How I might use a blog for my classroom? Oh the possibilities
are endless!
I would like to use a
blog as a way of generating “newsletters” to parents about what we are learning
in our classroom and special events coming up. I would have the option of parents being able to subscribe via
email to my blog so that the parents would not have to worry about checking the
blog each week for updates and would get an automatic email.
I know as a parent to two children in the school system, I
can get bogged down from time to time with all the papers that come home and
trying to decipher which papers are important to keep and which I can throw
away just as quickly as I read them. I
am guilty of saying to my kids, “Oh just put all your papers on the kitchen
counter and I will read them later.” Only later never really comes.
A blog would be a good way to reinforce important dates and material
for parents that, like me, get overwhelmed with the amount of paperwork that
comes home daily from their kids. Also, if parents had questions about a date or
an assignment they could leave a comment under the blog entry or email
directly.
As I mentioned earlier, I would like to keep the blog
private meaning password protected so that not just everyone on the internet
can access my blog information. Not that I would be putting personal
information on the web, private or public, I just think the parents might feel
better knowing that whatever is discussed on the blog is just between us and the
other parents in the classroom.
As I am writing this, I have come up with all kinds of other ways I might use a blog... have the children write blog entries, post pictures of the kid's projects for all the parents to enjoy throughout the school year, and many other things, but I have to stop myself now or this entry could quickly turn into a novel!
Yes, the possibilities are indeed endless when considering the use of all these emerging tools that are populating the internet. Someday this technology may be completely mainstreamed in schools and the use of things like blogs, tweets, and other social media will be as intuitive for the older generation as it is for the younger generation who have completely immersed themselves in that world.
ReplyDeletePondering the prospect of being an "older" teacher, I believe I may be in an advantageous position, learning about these gems of technology now instead of being an in-service teacher trying to learn it on-the-fly.