A classroom blog is one that all students in a particular class
contribute to. It is not owned by any single student, but is meant
to be a place where the thoughts by the whole class. A classroom
blog can increase the amount of communication and collaboration
that takes place in a classroom, and is also a powerful tool for
assessment.
Classroom Blogs for the Mathematics Teacher
In the mathematics
classroom, blogs can serve at least three basic functions.
Writing Prompts
- Teachers can write blog entries for their students in the form
of writing prompts. By clicking on the comment
link under each entry (all blogs have one of these),
students can respond to the prompt. After each student has responded,
all of the comments will appear on the same page. Of course, this
creates new learning opportunities for students and teachers:
Teachers can quickly assess student
knowledge of a current classroom topic by simply
scrolling down a page full of comments.
Students can read the responses of
other students.
Students who may not normally participate
in classroom discussions can now respond to questions without
being embarassed.
Click the image above to see
an example of a writing prompt.
Posting Links
- Find an interesting website that you would like your students
to check out? You can create a link to it in a blog entry. Check
out the blog entry below where I give students an assignment to
do after they click on the link to the website.
Click on the image above to see an example of a post with a
link.
Posting Images
- Digital images, in the form
of photos or computer produced drawings,
have the power to make mathematical concepts come alive. Teachers
can post images in blog entries to:
Connect concepts
to the real world. (see a great example at the GCHS
Blog).
Click on the image to see an example of a post
with an image.
Benefits of a Mathematics Classroom
Blog
Some of these should be obvious by now, others may not. Read on
to see how blogs can benefit your students.
Blogs can be
worked on at virtually any time, in any place with an Internet-enabled
computer.
Blogs are a user-friendly technology--they
require minimum technical knowledge and are quickly and easily
created and updated.
Blogs are highly motivating
to students. Because students realize their efforts will be
published to a wide audience (the entire Internet!), they are
typically more motivated to produce better work.
Read more about blogs:
Classroom
Blogs allow
teachers to assess and enrich classroom learning.
Student
blogs allow students to create amazing multimedia projects and to
communicate and dialogue with another.
Writing
with blogs in the mathematics classroom allows students to record
their learning in a digital format.
Digital
portfolios allow students to demonstrate growth in an electronic format.
