Blogs in the classroom

 A blog is a regularly updated website or web page that is typically run by an individual or in some cases multiple individuals. The content on the blog allows other users to comment their own opinion and provide feedback for the author. To further explain exactly what a blog entitles I have embedded a video which you can view by clicking the link below. https://www.youtube.com/watchv=NjwUHXoi8lM

In an ITD class applying the use of blogs would be a great way for students to share their work and get feedback on their jobs. Usually in the classroom a student relies on the teacher for feedback, in this case by using a blog the students would be able to post questions and queries they may be struggling with, then have other students help them out which gives them the same outcome as asking the teacher. I believe students require constant feedback in an ITD class for any confidence to be gained. Allowing students to post a picture of their job in a blog it allows the teacher to view the student’s job and provide an equal amount of feedback to each student.

Essay writing in classrooms is a very traditional form of assessment usually carried out by using pen and paper. Traditionally, the essays are just handed in to the teacher after completion. This method could be substituted by students creating a blog and posting their essays online. 

General in class activities could be successfully improved with the use of an online blog. The technology whilst using the blog allows students functional improvement such as spell check, copy paste, word count, grammar check and also allows images and graphics to be easily embedded within the document.

Using a blog allows students to share their work easily with the teacher and fellow students. Students can then analyse and collaborate on each other’s work expressing their common ideas and disagreements. 

Using a blog in the classroom allows students to collaborate with classes from other countries which without technology would be previously inconceivable. Students could invite subject experts to contribute to information gathering and analysis. Students could use the blog to create collaborative platforms to interact with other classes and experts around the world, generating a global approach and reach.

Throughout this post I was able to incorporate multiple amounts of photos and also a link to a website. Although very basic skills I believe I have provided sufficient evidence of my technical skills throughout this post.

Assesment Task 1: De Bono’s Hats/Mobile phones

Coming into the digital pedagogy course I now admit I was over confident with my level of digital competency. In the first week being instructed to create a blog and a wiki space quickly knocked my confidence down a couple of levels and had me looking for help pretty quickly! However thanks to the help of a few people (Lady Amanda) I was back on track and ready to start the De Bono’s Hats/Mobile phone wikispaces activity.

In my experience using the De Bono’s Hats/Mobile phone wikispaces activity to collaborate and share our own thoughts of the topic with other students was very helpful and relatively easy to use. Once on the wiki page the instructions were clear and easy to follow for all levels of digital competency. I strongly agree while I was undergoing this task the wikispaces worked well as a flexible tool for this project at every level of the SAMR model.

Also throughout the De Bono’s Hats/Mobile phone activity it allowed me to use the fundamentals of Blooms Taxonomy. The De Bono’s Hat activity encouraged me to use higher order thinking. In the activity I had to evaluate the 5 hats then answer each question with my own opinion. Answering the questions made me engage thinking skills particularly recalling information and prior knowledge.

Overall I believe the wiki spaces website would be a valuable tool for any teacher to use in their classroom. An Activity like De Bono’s Hats/Mobile phone would allow students to practice thinking skills which involve judging and stating an opinion about the information. It is a tool that teachers can use to create and encourage higher order thinking.