Blogging Use for the Classroom

In reading the Research Report this week, I'm expanding on my idea to use blogging as a learning log/journal.  One of the great guidelines that it gave was to have students write about 5-10 minutes a day and discuss what they learned that day.  Great idea! PA is moving to a new assessment policy for teachers where data is the main drive to their ultimate classification as a teacher.  Using a blog/learning log is a great way to provide data for the learning that is occurring inside of a classroom setting. 

I have always been very interested in using blogging as a classroom tool for discussion as well.  The chart that is included in the same reading shows that blogging can foster discussion more than discussion boards or chats.  It is a great way for students that are not comfortable sharing their mind and views in front of an entire class to still be involved in a discussion of their thoughts.

I struggle with the idea of teaching with blogs (at least at the high school level).  Where I teach, we have students from many different socioeconomic statuses.  Therefore, it is very difficult to ensure that each student has access to computers and the Internet on a daily basis.  In our school, teachers the give online assignments to be completed often need to give long-lasting deadlines in order to make sure that all students have the opportunity to complete the assignment.  By the time the deadline for the first set of "blog learning" is completed, the teacher will already be on to the next topic (if not more).

Generational Divide

The quote that stood out to me the most from Reeves' article "Do Generational Differences Matter in Instructional Design?" was:

 

Using a much more rigorous approach to generational research than other generational researchers, Twenge (2006) presents convincing evidence that most of today’s American young people (which she labels Generation Me or GenMe) have been raised to think that they will be highly successful, even stars, although the reality is that they will find it harder than ever to get into and afford the best colleges, find a high-paying, personally-rewarding job, and buy a decent home.

 

As a high school teacher, I see the effect of this in the classroom.  It is hard to set the stage for students that are use to having this mindset.  I have students that come into class, don't work, and expect to pass the class.  It is the last week or two that they start to work and think that they should pass because of it.   However, I think that impacts more than just instructional design; I think it effects what is done to try and motivate the students to work hard for their own achievement.  Intrinsic motivation seems to lack because they receive extrinsic motivation no matter what they accomplish.

Don't get me wrong, I think that there is a time and a place for telling kids that they can be anything that they want.  I want my kids one day to aim for the stars and not feel like they are limited in the deal that life dealt to them.  However, there is a way to promote goals and achievement of those goals without giving students an unrealistic view of the world that is sometimes presented today.

Delusions of Digital Nativism

So now that I have read McKenzie's article ("Digital Nativism Digital Delusions and Digital Deprivation") I do see some flaws in Prensky's ideas of Digital Nativism.  McKenzie brings up lots of good arguments about the credibility of some of the information that is included in his research.

However, looking at education as a whole and students as a whole, I still feel that the root idea behind Prensky's article is correct.  Over the years, education has changed.  We do not teach in the same manner today as we did in the 1800's.  Part of that is because of technology and part of that is because we know and understand more about how the brain works and what our students respond to.  Education today is much different than when I was in school.  But don't get me wrong, I don't think that everything in a classroom should switch to fully technology based.  If that happens we are in definite danger of raising a generation that doesn't have interpersonal skills (and sometimes I feel that we are on that path already).  But with all the stimulation that students can receive outside of school, their life inside of school should be reflective of at least some of that.  If it isn't, how are we as educators preparing our students for life in the "real world" where they need to know how to find credible information, maintain safe relationships, complete work in an ethical manner, and manage their time?  Without providing a school experience where they can begin to develop those skills through the use of technology in an active manner, we aren't doing our full job as a teacher.

Digital Natives and their Music

I need to say that Prensky's "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" article is one the I support whole-heartedly!  And I think that the point of the article is one of the things that we as educators need to remember.  Our students' brains are programmed differently and we as teachers need to adjust accordingly.  That often causes teachers to cringe (those that are digital immigrants) however what is being asked is not to change the content, just the way that it is presented.

While working on assignments in class this past year, my students often asked if they could listen to music on their phones or ipods while working.  At first I was hesitant to allow it.  What if they started texting?  What if they were playing games?  What if it only made them even more off-task?  I decided to try it one day and the results were amazing.  With only a few guidlines (just as it needs to be on your desk 100% of the time and if there was any question that they were using it for something other than music it would go away - no questions asked) my students worked better than when the technology remainded in their bags.  That was the first time that I truely felt that I was smacked in the face with the fact that their brains are different.

I consider myself pretty tech savvy however when it comes to having to focus on something, the TV is turned off, music is turned off, Facebook is turned off, and people talking around me, no way!  However for my high school students, it is the exact opposite.  Because they have grown up in a setting where they are constantly exposed to various forms of media, it can tend to create the background noise environment that their brains are built around.  Within the required time, the sheet was finished and their answers were correct.  Needless to say the next time they asked, I was more than willing to allow them to provide the background that they needed to stay focused on the task at hand!

Welcome and Introduction

Hi and welcome!  This is my first time that I have interacted with a blog, so I am excited to see its capabilities and how it can be incorporated into the classroom setting!  You can refer to my "About Me" tab to find out more about my background, if you so desire.  At this point in time, I don't really know the direction that I want my blog to take.  I am thinking that I might want it to be an area to gather resources that can be used within the Social Studies content (specifically American History and American Government) which are the two areas that I teach.  But I'm still playing it by ear and figuring out what exactly the direction will be.  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check in again over the next few weeks as my blog develops!