My initial goal with this blog was to document the world of a public school teacher - to bring light on the job we do through my postings. Now that we're in the 6th month of school (93 school days and counting) and I haven't made it past the first entry until now, I'll admit the escapades of being a full-blown teacher AND a full blown-(grad)student got in the way of being a full-blown blogger.
Time for take two...
I think this round will be much more successful as I will not only be writing as part of a community of educational bloggers but I will also be reading as part of a community of educational bloggers (the piece of the puzzle I was most notably missing in my first attempt), so as not only to put out information and experience but to bring in these knowledges as well.
Taking this professional step will not only allow us all to open our classroom doors and share those small moment commonalities we have, but also allows us to see past our classroom and school and find answers from other voices with similar (and differing) experiences. Sometimes in the school day you can feel how inside our own walls we are, forgetting that "it's not just P.S. ###".
Our students, too, can be so jaded.
In fact, it's possible for some students to not hear an idea or opinion of a students in the very same room as them, let alone the same city, country or world. After weeks of drafting, revising and editing most of our writing work hangs on a board in a hallway that can't always be stopped to look at. Some works are stapled too high for young arms to reach. Parents can't make it to publishing parties, students can't take work home.
Through blogging we can not only open up our students' voices to a greater community, but we can give them their work to share within their smaller communities as well. In the past three years I have been teaching I have rarely been able to allow my kids to take home their prided personal narrative, or an article they researched and drafted in the classroom because it had to be saved for end-term portfolios or some kind of "proof of purchase" for the next grade. Through publishing on a class blog students would be able to share their hard-work with their parents the night it is finished, instead of months and months after. Classes could browse other classes work in the school. In imagining it it feels like kids would have a stronger sense of pride in their work, a sense that their efforts won't be as easily overlooked... because even a stranger could stumble upon their information on the internet.
I love the word "community". Building a strong sense of community can go a long way in the education of a child. I'm really intrigued by the idea of new students reviewing old students' work. By seeing what students in years past have done they can continue building upon a strong idea. They can also improve upon their own work by critiquing the positive and negative aspects of someone else's work. Peer review doesn't just have to be between students in a single class anymore. They can be between students in multiple classes in multiple years.
ReplyDeleteI love that blogging can mean instant publishing and instant viewing by parents, peers, teachers, or ...well... anyone! Granted that can be scary for some, but used correctly and it can certainly open doors! Let's make sure we all push for a proofread before you post. Commit before you submit! I like that! I want to trademark that!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Sean
Interesting comments about bulletin boards and their lack of function. I know in my school we are bombarded about bulletin boards that are usually torn down by students anyway. It's nice to have a place that is free from destruction.
ReplyDelete