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Well, here I am again looking more closely at this issue of blogging.  I definitely didn’t imagine I’d be researching this topic as much as I have.  Quite frankly, my initial thoughts were why would one want to blog and how would it engage students in meaningful learning.   Having discussed blogging with others and researching this web tool has really brought some light to my otherwise simplistic outlook on the use of educational weblogs. 

I used to think that a blog was just an electronic journal that students record their ideas and thoughts in.  As a teacher, I would read these entries and grade them, I suppose.   I,like many teachers would probably “find it more time-consuming…slow internet speed, the constant clicking from one blog to the next, or the typing of URL after URL ….reading blogs can be tedious” (1).   As mother of two young children, I definitely want to avoid taking on activities with my students which would spill over into my family time.  Though blog posts are short and usually informal, they are often controversial and sometimes deeply personal.  What could I possibly do if one of my students posted ideas/attitudes that were inappropriate or socially unacceptable.  I would definitely establish guidelines regarding the content, but kids make errors in judgement.  Will Richardson, an English teacher from New Jersey, believes in using restrictive blogs because of the fear of “getting inappropriate comments, flaming, and so forth” (2)  The other concern I had was that related to my students’ work being open to the public to view.  Would it be possible to control who would “meet”  my student through their blog entries?  Students placing their pictures, addresses, and names on their weblogs are doing so without really understanding that they are leaving a web trail.  Of course, I would discuss the ethics of blogging and what to do and not to do in their blog posts, but there are always a few who don’t quite get it.

So how are educational blogs being used?  Here’s a few uses I have come across:

• class/cohort webpage (course overviews, expectations, assignment notifications, assigned readings, test announcements)
• link blog to internet items that relate to course
• posting student work for viewing/comment by peers
• organize in class discussions (course credit given for online discussions)
• organize class seminars and provide summaries to readings
• eportfolio
• personal journals with viewing/comment by instructor (student asked to write their own blogs as part of course grade)

There are so many uses of blogs in the educational setting that it seems almost pointless to try and argue that they have no place.  Most definitely, blogging is effective if it is done “properly”:  1)  reading the content:   analyzing. criticizing questioning, and reacting 2)  engaging a community  3) reflecting.  A seven-grade life science teacher who has a masters degree in science education holds journal conferences that engage students in academic discussions because it models how real life scientists work.  She “creates postings that link unit content to essential questions and that promote inquiry” (3).  Students comment on her posts and, in doing so, converse with their peers, get to know them better, and learn to collaborate/communicate with others that may not have otherwise.  These thoughtful conversations can extend well beyond a lesson or even a school day.  The sharing of ideas and feedback from peers can offer students another opportunity to deepen their learning and understanding.  It may even engage them in learning beyond the topic of the lesson.  Being open to the public can be advantageous as students can engage in conversations with individuals that have valuable knowledge to add or share on the topic posted.  The type of learning that blogs offer goes beyond a school day and school population.  Grade five students attending Institut St-Joseph in Quebec City are regular bloggers in their cyberportfolios.  One student writes: “the blogs give us a chance to communicate between us and motivate us to write more…..blogging is an opportunity to exchange our point of view with the rest of the world not just people in our environment”(4).  Educational blogs can offer students an experience that no traditional lesson can:  students are in charge of their learning and their learning extends beyond the classroom walls. 

 …..to blog.

 1.  “Blogs Aren’t the Enemy”,  Technology & Learning 27 April 2007.

2.   Oatman, Eric,  ”Blogomania”, School Library Journal 51 Aug 2005.

3.  Colombo, Michaela & Paul D. Colombo, ‘Blogging to Improve Instruction in Differentiated Science Classrooms”, Phi Delta Kappan 89 Sept 2007.  

4.  Downes, Stephen,”Educational Blogging”, EDUCAUSE Review 39 Sept/Oct 2004.

One of my focussed enquiries this year was to learn HTML so that I could set up a teacher webpage.  Unfortunately, I was on a short term leave and wasn’t able to use it this school year.  I will add some final touches over the summer and hopefully it will be ready to use in September.  My first field study question relates to my webpage:  How can I help improve communication between students, parents, and myself (so that students will become more responsible for their learning). 

My second question:  How can I facilitate collaboration in a science class.

“Blogging” seems to be the catch word this summer (i think it was “wikis” last summer).  Anyways, my initial thoughts on blogging were quite simple:  “Why do it?” and “When do people find the time?”.  I guess that was a pretty narrow-minded view as the “bloggers” I know say they can’t imagine not doing it.  Blogging to them is as routine as me checking my email. 

Then I thought about the uses of blogs in my teaching practice.  I had already set up a wiki for my classes, so why bother with a blog when there’s a discussion forum?  After doing some searching on the web, I actually came across a blog ( http://porquoipas.blogspot.com/2006/09/on-teaching-literature-with-blogging.html  )  which warmed me up to this whole blogging thing.  Like Donna, the individual who posted this blog, I was worried about overloading myself and the students with all this wiki and blogging business.  It seems both tools can be used in conjuction to serve different purposes.  Now, my only problem is how would I use blogs in my science classes.  I can come up with some uses in a literature, writing, or socials studies course, but I’m struggling with designing science lessons that involve blogging.  If you have any ideas or experiences involving the use of blogs in science education, I’d love to hear about it. 

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