Educational Blogs- a reflection

I have found this assignment to be very worthwhile and eye opening.  In previous courses, I have been encouraged to incorporate many different technological activities into my classroom, but I have to say that before this project, I hadn't really thought much of creating my own blog project.  However, after doing a bit of research, I have found this to be such a valuable way for me to keep in contact with my students, as well as for my students to improve their own writing ability in the target language.  It adds an authentic element to the communication, so they feel like they are using their Spanish is a real world setting, not in some canned situation or environment.  I love watching them feel more and more comfortable communicating in the language, and believe that this back and forth exchange with their classmates will make them feel more at ease.  It will also help them get a deeper understanding of the cultural themes that are presented in class, and allow them to get the perspectives of others.  This is so important in preparation for the Advanced Placement exam.  Another important skill that the will need on the AP is the ability to defend their position on a given topic.  One section of the test requires a persuasive essay that is written based on a highlighted theme.  Blogging provides them with back and forth communication to help them practice presenting their opinions, identifying arguments, refuting them, and further supporting their own ideas.  I love the thought of lively class discussions happening outside of the classroom!  It takes the limits off of so much that we couldn't do in the past. 

I am also really intrigued with the idea of allowing my students to reach out and communicate with others from around the world.  Technology shrinks our world, and my students are eager to meet their peers who have different cultural and life experiences than their own.  My main concern here would be safety, so I would need to really create a plan to make sure that my students, their parents, and my administration were aware of the project and ways to assist the students in protecting themselves from cyber risks.  If these procedures are in place, though, I am very encouraged that everyone will be on board with the new incorporation of technology.  Well, except for possibly my students who will fear more homework!

I am including a few a links to blogs of other World Language teachers that I find to be very beneficial.  They include activities for the students, ideas for teachers, and ways to locate additional resources.  I do not know where they find all of the time to update these, but it is my goal to one day be able to share with fellow colleagues and students like this. 

The Creative Language Class
Oh my goodness- there is nothing better than this site of ideas for beginning level foreign language.  I am convinced that these teachers don't have time to sleep!  They are always updating with new tips, tricks, and instructional ideas. 

Teaching a World Language
This site isn't updated as regularly as others, but offers great ideas, especially for lower level students.

My Journey to Become a Better Spanish Teacher
Honest thoughts and ideas from a teacher working towards her Masters Degree as well.  She includes lots of activities for all aspects of language learning.

My journey as I wander through the world of languages
This blog is chock full of so much information from inside and outside of the classroom.  You could get lost in all of the activities.  I visit it often and never get tired of it!

Blogging with students- distance learning

I write this as I sit at home on yet another cancelled day of school this year due to inclement weather.  It leads me to think about the many advantages of technology as a way to remain in contact with my students, even when I am not able to physically see them.  This year, we have missed a total of eight full days, as well as multiple hours, due to closings and delays for snow and ice.  At the beginning of the year, we were all excited about snow days.  Now, as the winter moves on, even my students are beginning to grow weary of the break in routine so frequently.  Finding ways to deliver instruction to them, even when I don't get to see them, and even when absences are not planned, has been my main focus as the winter weeks have dragged on.  Blogging seems like a great solution to deal with this problem.  If students are accustomed to visiting a blog on a daily basis, even when we are closed, they will still be able to contact me and see any announcements that I need to make.  For example, this teacher does a nice job keeping the students on task even regardless of the weather.  Students might not love they idea of working on their "day off" but I know that many of my upper level students, especially those studying for the AP exam, appreciate the ability to keep moving forward.  They will be able to continue classroom discussions and extend their learning.  It will also help them to communicate in Spanish, in spite of the fact that they are not actually together with their classmates. 

Next year, we are also making a major change at my school, switching from a seven period day schedule to an A/B day 90 minute schedule.  This new block scheduling will impact me greatly, because it will reduce the time and frequency that my students are able to hear and speak the foreign language.  Because I will only see them every other day, it will mean that they are not getting the daily instruction that I believe is critical for advancing proficiency in the language.  I have been worried for weeks about how I will address this issue, but am now seeing that blogging seems like a perfect solution!  Students will be able to post, read, and respond, even if they are not on a "class" day.  It will keep them engaged in Spanish as often as possible, something that is needed to advance in a foreign language.  This site lists some benefits and concerns from teachers concerning block scheduling (FLTEACH FAQ Block Scheduling)  Blogging will help reduce some of the concerns.  Clearly it will not fix everything, but it will help my students and I stay connected despite the changes that are taking place.

