Teddy Bears Go Blogging....Has Given Me Some Insight & Ideas!

Reading Brenda Sherry's article about how she infused blogging into her classroom has really pushed me to take a long hard look into incorporating a similar practice within my own middle school classroom. I am strongly thinking about using a blog in a history class this year to promote writing instruction, as well as to connect my students with another history class in my school. Some of Sherry's ideas were very interesting and may proved to be helpful in getting my class a new perspective about writing. Writing can be difficult for some and painful for others, but through establishing a fun outlet which blends writing, learning, and the Internet, I hope to get my history class more excited about history.

However I do recognize the need to teach Internet safety. It will be vital that I obtain authorization from my school administrators as well as the family/ guardians of my students. I will also need to look further into the privacy restrictions and think about whether to make the blog public or private. I am leaning towards private and may only use the blog within the classroom to start, so that I can better help my young students navigate this new tool.

I think the HistoryBlog (or whatever name I give it) will be a valuable teaching tool. It has so many possibilities and branches to explore. Not only do I hope it will provide a new pathway into incorporating writing into my class curriculum, but I know it can also teach technology skills and team building skills to my students. Through grouping students together, they can work as a team to respond to a post. I love Sherry's use of her blog to promote and teach tolerance of other cultures. I am not sure if I will follow her in that particular route, but I would like to have another history teacher in my school join along with me in this HistoryBlog endeavor. If the two classes can communicate through the blog I think it will make the project more meaningful. Not only will the students share information, ideas, and projects among classmates but also among peers in other classrooms. I just cannot wait to start and hope my students will be as excited as I am to participate in this year long blogging adventure.

Resources

-The Teddy Bear Project: http://www.iearn.

org/projects/teddybear.html