Eperiences with setting up and using blogs

Prior to this course, the only blogging I had done was a wikispace for a edtc 615.  I did not have difficulties setting up this blog. The instructions were clear, the steps were easy to follow and the blogspot is user friendly and easy to navigate. I have enjoyed using this web site to assist in collaborative learning with my students after setting up my classroom blog. Posting discussions on blogs is a good way of sharing your thoughts without being to informal yet less academic. To me it serves the purpose of self expressions and though sharing without expecting a grade.

I have been encouraging some of my colleagues to set up blogs; with the rationale that the students are constantly on social networking sites ; therefore blogging is an excellent way of letting them express themselves without thinking about grades but as a medium for sharing their thoughts and responses and questions to different themes, issues or topics.

Regards,
Shawnette

Peer Assisted Learning and Blogging

I would like to discuss my students' experience with peer assisted learning through blogging. I placed my students in groups of four to participate in conversation with each other as homework assignment. Their responsibilities included commenting and correcting each other's use of language, grammar and to give positive critique to ensure that their group had solid conversations. I have been reading their post and I am impressed how they have helped each other to make sure that their group gets maximum points.

I am not sure at this point if they are just excited about blogging or if they are really concerned about their peers as I just graded their posts today. I will continue with this excercise to see how they progress overtime.

I am hoping to have them plan their projects and give explanations to each other through blogging as to why they choose a particular theme or topic. This project will be a common core written assignment. I am planning to let them discuss. natural disasters in Spanish speaking countries and how do these occurrences affect the way of life of the people. The second part of their assignment is to argue whether or not they should be allowed to use blogs in the foreign language classrooms and why?
They will be encouraged to read information from this site;

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47

They will also be encouraged to research and post other sites for their classmates to visit.
Regards,
Shawnette

Pros and Cons of Blogging

Advantages and Disadvantages of blogs

In discussing the advantages of blogs I will share how my students respond to their class blog. My students have started their blogging. I have been reading their blogs and have realized that the freedom of speech that blogging offers has encouraged the students to express themselves more openly. Their critique of each other’s work is thought provoking and real. I have also realized that there is an innate connection with today’s student and the internet as they seem to be more comfortable in self expressions and information sharing when they are on the internet. The work I get from them is more imaginative and thorough.  Other advantages are that people who blog may use them as portfolios, diaries and also to make friends on line.

The students have been asking if they may post their responses to their homework on their blogs I have encouraged them to do so. This is allowing them to share their knowledge with other classmates and has also given them an opportunity to help correct each other’s work.

 Disadvantages.

Blogs are time consuming and one has to be committed to be able to respond regularly to comments or questions post on his or her blog by others. Additionally blogs should not be used to convey nonfiction material as these may be easily changed by anyone who joins a blog.

You may visit this web site to read more about the pros and cons of blogging; http://daparky.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-blogging/

Regards,

Shawnette

Class Portals and Electronic Story telling

I have encouraged my students to build their own web sites through google. On these website they have created different pages such as Projects, Blog conversation and and also a page for their electronic stories. The students are encouraged to use French to talk about themselves. They are allowed to view each other's web sites and make comments. The only thing is that the pages are not  collaborative so they cannot add to someone else's post. I have during this week encouraged them to create blogs for their homework conversation so that they may interact with each other on the same pages.
Presently they are working on their electronic stories.  They have done research on French speaking countries through a webquest and travel videos. They are now choosing  a French speaking country, imagining that they have spent some time there and using animation, pictures and other resources from the internet to formulate/create a story of their daily activities, how people live, and activities available for visitors.
The tool they are using is a project based learning software, Frames designed by Tech4Learning , http://www.tech4learning.com/ . This is an excellent website which offers Project based learning for teachers and student at all grade levels.
I am looking forward to see how their stories will be done.