The I.S.N.s are collected only twice per quarter so they are nice to grade just a couple times. However, you can imagine that some students don't keep up with assignments day to day since long-term projects are difficult for new middle schoolers to transition into. I am excited most about using blogs as a way to collect student assignments, or at least monitor their completion more easily. In addition, parents could access their child's blogs to verify that work is done on time. I could create a class blog to post the assignments and other class information. Another benefit would be that students would not have to worry about losing their work and furthermore would be able to monitor their progress throughout the year and refer back to it as they begin a new I.S.N. in seventh grade.
I would love to try this with one of my three enrichment sections at least as an alternative for the few who are failing because of poor I.S.N. grades. I know there are downfalls such as limited home Internet access and several students may be inexperienced with technology. But I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions for this application of blogs!
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April,
ReplyDeleteI think you should dive in and experiment with this. You are not out anything if you find it does not work the way you had hoped. You may find that more students will complete the work because they like to work on the computer and it is convenient because they can work on it from anywhere they have computer access. It would be interesting to see if this improves grades for those who are struggling, if the class with blogs ends up completing more assignments than the traditional method and if the other classes hear through the grapevine about the blog and want to do it, too!
April,
ReplyDeleteWhenever I mention doing something on the internet my tech classes get very excited. I think you should try your idea. You may get more students to participate. Also, the ones with no internet access at home may find time to do their assignment at school or at a friend or relative's home. This has been my experience. It sounds like a good idea.
April - Have you considered creating a blog from the viewpoint of a significant person in your history lesson? For instance, if your students are studying the Roman empire, perhaps you could create a blog "written by Nero". The students could then ask Nero questions to which he (meaning, you) could respond.
ReplyDeleteAlso, alternate endings are becoming more popular in book and DVD releases. You might want to have your students present their ideas for 'alternate endings' to historical events. We know that actual history cannot be changed, but anything is possible in the virtual world. These character blogs could provide many opportunities to ask the question "What if this had happened instead?" It would also be a great way to understand cause-and-effect relationships.
Hi Ladies,
ReplyDeleteAll of your comments are very encouraging! I do hope to try this as soon as possible with at least one section of my students, and I'm thinking I will try it with the group that has more students that are finding it challenging to complete their tasks as assigned. Also Susanna, I loved your idea about historical blogs! It sounds like a great way for the students to see if they can 'stump' the character in history, so they may actually end up doing quite a bit of independent research on their own time.