The Usefulness of Blogs in Schools

As I read the article "The Joy of Blogging" from Educational Leadership, one thing became increasingly clear to me: blogs, when used safely and effectively, are a wonderful classroom tool for enhancing learning! The example blog posts from students and the responses that were included in this article proved how great an experience blogging can be for both students and teachers alike.

After reading "The Joy of Blogging," I checked out some of the example classroom blogs on the escrapbooking website. One particular blog, "A Duck with a Blog," caught my eye; the entries were written by a teacher at this particular school where Daisy, a mallard, decided to build her nest on their K-8 playground. Several of the blog postings included drawings that different grade levels had made on Kid Pix to formulate and answer questions about ducks, to make duck-oriented drawings, to show progress on ducks that they're hatching in their own classrooms, etc. The teacher posted updates quite frequently relaying the progress of duck hatching in the kindergarten classrooms and to inform readers of what Daisy was up to. The blog included several links to information about ducks as well as links to other blogs from their school. [I love this idea! Natural phenomenon, especially animals, are always intriguing for children. Using a blog to foster student learning about this particular subject and to teach children how to use new technologies is so cool! I wish I had a better descriptor to use, but all I can think of is "cool."]

The two NETS-T standards that would be met if I used a blog in my future classroom are:
1c. Teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
AND
2a. Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

Link to "A Duck with a Blog": http://duckdiaries.edublogs.org/