Blogs in the Classroom

If I think of using blogs in the classroom, I see several opportunities for applying different instructional strategies.  Inquiry based would work with the use of blogs.  Inquiry based could work in such a way that students are posting their initial thoughts and questions about a problem, then engaging in activities to investigate these.  In the end, students could again post to their blog responding to their previous post after completing the activities. 


The use of metaphors could also be an instructional strategy that could work with the use of blogs.  Whether it be a response to a teacher blog that uses metaphors or having students come up with metaphors to explain a given topic and using their blogs to post these, it seems that blogs could be a good way to collaborate to share many metaphors for an area of study.  


Blogs could be difficult to use with simulations.  However, it could be used in combination with a simulation used in the classroom.  Students could post their reactions to their blogs and then comment on one another.  They could also post a summary of their role and students could use this as a reminder of the different roles people played in the simulation.

I think many instructional strategies could be used with blogs, especially if the blogs are used for reflection and assessment.  Students could also respond to each other, which would create the potential for them to continue their learning.  

The quote about Web 2.0 from Time magazine is critical to considering how effective these technologies can be in the classroom.  "The new Web is a very different thing. It's a tool for bringing together the small contributions of millions of people and making them matter."  It reminds me of my first blog post and how I wondered whether blogs will be used for valuable purposes.  I do believe they provide the potential for giving students a voice.  Doing so has the potential to affect student learning because many young adolescents just want to be heard.  They want to feel like they have something valuable to contribute and they desire different ways to express these thoughts and feelings.  I wonder if blogs will provide a way for students to take ownership of their learning.