While blogging is not perfect, and does require a great deal of teacher planning, monitoring, and additional instruction, the benefits are great.  It is definitely something that I am preparing to include in my classroom in years to come.  It is fascinating how much has changed in the past decade that I have been teaching.  However, it is impossible to move backwards.  We have to keep moving forward and embrace the new ways that have appeared to reach our students!

Getting started- beginning to use blogs with students

Now that I feel that I'm coming to better understand the features on Blogger, I think it's time to explore the options available to help me get started using blogs with my students.  It was fairly easy for me to get started myself, and I am sure that my students will catch on just as quickly, however it's very important for me to have a clear plan, expectations, and way for assessing work.  Without proper preparation, a great idea can quickly collapse and I wouldn't want my students to miss out of the great value in this activity.  To help me plan, I searched for available web resources to support my instruction. 

Blogging in Your Classroom: A Guide to Getting Started

This site gives a great description of the basics of blogs, their use in education, and how to get started.  It appears to be geared more towards an audience of teachers in lower levels, but I think would be great for anyone wanting to begin a new task with blogging.  It gives great ideas about setting up a class blog and sites that can be used to help facilitate that, such as KidBlog.  A class site would be a great way to create an exchange of ideas, allowing my students to stay up to date on class news, themes, and activities, while at the same time using the target language.  We have a program at my school where we can post assignments for students to see, but it is not as interactive as a blog and therefore, in my opinion, not as timely and effective.  Also, some of my classes contain 30+ students, so blogging will give them all a chance to participate, even when they all don't have time to participate individually as much as I would like in class.

I especially like the tips about clear regulations for commenting and keeping parents in the loop with blog activities.  Both very important points to being successful.  Getting parents on board can really benefit the project as a whole. 

Blogging Resources for Classroom Teachers

This is another great resource for getting started blogging in the classroom.  This contains a great list of resources for the educator who is just starting to blog.  My personal favorite link is 14 Steps to Meaningful Student Blogging  It provides a step by step guide to help teachers feel comfortable getting started.  I enjoy the idea of teaching students how to blog by "paper blogging" first, and then moving to using the technology.  These are great ideas to get started!  I'm looking forward to beginning some of the steps and sharing them with my fellow department members.  I'm excited about the idea of blogging become a part of our successful foreign language program!

Blogging- a beginner's point of view

Blogging, for me, has always seemed to be an easy way to communicate with those around me to share my ideas and interact with others. Setting up my new blog has so far been a very easy experience. Blogger.com appears to be a very straight forward program, and though starting out I have tried to keep things very basic, I am sure that I will continue to modify and improve as time goes on. I'm looking forward to the practice working with this application so that I feel more comfortable introducing it to my students later on. I am currently set to begin maternity in the middle of May and would love to have a blog set up by then to stay in contact with my students and give them an opportunity to keep me up to date with how they are performing and working in my absence. I think this will give me a great chance to have a presence in the classroom without actually being present on a daily basis in the building!

In developing my first entry, I searched for available internet resources to provide me with ways that others are incorporating this technology into their world language classrooms. I found two sites that gave me some great inspiration.

http://journal.jaltcall.org/articles/1_1_Pinkman.pdf

A great journal article detailing the strengths of using blogs and giving student learners more responsibility and independence in the classroom. One of my main focuses this year has been working towards releasing some of my control during instruction and requiring students to take on a more active role in the class. Blogging is a very effective way of handing this responsibility over to them, while encouraging them to take ownership of their use of the language. Blogging requires students to communicate with other another and forces them to express themselves in the target language. Practice brings proficiency and keep students excited about learning!

http://mmeduckworth.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-to-use-social-media-in-foreign.html

Great tips from a Canadian French teacher currently integrating social media in a variety of formats into her language classroom. An excellent introduction to providing students with the chance to develop new technology and language skills!

Both provide ways that language teachers can begin to plan for applying the development of a blog into their instruction.  They've lead me to a lot of reflection about ways that I, too, can bring together a plan for my students.  What are the best ways to provide students with valuable opportunities in the classroom?  Leave your comments below and I hope to explore more as this project moves forward.