Uses of blogs in teaching/learning

            In my technology class, we are learning about how to effectively incorporate technology into the classroom. The first type of technology we looked at/talked about were blogs. After researching, I found two classroom blogs that I felt were very effective. They are: Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog (http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337) and Learning Is Messy – Blog (http://learningismessy.com/blog/)

            Both of these blogs are similar, but at the same time they are very different, which is why I like both of them. Mrs. Cassidy’s Classroom blog is geared around her first grade class. She uses the blog as a way to share what her students have been accomplishing in class, fun activities they may have done, etc. I also like the fact that she includes pictures, videos, and audio clips of her students so you can see them in action.  I feel this blog is a good way for parents and other readers to stay up to date on what the students are learning, as well as a place for teachers to get new ideas. I know I have gotten some good ideas from reading the blog.

            On the other hand, I also like the Learning is Messy blog because the teacher talked about how she incorporated blogs and other types of technology into her curriculum. She worked with the same students from fourth to sixth grade, and throughout that time, they used many types of technology to complete projects and assignments. In fourth grade, the students used blogs to share stories and then they eventually began blogging with other classes. The students learned about online safety, how to respond to posts, and to give meaningful comments/feedback instead of just the generic “I like your post.” Besides the use of blogs, the class also used Skype to connect with other classrooms, and they also used Flickr and created wikis.

            Both of the blogs are similar in the fact that they have the same types of themes: ways students are learning and general topics relating to education. The main audience in both blogs seems to be mostly teachers (prospective, new, or veteran), but also general readers. The blogger of both blogs seem to communicate effectively with the audience because there are many followers who read the posts and leave comments. The comments are always positive, and in several cases, the reader talks about how they want to try to incorporate ideas from the blog in their own classrooms. Reading these comments helped me to see that the ideas/activities that I liked and we are in fact good, and that I should definitely try to incorporate them into my future classroom, just like many other teachers are going to do.