Educational blogs are commonly used by professors, teachers, parents, students, and the greater community as an alternative communication tool. While each person may have different reasons for using them, blogs provide an online experience for personal expression and exploration on multiple topics that matter most to people. Several of the websites I visited show multiple benefits of using blogs in education.
Blogs are a great resource for educators to communicate with parents, students, and the community at large. They can be used to post newsletters, assignments, online homework tools, announcements, upcoming events, or any other important information they wish to share. They are a great tool for educators because they can be written, edited, and updated from any computer with Internet access at any time of the day or night. Any information posted can also be easily accessed by student and parents.
Blogs are a useful tool for students to continue communication outside the classroom. Students may use blogs as a reflective journal where they share news, opinions, and personal posts. Teachers find blogs very useful because they give all students an opportunity to communicate equally. Students that are shy or timid in the classroom are more likely to express and explore ideas more freely in this type of environment. Most importantly, blogs enable students to connect with each other and engage in thoughtful conversation!
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While I have never been interested in following or participating in blogs, I did find some useful blogs that touch upon topics that interest me the most.
What Kindergarten Teachers Know
I really like this blog because it discusses topics that focus on what’s happening in the kindergarten classroom. Since I teach kindergarten, I am very interested in hearing what issues or topics others are discussing. Here are a few that are listed on the blog 1) Ask the teacher 2) Book recommendations 3) Communicating 4) Giving directions 5) Handling strong emotions 6) Handling transitions 7) Routines 8) School preparation
School Family
This is a website that provides fabulous articles (and blog posts) about any topic in education. Some interesting articles that I found are 1) Teacher's Tips: How Parents Can Help 2) What steps can I take at home to help my child do better in school? 3) 7 Things to Tell the Teacher, and so forth.
Elementary Education Blog
This is a great blog for elementary educators, principals, and specialists to gather and share ideas.
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3 comments:
Delia,
I like your ideas of posting newsletters on the blog to communicate with families. It's difficult at times to think of new ways to implement technology into a kindergarten classroom that is appropriate for them. At the same time teachers need to collaborate and talk about the different ways to bring in new technology knowing that these students will be immersed in technology as adults!
Jen Maxfield
You make an interesting point that some students will feel more comfortable using a blog as a way of participating. I hadn't thought of that but it's probably true. I have always struggled with how to make extremly shy students feel more comfortable; perhaps blogging is one way to accommodate that.
Hi Delia,
I really like your idea about a reflective journal where students share news, opinions, and personal posts. By having an active reflective journal, students are more inclined to participate at a higher level. This enhances the learning environment for all students as well as providing new information for teachers to expand on. I agree that communicate is the key and there are so many students that fall through the cracks and never have their voice heard in a face-to-face environment. Blogs are essential in building pro-communication skills. I could use a blog to keep in better contact with parents and also provide classroom information in a timely manner. Posting classroom information through a blog also allows easy access for all parents.
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