I am a 7th grade technology teacher. My curriculum includes a basic introduction to computers and the Internet, keyboarding skills, and Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, along with leadership skills and career pathways. One of the numerous competencies I am to teach is the use of blogs. How better to show them how they work than allowing them to create their own!
There are numerous topics taught in the class that the students could use as starting points for their blogs. They could read articles about the latest technology trends or ethical issues such as piracy or cyperstalking. Also, students could discuss their ideas about to how to be a good leader or what careers they may want to pursue.
Not only would students be learning content material through a hands on activity, but blogging bleeds across curriculum. Blogs allow students to enhance reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. In my class, it seems the possibilities for blogs are endless!
About Me
- Kim
- I'm a Public School History Teacher. I love to read, travel, and drink Frappe's.
5 comments:
In addition to having students look up articles about technology, you could have them share the URL for those articles with fellow students and also have tehm summarize what the article was about and why they feel it is important.
I love the idea of having students not only respond to blogs, but to create their own. I am 26 and just created my first blog for this master's class. It is amazing to think that these children will do the same in seventh grade. Have your students created them already this year? How do you think their blogs are going? I think it would be intersting to read a seventh grader's thoughts and feelings about topics such as piracy and cyberstalking. Great ideas Kim, thank you for sharing.
I am curious to know if you would require your students to visit all of their classmates' blogs, or can they just visit a few? If you require them to visit all, I would anticipate difficulty visiting all sites or keeping track new and updated blogs. I would recommend a RSS aggregator as I have found it very helpful to keep track of the blogs from this class. I think if they signed up for a site like Google Reader, then they could be informed of new and updated blogs without having to visit each one.
I wasn't able to use blogs this year. As this is my first year to teach computers, I'm still trying to feel my way through it all. But I really hope to practice on my summer school students and start incorporating them next year.
Also, you are right Kari, it would be crazy for the students to visit everyone's blog. I'll definitely have to show them the use of RSS, but even then, I would probably only require them to view a couple for each entry.
Kim,
I think this is the perfect venue to teach your students the most productive ways to use technology. Skills that could be used to help survive in school as well as in life. A perfet place to teach them the appropriate, legal way to use the tools you are giving them. I will be watching your blog to see what you ultimaley decide to do with your class.
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