[Yr7-10it] Blogging

Thu Aug 23 12:03:50 EST 2007

I've used Wikis as part of a knowledge sharing activity  - again, with
explicit requirements and clear outcomes, but not "in place of" using a
blog. I see the two tools as two very different mediums with different
purposes for the classroom. Blogs have the potential to be more reflective
(you an build in metacognitive work into a blog), where as a wiki is a
more open collaborative community of learning and has the potential to
grow in many directions. Both tools are effective to use, but with
potentially different outcomes. (I guess this factor reared its head in
ther ITA SAC earlier on this year).

Regardless of what you use, the intent needs to be clearly set out for the
kids, not just an add-on. If it is part of the assessment the kids are
more likely to take it seriously!

I'm all for the kids accessing their work at home, this can be achieved in
both a blogging and wiki environment.

:)

Margaret

On Thu, August 23, 2007 11:50 am, Nash, Peter N wrote:
> What about Wikispaces, it combines all the good things that blogs bring
> into the class room as well as collaborative work projects that can be
> edited by the group on-line and assessed by the teacher who is the
> moderator. Wikis I find more effective and I use them in all my subjects
> from year 7 to year 12. Another advantage is that the students can access
> and work on their projects at home on the internet.
>
> Read my article in the VITTA magazine (issue 2, 2007)
> http://www.vitta.org.au/pubs/infonet/view.php?id=293
>
>
> Try it !!!
>
>
> Regards
>
>
> Peter Nash
>
>
> IT Teacher
> Galvin Park Secondary College
> Shaws Road, Werribee, Vic. 3030
>
>
> Tel: (03) 9741 4911
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au
> [mailto:yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of
> margaret.lawson at konstantkaos.net Sent: Thursday, 23 August 2007 11:31 AM
> To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Yr7-10it] Blogging
>
>
> A few years back (in a previous school) we ran a pilot group with a Year
> 9
> English class where they used www.livejournal.com as the vehicle for
> doing book reviews. This blogging environment allowed the kids to create a
> blog entry on the books that they were reading and post it to the class
> site. They could also keep a private blog on the side if they wanted to.
>
>
> We found that it only really worked well if it was weaved into the
> assessment of the subject. We slowly worked the kids upto complex entries.
> For example: first entry was a simple 50 word reflection, then the next
> entry had to target something, then when they finished the book they had to
> compare and contrast their experience with another book review. By the end
> of the unit the kids were commenting on each others work and that
> "reflective" environment was very much in existance.
>
>
> Blogs work well if the kids are given time to do them in class. They
> tend not work as well if you leave it upto the kids to do it all for
> homework.
>
> In IT classes, the application could be similar. The equivalent of
> keeping a "learning journal" of the programming experience they are having
> in each class. For the ESL kids, they can create their blog entry in word
> and copy/paste over after they have checked their work.
>
> I found livejournal to be one of the better environments as I could a)
> create a community group for the class and b) restrict who could read that
> group (ie. it wasn't open to the world).
>
> Hope taht this helps
>
>
> Regards
>
>
> Margaret
>
>
> On Mon, August 20, 2007 3:25 pm, Russell Edwards wrote:
>
>>
>
>>
>> On 20/08/2007, at 3:03 PM, Kerrie A Hammond wrote:
>>
>>
>>>
>>> I keep hearing a lot about blogging yet have no idea how to use it
>>> in my classroom. I would be greatful if any list contributors, who
> are
>>> currently using blogging, could give me some hints on where to start.
>>>
>>
>> Hi Kerrie,
>>
>>
>>
>> I use blogs in two ways in my Year 9/10 classes
>>
>>
>>
>> 1) For each class, I make a "class blog", where each unit of work is
>> listed and full handouts placed for viewing or download
>>
>> 2) Each student makes their own blog. At the end of each unit of work
>> (typically 2 weeks long), they write a reflective entry on the work
>> they have done, where possible uploading the actual product or an
>> image/screenshot. This forms part of the VELS ICT for Communicating
>> assessment, and where the product is adequately displayed I will often
> do
>> the assessment of that (for the other dimensions) just by looking at
> their
>> blog. Also, some units of work give them some specific questions,
> which
>> they answer in a blog entry for assessment in either or both of the
> other
>> two ICT dimensions.  Their blog entries are also meant to include a
>> "trackback" link to the
>> corresponding entry of the class blog, however I have found that these
>> often inexplicably fail to work (on wordpress.com blogs).
>>
>> I think this has great potential, but as with everything else, it
>> often founders on the shoals of student disengagement...
>>
>> HTH
>>
>>
>>
>> Russell
>>
>>
>>
>>
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> Year 7 - 10 IT Mailing List kindly supported by
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