So, in my last post, I expressed some frustration. Another students suggested that I collect writing samples from students in the form of a blog---which, I had been thinking about doing anyway, especially since we have been doing the blogging here.
So--does anyone use blogs in their classes? How well does it work? Do you have any suggestions for sites to use? I've been looking at edublog.org. This is the same site my husband uses with his 12th grade AP students. If your students don't use it, have any of you been asked to use a blog in your college courses (obviously, besides this one)? How useful was it?
This brought me to my next thought--I have often sat in the library when a kid who is in my husband's class comes rushing in and starts typing furiously. "Blogs for your husband are due today! I totally forgot!" Or, I have been sitting there watching/listening to the kids who talk about what they wrote--most times they forgot and they would just do it because that is what their teacher asked them to do.
Do you think this would work with freshmen or do you think it is too much? Or maybe they aren't mature enough? Do you think it would be hard to monitor? How would you approach the idea of "mature writing"--and by that, I mean, being respectful and writing appropriately?
Just some thoughts.....any advice is welcome.
I have not used a blog in class before but I am going to try it with my GT. I used edmodo last year, which is kind of an "educational" facebook, and I am going to see if it can be used as a blog as well. I am going to try it because I can set up classes for just my students and nobody else can join it. I think that freshmen can handle it, but you have to teach them proper ways to use it in an educational setting. There will probably be some hiccups along the way, but they can probably be used as teachable moments for the class.
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