Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Week #2: Things 3 and 4 -- Blog Thoughts

What fun!! I found the avatar creation fun, but overwhelming at first! I understand now why my students love to create their own avatars -- they can be someone different every day and show their moods and wants!

I am now officially a blogger. Initially I was opposed to blogging as I felt it could lead students down a path of exposure (there are always the predators lurking out there). I think that blogging with students at school should have guidelines attached to it. First off, the students will need to be told that the blog is public, must contain only items related to the purpose of the blog (science class, history class, etc.), must always contain appropriate content (keep it clean), and students will need to know that this is the format in which they will be graded -- it is just a new kind of paper and pencil method. Also, teachers and librarians who use blogging with their students should inform parents of this learning venue and acquire signed permission for students to participate.

1 comment:

Katie said...

Yes, I think with the cautions taken and restrictions put in place that blogging is only going to increase everyone's writing skills. I agree that students need to be aware that the "world" will be able to read their work, thus the quality needs to be top notch. A thorough discussion at the beginning is a necessity and constant monitoring as well.

What potential fun!