Blogging in the Classroom? Some Teachers say “Yes!”

In our ongoing examination of teenagers’ use of new media, we’ve had several articles* looking at the relevancy of these tools in the classroom. Parents may wonder about teachers who employ the use of Facebook or Twitter, encouraging their students to do the same. I have heard about highly charged discussions that have ensued at schools as parents and educators try to sort through the issues involved here. For most educators and parents there is a learning curve… we are all experimenting with new technologies, trying to see their applications, their benefits and their value. For some people the benefits are more obvious than others; and if it makes you feel any better, many of us are trying hard not to feel overwhelmed as the speed of technology advances turn our recently-gained skills obsolescent.

But progress we must. The world isn’t going to wait for us; neither are our teenagers.

*This Train Has Left the Station; For Your Teen’s Sake Get On Board
Schools and Facebook; Moving Too Fast or Not Fast Enough?

Educators who respond to teens’ natural areas of interest and enthusiasm are doing your kids a favor. If a teacher can more deeply engage your teen while helping her acquire contemporary skills that will enable her to function more fully in the world…well what can be wrong with that?!

Teacher, Revised, is a blog written by teachers for teachers. In it, one teacher confesses that a year ago he was dead-set against blogging. But now, he not only has his own (very dynamic!) blog, he is encouraging his students to blog. He recommends the blog as an instructional tool. Why does he view it as such? He says:

…students like it. Simple as that. They like it. As much as I may try to come up with fun/creative/relevant activities, it’s a rare assignment that transcends the damning ‘schoolwork’ label. Miraculously, blogs approach those rarefied heights.

Is this succumbing to popular pressure? Is it going with the flow? Or is it keeping education relevant? Perhaps a blend of all three.

Our teacher continues:

Which brings me to my most compelling argument for blogging as an instructional tool. Once students get their first taste of the ‘power’ of publishing, this magical thing starts to happen. They blog on their own. By contrast, after five years of requiring my English students to keep journals, I can count the number of unassigned entries I’ve received on one hand. With blogs, it’s the norm—even with my most struggling writers.

I don’t think most parents want to hold your kids back from receiving relevant education. So again, I encourage you to be informed, expand your skills on the web and with new media to make sure you are able to provide some guidance for your teen. It is entirely likely that s/he will be engaged in online activities that are new and contemporary and require YOU to stretch and learn.