Morning all!
Above all, I hope you enjoy looking at some of these simple ideas I have been doing with my students and blogs over the last couple of months and that they will encourage you to come back and experiment with some for yourself.
During the next hour or so I'm also going to ask you to comment on your thoughts and questions that crop up as we look at students' work. Do so by using this blog and the comment tool under this message...
Enjoy and welcome to bloglandia!
6 comments:
1. What’s the advantage or disadvantage of doing activities (most you could do in class, traditionally) on a blog?
2. Would this appeal to your sts? Who? Why)
3. How would you do activities differently?
4. What questions is blogging throwing up in your mind?
5. What other uses can you see for blogs as we go along?
6. How do you feel about making anything you write on a blog public – to other students and, potentially, the public in general
Interactive, conversational and realistic.
It would appeal to most as I think most students have internet at home.
It personalizes and involves students a little more than simply doing a writing task. Students seem to be more enthusiastic about this type of writing, although I am concerned as to whether they'll start using web talk as a substitution for real English. I haven't seen any yet. Oh yes. I just found BTW which I assume means by the way. Should we be promoting this language? Is it valid in terms of use in the English teaching environment?
4.&6. Slightly concerned about "children" exposing their names, pictures and details about their lives on-line. Could this be a dangerous thing to do?
I have, however seen someone who has posted some poetry and their favourite song lyrics. Nice idea!
Tony
During the session use these questions to help you write about your ideas on using blogs
1. What’s the advantage or disadvantage of doing activities (most you could do in class, traditionally) on a blog?
2. Would this appeal to your sts? Who? Why)
3. How would you do activities differently?
4. What questions is blogging throwing up in your mind?
5. What other uses can you see for blogs as we go along?
6. How do you feel about making anything you write on a blog public – to other students and, potentially, the public in general
1 . sts prefer to write on the computer than to do so on paper. The teacher can walk around and check what their writing without being nosy and without falling asleep on the teacher’s chair in the traditional classroom.
2 . It would appeal to any sts ( children / teenagers) as they love computers. However, some adults would find it daunting!!!
However, sts need to practise their handwriting!!!!!????
4 . You’ve got to keep an eye on what’s being written
otherwise, who knows what they can be coming up with.....
sts with bad handwriting will keep getting worse, because they also do almost no writing at school or at home or here!!
5 . for sts to write opinion paragraphs ( carol’s session)
6. it’s actually good because that way you know the sts will be careful what they write about and try to be as accurate as possible as their work will be seen, not only by their teacher but by anyone and they don’t like making fools of themselves, do they!!!!!
3 . I haven’t thought about it, but I think I’ll get some blogs for my sts!!!
During the session use these questions to help you write about your ideas on using blogs
1. What’s the advantage or disadvantage of doing activities (most you could do in class, traditionally) on a blog?
All can work in the same time and do not have to wait one for another. It is fun, because of the interactive and visual aspect of it. Everybody can read, no handwritings.
Like all projects it takes a bit of time to set up things, but I think the outcome is very good.
2. Would this appeal to your sts? Who? Why)
I think so, what do they do when they say, they do not have a computer?
As long as it is classwork, ok
3. How would you do activities differently?
I like the class things, where each student can have an overview of what he did in the school year and his parents too.
4. What questions is blogging throwing up in your mind?
5. What other uses can you see for blogs as we go along?
6. How do you feel about making anything you write on a blog public – to other students and, potentially, the public in general
Do not even care about, people I know can read, what I write, the general public, I do not know them
1 You get a dialogue where students can effectively speak at the same time, and also have time to think about their responses. Disadvantage: that it takes more time, but may be offset by the fact that they may do writing they wouldn’t otherwise do at all.
2 Yes, for motivational reasons.
3 Try to find some way to encourage more comments on the CONTENT rather than just presentation or vague comments about liking (or not!) the blog.
4
5 One student writes the first paragraph of a story and the others continue it.
6 No problem.
Steve,
Definitely would appeal to youngsters – I imagine they would be far more focussed doing the activities here than on class Also because when they write their comments they will actually write using the computer. People generally feel freer when writing on a computer. If it was in class, they might not.
I wonder how this could be used with company classes – whether they would find it motivating, what we could do on the blog.
It seems to me that keeping tabs on what the students do, to make comments on their work etc, could be very time-consuming.
The English produced by the Xa student I read was excellent. If blogging can encourage this kind of work, then I can see how valuable it could be.
Gay
During the session you these questions to help you write about your ideas on using blogs
1. What’s the advantage or disadvantage of doing activities (most you could do in class, traditionally) on a blog?
children are used to using computers and find it more enjoyable than doing traditional homework exercises. you can react immediately to their mistakes – disadvantages could be that it would dissuade weaker students from participating fully, if they felt that they were vulnerable to others criticisms.
2. Would this appeal to your sts? Who? Why)
Most students would enjoy this. as long as they were computer literate and of course had access to computers. What about the children who are not popular in class, this could highlight the divisions and exacerbate their isolation. on the Grade 4 section, one student had no comments from other students, how did this make them feel?
3. How would you do activities differently?
would have to investigate the possibilities further, and think how to adapt the activities. Avoiding pitfalls such as name calling whilst trying to encourage positive comments from their peers.
4. What questions is blogging throwing up in your mind?
WHY is it called blogging?
5. What other uses can you see for blogs as we go along?
ideas on brainstorming blog.
6. How do you feel about making anything you write on a blog public – to other students and, potentially, the public in general
a little bit dodgy from the point of view of children and protection from unwanted attention - if anyone can log on surely we have the same problem as chat rooms. i would prefer it if the only people who had access to the blogs were people within the school and legally how are we covered for this. The school is responsible for the children's welfare and exposing their personal details could have repercussions.
Vicky and Ursh
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