Blogs in the Teacher's Arsenal of Tricks

As most of us have experienced from our encounters with textbooks throughout our educational history there is no such thing as a stand alone textbook. They are great at skimming the surface of subjects especially in social studies but they cannot come close to fully exploring an entire subject’s many complex levels.

Then came the internet with its ability to supplement the classroom manual. The possibilities are endless especially the use of blogs. A blog can be a repository of information, a place to view and extract as well as update and edit on going communication between students, teachers and even parents. It would make a great ongoing homework assignment.

For example, a blog could be used as a weekly journal for students in a government class. The students would be assigned to the rolls as presidential candidates and must maintain a blog of speeches and reactions to opponent’s blogs and speeches as well as worldly events as they are assigned. Each student would choose their party either conventional or their own. Then as in the case of this week the teacher could pose as a reporter and ask each of them the same question and ask them to respond using their blogs. This week they would be asked whether or not they would boycott the Olympic Games in China and explain their choice.

An assignment such as this would not only allow the instructor and students to gage their work but also critic that of their peers. In addition parents would have the ability to view their children’s work and progress first hand. A blog would offer an avenue of self-expression often withheld by some students who choose not to participate in an open classroom.

The blog along with the internet’s infinite opportunities for growth is yet another tool that teachers should incorporate into their bag of tricks to keep learning fun and enticing for all students.