Reflection Two

This week we were asked to look at and evaluate one of the three online tools that can be implemented in a classroom to improve learning experiences and outcomes. While I have had a little bit to do with blogs in the past, my experience has been limited to viewing and reading other peoples, I've never felt the need to create one of my own. I guess I never really thought I had anything to say. Over the last two weeks I have immersed myself in blogging, reading other peoples blogs, creating my own, choosing templates and backgrounds and adding photos and hyperlinks and only now have I discovered how easy and user friendly they are.

Although I have never really had a blog of my own I have always found them a fascinating way of connecting and keeping in touch with and track of friends travelling overseas. It wasn't until this week that I considered that the same benefits it provides of communicating with friends overseas  can be applied to a classroom. Having a blog either individually or as a class provides students with the ability to connect with each other as well as other students across all continents of the globe.

Creating a class blog gives students a sense of belonging and provides an opportunity for collaborative learning. Having students create their own blog allows them to play around with templates, fonts and colours and create a learning space that is individualised to them, this intern gives them a sense of  pride and ownership of their work as well as allowing them the opportunity to take responsibility of their own learning. Individual blogs also creates a platform for students to contribute and voice their own opinions which may be advantages for the quiet students who may not always get the chance of have the confidence to do so. Having a blog either as a class or as individual's allows students to be a part of an engaging and interactive online learning community, and in fact if no one's stopping us, why not do both.

The below you tube video was made by a teacher in Las Virgenes, California; Linda Yollis who talks about the benefits of blogging in the classroom. One of the points she mentions is that the use of her class blog revolutionizes the four walled classroom we've come to know.  Where a classroom used to be a very closed off environment where the teacher was the primary viewer of students work, the use of ICT tools, in particular blogs has allowed her class to be a part of an online learning community where parents are able to keep track of and take part in the child's learning experience.


I think this is one of the key benefits of the blog. Students; particularly young ones are often very excited about the activity they participated in or proud of the work they did at school. The blog allows them to share this work with their parents and gives the parents an opportunity to engage in their learning. Where the majority of learning used to be conducted by the teacher, in the classroom between the hours of 8 and 3, with access to the blog anywhere there is a computer students can enable each other's learning, wherever they go and at any time of the night or day.  I think If the introduction of a blog in the classroom can increase students enthusiasm towards learning or even improve one students learning experience I think that is a huge step for education. 

The introduction of these ICT tools are not without their problems the issue of internet safety and cyber bulling come into play, so they will have to come with rules and guidelines and close monitoring by the teacher but I believe they do have a place in the classroom and they could provide countless learning experiences and improve learning outcomes for our future students and that is something that I am excited about.
:)