Reflecting on Class Blogs
So, this year I tried an experiment with a CLASS blog. Yes, a CLASS blog, not individual blogs.
Why blog? Well, there are a number of reasons I might ask students to blog for the CLASS:
1. To remember or recount what happened in class that day. We call this a “scribe post.”
2. To offer a question about a confusing concept prior to the test. We call this a “reflection post.” Other students are encouraged to answer these questions.
3. To share something neat or a current event. We call these “on my mind posts.”
and other reasons to use a blog include:
4. To debate. Blogs allow a space for responses after each post, and sometimes I require students to participate in a discussion of a topic (like bottled water use).
5. To create a “positive digital footprint.” I think I have a responsibility to help these kids leave a more substantial mark on the WWW besides what they post on Facebook.
We’ve categorized all the posts by the first 3 categories above if you want to see examples. You can check out either of my class blogs at these links:
APES 5th Period Class Blog 2009-2010
APES 8th Period Class Blog 2009-2010
Each student was required to serve as the class “scribe” at least once or twice a semester and create a summary lesson for those who might have been absent. Each student had the option of posting reflections before each test for some minor extra credit on the test. Some students felt compelled to share something neat-a headline, a picture, or even a YouTube video clip. By doing all this, the kids have had to reflect on what they’ve learned and they’ve created a wonderful online textbook as a resource for AP exam preparation.
If you have a moment to explore our class blogs, I want to encourage you to scroll down to the “tag cloud” of topics we’ve studied this year (pictured below). Pick a topic that is of interest to you (energy, water, agriculture, etc…) and click on the tag.
Env. Sci. Topics
We’ve cross-linked all the posts dealing with that topic even though they might be in different units. That’s the beauty of the environmental science course (and use of a blog)–the interconnections between topics. As John Muir once said, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” Also, notice the “ClustrMap” of the world and look at the global audience these kids have attracted this year!
*As I have done in previous blog posts, I must give credit to Class Blog-Jedi Master Darren Kuropatwa for this model.
