After finishing my readings, I have discovered that blogs in the classroom and the media center has a variety of uses, including connecting students and teachers to each other, connecting classroom to classroom, connecting students globally, and giving students an outlet for their voices.
I think blogs are not only useful for students but can be just as useful for the media specialist and the classroom teacher. Teachers need outlets and need to connect with the wider community as well and this is certainly a means to do just that. Justin Ashworth comments, "when you publish a blog post..its almost a guarantee that your writing and ideas will impact someone with a vested interest in education (Ashworth, 2007, p. 64).
Blogs can be especially useful in combining literacy instruction and technology. The TalkBack Project is one such example of this. Not only did students get to connect to one another - they connected with another generation and different kinds of learners in exciting ways. I thought it was interesting how engaged students were with the blogs and noted when a problem arose, "by taking away our access to the TalkBack Project blog, you have taken away my voice" (Witte, 2007, p.95). Research has demonstrating that new technologies like blogging has dramatic effects on instruction, especially literacy instruction. For example, Leu and Kinzer (2000) found that "the convergence of literacy instruction with Internet technologies is fundamentally reshaping the nature of literacy instruction as teachers seek to prepare children for the future they deserve" (Witte, 2007, 93).
Another topic I found interesting during my readings was learning about how students, through their expanded knowledge about blogging and other technologies, are teaching the teachers in some regards. Teachers need to get updated and need to be comfortable as sometimes digital immigrants teaching digital natives. (Castek, Zawilinski, Barton, Nierlich, 2008, 506).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I noticed that also, the teacher in the article found it uncomfortable to invite the students to instruct the other students with technology. It may not be what was planned, but as she states, “We believe it is worth the risk.”
I too would be sure to take the risk in order to increase learning and engagement. Giving students a sense of belonging helps them to enjoy teaching and learning.
However, as teachers and media specialists, we still need to be up to date with the technology.
I agree that teachers need outlets and blogging about experiences and thoughts may just help another individual going through a similar experience.
I hope some way can be found to harness convergence of literacy instruction and Internet technology to improving reading comprehension in urban schools. In the SLMAM September 2008 Issue that we received in the mail in the other course, the Keeping Current column has an article that quotes a 2002 study that found that as many as 70% of 8th graders in urban middle schools had a reading comprehension below grade level.
Another finding was that 71% of the respondents were getting the reading materials from the school media center as compared to 53% from public libraries and classrooms.
I thought physical access was a factor here and it will also be a consideration whether the benefits of convergence of literacy instuction and technology impact the urban schools. For without computer access at home the opportunities for blogging would remain restricted to what is available in the school media centers.
I understand where you coming from.:-) I have two boys and I am a new Media Specialist, it is hard to have time to do anything else.
I enjoyed your article and look forward in working with you.
Post a Comment