in the classroom at least once a week. That way they could write on the blogs.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the idea of getting them to visit others students blogs. I really helps struggling students to gather ideas when they have something to look at as an example. The idea about giving the parents a part in this is a fantastic suggestion. The more parent involvement the better.
Thanks for sharing the great ideas.
Layla
Hi Layla,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an excellent activity with the exception of the computer shortage compared to student enrollment. This may be somewhat of a challenge. Have you considered writing a grant to partially or completely fund this activity? Seems like a worthy cause.
Layla,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea! Any time teachers and students can come together to create an amazing product such as this one is a great thing. I too agree that sometimes the lack of computer or Internet access may hinder students from participating as they should. You should provide class time in a computer lab or media center for students to work on the project, especially for those who do not have Internet access. This should give everyone a fair chance.