Blogs in the Classroom

Blogs in the Classroom

     I like the idea of using blogs, but only to a certain degree. I think that people in general, are posting way too much on blogs and social networks and it is bringing us a point where there really isn't such a thing as a personal life nowadays. From an educational point of view I believe it can be a very helpful tool in keeping track of students and assignments outside of the classroom.

     I believe a blog can be a very helpful tool for students by helping them to remember dates and details of assignments and things such as club meetings. Especially in the Agriculture classrooms, you can remind students of meetings and events that are going on and make sure that they are all aware of deadlines. Blogs can be helpful in keeping everyone on the same page, but I hope we don't grow too dependent on them and forget how to keep up with everything on our own.

     I feel that requiring a student to have a blog is somewhat of a waste of time. First of all I have students in middle school that are more aware of blogs than I am. Secondly, there are a lot of things that are more important than teaching a child how to display information on a website and set up a social networking profile. If I am going to be teaching a student, then I have a lot of other things I would rather them know about. In our text book a teacher remarks that a blog "would encourage students who normally wouldn't participate in class discussions."(Jonassem). Honestly students have to learn how to speak in front of others and share their opinions. Most people will not be able to sit behind a computer for the rest of their lives without human interaction. It can be a useful tool, but can also help us to lose the personal aspect of teaching.

Sources

Jonassen, D. Howland, J. Marra, R. M. Crismond, D. (2008). Maeningful Learning With Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Merrill Prentice Hill.