CHAPTER 3: Weblogs: Get Started!
I feel Keri has done a good job introducing us to blogger.com, therefore I found this chapter to be mostly a review about what I already know. However, the author did provide some additional resources that I may decide to check out and investigate further. I do think that the author has a definite point in this chapter....in order to utilize blogs in the classroom and expect students to use them, one must be adept at blogging themselves. Actually creating a blog or two of my own has helped me to wrap my head around this whole idea. I believe it was Confucius that said...."I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." I plan on implementing blogs into my teaching pedagogy in small stages. In the Fall of 2012, I plan on putting my blog address on all my course syllabi. I will also post my course syllabi to my blog. In addition, I will start off by posting assignments and homework on the blog. As of right now, I am not too sure how I am going to incorporate student interaction/authorship on the blog.
At this time I disagree with the author's comment that giving each student a weblog basically means a paperless classroom. I think that it will greatly reduce the amount of paper used, but I simply cannot see it has a paperless classroom until each students has a digital tablet of some sort (i.e. iPad, etc.) that is accessible to them at all times (with an otterbox case might I add!) Check out the following blog that argues for the extinction of textbooks and other paper-type educational tools: http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ My school currently has an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) committee that was specifically formed to re-examine the existing policy. It has been suggested that the no cellphone use ban be lifted. The thought is that students with smart phones can use these gadgets as an educational tool. I myself am an iPhone person and plan on checking out the BlogPress app suggested by the author.
I agree, I too need to start slow although I favor the Wikis over the blogs but each does have a purpose and each may have a use in my classroom. The main reason I took this class is that next fall our school is starting a 1 to 1 initiative with each student being issued an iPad. Although I think it will reduce the amount of paper it will take years before we are fully paperless if that ever happens. I do know also that students will need otterbox or other bullet proof case as the glass on mine cracked within 48 hours of it being issued to me. (it wasn't a big impact either more a small tap which did not leave any apparent damage followed by about six hours of constant use. I think it was the heat that did it.) Our school has made adjustments to AUP so phones have restricted use and I know several of my colleagues are using them as part of there instruction. It is definitively a new technology world. To help with the paperless theory I'm looking for an app for a hall pass.
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