For Teachers...
- Blogs provide a convenient location to post all students' homework, extras on class topics (i.e. links to music clips, video clips, & anything that might interest students), post-class discussion topics, etc.
- Teachers can post a video or audio clip for students to check out before coming to class, thus allowing instant discussion without wasting precious class time viewing or listening to the piece.
- This opens up an excellent discussion forum where teachers can better assess their students' understanding of the material and concepts without the students feeling "tested."
- Communication with parents is quicker and more easily accessible.
For Parents...
- Parents have a direct link to the teacher and classroom. They can see assignments and what goes on in their children's classes.
- In addition, parents can see the discussions and idea development from all students, not just from their own child's perspective.
For Students...
- Students gain more technical literacy and proficiency.
- Blogs provide a format for their ideas without the strict academic writing structure of a formal essay. Students are able to spend more time formulating ideas and less time worrying about format.
- Time is set aside for discussion and reflection. In this format, all students' opinions matter.
- In addition, this type of discussion helps students learn from and teach each other, which brings a much deeper understanding of the material and allows different points of view. They can see the collective picture better and find correlations to other areas of life.
- Some students find this format an easier place to speak up than the face-to-face setting in the classroom. In addition, students are able to do this work at their convenience and in a place they are comfortable.
You've put much thought into addressing effective uses of blogging for parents, teachers and students. We'll actually develop some of your strategies into actual activities in the coming weeks.
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