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As the September Student Blogging Challenge is coming to an end, The Edublogger asked us to explain how blogging has made a difference. With almost 60 comments recorded on this post, I spent some time reviewing what everyone had to say. Boy did you have a lot to say!!!! So here they are….the top 10 ways blogging has made a difference in your life at school………….
Reason #10
Old fashion assignments take on new life. Gracie said it this way …”Screech…that’s the sound of an old wooden pencil good thing blogging does not call for that! Blogging is new to our school this year. It is a fun enjoyable way to get your thoughts out.” Gracie I’ll have to agree with you on that one….reducing the sound of screechie pencils is a great thing. People also thought if you missed the school day, you could jump on the class blog and find out what had happened.
Reason #9
Blogging has helped you find new interests. Tyler said she learned about things she had never heard before. GraceK said “By writing and finding out what other kids my age write, I have learned lots of things. Like where people live and the places they visit, the sports they play, the type of food, music, books, etc that they enjoy. Which makes me want to try new things and write about more topics. “
Reason # 8
Lots of people mentioned that they weren’t so good at the computer. Blogging was difficult because you had to learn how to use the computer for more than typing. Margaret said she wanted to be better but hadn’t had the chance and blogging gave her the chance to learn some “simple steps for computers” so she could be good like her brother, mom and dad. Other students said they learned about how to use HTML a bit, or widgits and online polls….none of which they had heard of before. Which brings me to the next reason…..
Reason #7
Several people explained how they were able to participate in the class conversations much better than in the real classroom. Most felt like they were a bit shy and needed time to think. Ryan said he liked the “silence” of the conversation. Very cool way to think of it….. Another student thought he gained courage to speak out with his opinions in a way he would have never tried in class. I loved the comment about how the class blog is much better than a textbook because it replies!!!!
Reason #6
Many students mentioned they loved reading the blogs from around the world. It gave them a chance to learn new words or customs. William thought Liam’s blog was particularly fun because it had interactive monkeys as one of the widgits. Grace thought she might try diving after reading another blogger’s story about how great diving was which is exactly. Patrick thought it helped him realize that there is more than one way to talk to people.
Reason #5
Sounds a bit like #6, but it is diffierent in that blogging allowed many students to see a difference in perspectives. Jacob and Eric talked about how they were able to start seeing other people’s points of view after the 10 blog reading challenge. Nick also thought the pictures that other student bloggers used helped to paint a picture of where they lived he couldn’t get from just reading the words.
Reason #4
Most of you felt that blogging has helped you be a better writer. You’ve learned how to make comments that relate to the topic, you’re learning how to answer the question that’s been asked and you’ve learned to edit/revise and fix-up your writing. I’d have to say that most thought it was a tough process but that you feel like you’re getting better and better at it. Quite a few people also mentioned they thought some of what they were learning about writing on the blogs was rubbing off on other classes.
Reason #3
Blogging let’s you be in charge of your writing. Once you earned your own blog, and that wasn’t easy according to what you wrote, you were able to develop your own creative writing interests and interact with other student bloggers from around the world.
Reason #2
Most everyone also thought they had learned quite a bit about how to stay safer on the internet. They had learned the difference between what you can and cannot share with the whole world….but in a way that didn’t make it boring or too schoolish.
which brings us to the reason that most people mentioned over and over was
#1 Reason
According to all of you, the most important way blogging has a made a difference is that it makes learning fun. It changes boring homework into something that you don’t mind doing so much. It makes you feel like you have ownership of your learning…that you can set the agenda and offer your ideas without so much worry.
It seems to me that you all have learned so much and that blogging has a made a difference. The most important thing I think is for everyone to stand and reflect on how far they’ve come since we started this process way back in August. Everyone single one of you has gotten better at computers, at reading, at writing…and at problem solving. You’ve learned to help each and become more independent. You’re more resourceful in reasoning your way through problems. And that doesn’t even touch on all the social studies that you’ve learned. Well done…..well done….You should be proud of how much your hard work has accomplished.
Dear Mrs. Ratzel and class,
I am a high school librarian now, but I taught at LMS last year. I have been reading your blogs– especially the ones about the books you are reading– and I wanted to tell you what a fantastic job you are doing! I just read your Top 10 Things You Have Learned from blogging entry, and I thought I’d compliment you on how your blogs have really improved this year! Keep up the great work!
Ms. Mac
Thanks. We have worked hard but I feel like our progress is due, in large part, to the efforts of other teachers who have shared their expertise with us. We have participated in the Student Blogging Challenge, faithfully following the ideas they suggest. We owe much to the ideas and suggestions made by the teachers and classrooms that participate in that.
I love the fact that you used the Top Ten format to cite how blogging has changed your year. Your students all had good comments and I agreed with each. Reason #2 is really pertinent as we are daily learning about the importance internet safety.
Dear Ms Cranford,
Internet safety is the #1 concern everyday, just as you said. It is always on my mind when we write and share ideas on the blog. It is a fine balance to share about our personal ideas and lives yet remain safe.
What has been the most important thing you learned about internet safety so far?
Mrs. R
Those are some good reasons on why blogging makes a differnce.
Come to my blogs and see this post I wrote about a typical day at my school
http://hannah110gs.edublogs.org/2010/11/12/a-day-in-school/
~Hannah
I think the blog makes learning fun too. it does help your writing. Those are really good reasons. I also really love the wordle.
I think you can learn a lot from blogging. I learned the most by visiting other blogs and doing the challenges.
This site is real cool. I love the snow!
I think you can learn a lot from blogging too. I know I learned a lot of things.
Hi MRs. Ratzel and class,
I agree with your post, I think blogging can be a very good way to make old uninteresting assingments into new exciting ones, keep up the good work.
Congratulations on your winning post. It’s certainly a good one. Keep up the good work.
cheers.
Dear Mrs. Ratzel and Social Studies Students,
I’ve been following the progress of your class blog since the beginning of the school year. I am very impressed with everyone’s work!
I agree with the students that this is a wonderful way to learn more about relevant and safe use of the internet — the sharing of ideas and the way people can learn from one another is amazing. I love that you’re connecting to students and teachers in other cities and countries.
You probably know this — you are improving the computer skills of many of us parents, as well! I thank you for improving my understanding of blogging and to see its applications for many situations.
Keep up the great work, everyone!
Mrs. Hron