Of all the forms of writing in math, the requirements of a journal may be the most ambiguous. Entries can be as diverse as you wish, from justifying solutions to describing one's feelings toward math. Journals can be used informally at the end of a class period for students to quickly scratch down what they have learned or what they had trouble with. They can also be used as an extension to the day's lesson. Writing prompts provide students with kick start if they are having trouble thinking of a topic. A few examples:

• Today I got stuck on...
• How would you use ________ in the real world?
• What I liked most about today's lesson was...
• Explain to a student in the third grade what you learned about ___________ in class today.

Blogs and Journals

It is important to remember that there is no right or wrong response in journal writing. Therefore, all feedback should be in the form of a conversation between the teacher and the student. The student writes the entry and the teacher comments on it. Blogs make this easy. A link for comments is provided on every entry of a blog. This makes it possible for the student and the teacher to carry on a dialogue about what is taking place in class. Of course, the ability to make comments also opens up collaborative possibilities for students. Any entry can be commented on.

Learning logs act as a student's personal record of their progress in the course. Topics are not as open as those of a journal. Students can record main ideas, definitions, description of concepts, processes, or methods. Entries can be made daily or weekly.

Listed below are several characteristics of blogs that make them an excellent place for students to keep a learning log.

• As a blog is updated, all previous entries remain on the page so that by simply scrolling, students and teachers are able to see the entries for the entire year.
• Each post is dated.
• Images and even video and sound can now be included in blog entries.

Read more about using blogs as digital portfolios.

Math Autobiography

Math autobiographies allow students write about their experiences with math. Here they can write about their personal struggles and successes, how they learn best, feelings about former teachers, and more. Autobiographies help students see that they are part of the learning process.

Once again I mention that a blog is the blogger's personal Web page, all previous entries remain on the screen or are archived at the request of the blogger. Have your students write three math autobiographies on their blogs throughout the year--one at the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end of the year. Hopefully, their progress will be recorded at three separate times and they will become aware of what they have learned over the course of the year.

 

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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. Resources for Blogging in the Classroom - Books, links, and even more links.