Classroom Online Presence: Why Use Blogs?

     I will be sharing my thoughts on integrating technology into the classroom. It is important to choose the technology with the proper intentions in mind, one that not only benefits the educator but more importantly the students. With this in mind, I have chosen blogs as the design for my digital classroom. Blogs are a way for students to get creative with their thoughts as well as connect with their peers in a less professional manner. Content management, learning management, ritual classrooms, websites, and social media seem to lack the most important aspect of learning, connection. Blogs, however, allow students to interact with each other in their own way. 

The classroom can be an intimidating place for students, for me, it was petrifying. Speaking your mind in front of your peers can create anxiety. In my experience with students over the years, the most common fear is not being wrong. It’s being judged. Catlin Tucker an English teacher at Winsor high school was able to use blogs in a way that changed her student’s thinking about classroom interactions. She says “... Kid’s don’t do their homework thinking this is going to knock Tuckers socks off, they don’t want to impress me. But they want to impress each other (Tucker, 2015). This sentence alone is what drew me to blogs. It took me many years and many public speaking classes to gain enough confidence to raise my hand and speak in class. This tool not only reduces the amount of anxiety in students but also motivates them to be their best. My reasoning for choosing blogs is because of the clear impact it has on students. Blogging enhances student learning, builds confidence, gives creative freedom, as well as increases their social awareness. When it comes to technology there are a lot of risks to consider, and online bullying is one of them. As an educator, it can be easy to revert to the comfort of typical classroom discussions because it’s easier and safer. But to the students with social anxiety, it is the opposite. Blogs include a hidden life lesson that our students face every day, internet bullying. Kathleen Morris says “Blogging is an excellent method for learning to be a responsible member of an online community in an authentic and ongoing way” (Morris, 2018). When comparing other classroom technologies such as websites or classroom management sites such as EduCat there is no competition. These resources can be useful in addition to blogs, but when used alone they can be very overwhelming to a student. As many of my peers can agree, seeing weeks of work laid out in front of you is way more intimidating than writing out your thoughts on a lesson. 

As I bring my thoughts to a close, I want to touch on how I could use this tool in my classroom. I envision my students taking my lessons beyond the classroom, and discussing with each other what they enjoyed or disliked. According to Sandra Okita “Social interaction plays an important role in learning. Interacting with other people has proven to be quite effective in assisting the learner to organize their thoughts, reflect on their understanding, and find gaps in their reasoning” (Okita, 2012). Student learning is greatly enhanced when they are able to connect with their peers and relate the material to occurrences in their real, everyday lives. For these reasons, I believe blogs are a great way to introduce technology and digitize the classroom.

    References 

Morris, K. (2021, January 1). Why teachers and students should blog: 18 benefits of Educational Blogging. Kathleen Morris Blog Primary Tech | Helping teachers create digitally literate global learners. http://www.kathleenamorris.com/2018/03/14/benefits-blogging/

Okita, S. (2012). Social Interactions and learning - springer. Social Interactions and Learning. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4419-1428-6_1770

Tucker, C. (2015, August 4). Catlin Tucker Ed talk: Connect students to an authentic audience. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFmhYLk676M