In my last blog I spoke
about a recent experience I had with using My Big Campus (the blogging tool I
use in my classroom) as a collaborative tool.
The experience overall has been very positive, which leads me to reflect
upon why blogging can be such a positive tool in supporting collaboration.
The Pros: I was fortunate to
have another class and teacher who were willing to participate and commit to
making this experience successful. As my
students continued to grow confident using My Big Campus as a blogging and
collaborative tool, I learned that in order for this experience to be
successful, my students had to be engaged.
I think it is important that students are active, and are given
ownership to their blogs and posts. By
having student engagement and interest, the students consistently blogged and
collaborated with their peers from the other school. It got to the point where students wanted to
continue communicating about the project even at home! Without student buy in or interest, the
collaboration through blogging would not have been as effective. Using blogging as a collaborative tool allowed
my students the opportunity to engage in a profound experience where without
blogging, the level of interaction would not have been possible. Fortunately, this project in particular was extremely successful. I owe the success not only to my students who worked diligently and preserved over several days, but I also owe the success to the other class we were communicating with. The other class was just as engaged and interactive as my students. They too came up with excellent projects and provided my students with insightful feedback.
The Cons: Of course, being in fourth grade we talked about how to extend the conversations
in the blogs to further understanding and knowledge. We tried to stay away from comments such as
simply “good job!” We wanted our
students to try to keep the communication and conversations going to enable the
opportunity to deepen their own understanding of hydroponics. If the communication between peers are not
timely, consistent, or meaningful, this could have made the experience not as
valuable. Using blogging as a
collaborative tool, you have to rely on yourself, and each other to keep the
conversations going. The time it took to
create, post, and collaborate between blogs was lengthy, so as a teacher you
have to set aside some time for students to work, and become familiar with the
tool. However, I think if done
appropriately, the time it takes to successfully use blogging as a
collaborative tool is well worth it!
Overall, in my experience
with using blogging as a collaborative tool, it allowed my students to extend
to levels of learning that would not have existed or have been possible without
the use of blogging. As teachers we
continually have to reflect and be instructional decision makers. We have to remember that once again, blogging
is simply a technological resource that can be used to enhance and support student
learning. If blogging will further the
student’s understanding and provide support towards the standards and
objectives, then it is well worth the time.
Simply put, don’t just force blogging in your classroom to say that you
have done it. Use the blogging tool as a
collaborative tool when you feel it is appropriate and an effective tool for
your students to accomplish a goal or objective.
To learn more about the pros
and cons of blogging as a collaborative tool, check out these websites:
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