Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Blogging in Action

If you read my previous post you would know that it is very difficult for me to use my blog to its full potential in my classroom. I teach social studies to males that range in ages from 16-20 in a county jail. So, after thinking long and hard, I was able to come up with two ways to use my blog without breaking the law...

I would use my blog as a way to teach students about blogs and blogging etiquette. Although my students are restricted from directly participating in my blog, they still should be aware of what a blog is and what it is used for. My blog could be used as an example of what a blog looks like and how it works. I could even design a blog from scratch so that they have an idea of how easy it is to develop and become a part of the blogging community. Unfortunately, this would not be a hands on experience for the students, however it would at least be an introduction to the technology. It would also give students the opportunity to analyze the impact blogging could have on both society and education.

I am in the process of developing an in-house literary magazine at my school that features pieces of writing and artwork submitted by the students. I think it would be great idea to create a place within my blog that would feature some of this work. It would be an online version of the magazine. The literary magazine is only expected to circulate on a quarterly basis. The blog would enable students to submit their work on a monthly or even weekly basis. The students could even tell their friends and family (outside of the facility of course) to visit the site to see what they have been doing in school.

I am not done exploring the ways in which I can use this blog within my classroom, but I think I have come up with a decent start. I am excited to see this launch and I hope you all come back and visit!!!

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