Blogger

Technology Blog Assignment: Blogger

My enrollment  in the IEASC program has introduced me to so many different technology tools.  This is my first experience with creating a blog.  I did not realize that I have happened upon blogs all the time while searching the internet for classroom resources. To me, blogs were created as a forum for people to just ramble on about different experiences in their life.  As I explored blogs created by other educators, I realized that blogs can be a very useful tool for educators both in and out of the classroom.  I found blogs on education reform, technology tools to use in the classroom, resources for different subject areas, different age groups, just to name a few.  As a new Twitter user, I often come across blogs with resources I can use and share with those within my professional learning network. 

 At this time I do not know if I will use blogs with my students.  My school has very few technology resources, so I am always cautious about making technology mandatory as part of my course.  I am also new to blogging, so I need to spend time blogging, so I can be comfortable with the process before I can use it in my classroom.  Other members of the IEASC cohort are using blogs, and have provided some insight into the process, so I am hopeful that blogging can become part of my future curriculum.  If I were to use blogs, I would probably use them as a place for students to work collaboratively and post results of lab activities or experiments and to reflect on their experience.


I think the greatest challenge for teachers and districts who want to use blogs is in controlling the blog posts made by students.  Students need to be taught NET-S Digital Citizenship Standard.  They must understand the human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.  They must also be held accountable for any inappropriate behavior.  Monitoring that behavior can be a daunting task for the teacher and the district administration.


A blog assignment I could give to my forensic science students would require them to create a collaborative blog for a 7 day lab activity that the students complete on blood spatter pattern analysis.  The students complete a variety of activities that range from simulating different blood spatter patterns to investigating and reporting the events that occurred at a mock crime scene based on the blood spatter pattern evidence.  The blog could be used to document each section of the lab, including pictures, results and reflection.  This blog assignment would meet the NET-S Communication and Collaboration Standard.