Blogging

A blog connected to a teacher's website or library media teacher's website would encourage an active information cycle to exist between the educator and their community (students, parents and staff). The implications for enhanced learning and mutual understanding are huge as the blog is available 24-7 to the learning community who has access to the blogsite. While local school district internet safety concerns are legitimate, most districts have an intranet system within their own district website that could be programmed to allow local school site educational teacher, classroom and school-wide blogs. The blogger first, needs to fully understand their district's internet policies and sign the district’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Research, by Chinn and Fairlie (2004), shows that the digital divide among students is economic and racial. An educational blog, with a controlled community, accessible 24/7, could help bridge the divide by making pertinent instructions and information sources readily available to those users of public computers. Time is of the essence when using a public library computer. Assuming that the logistics of this Web 2.0 tool were in place it would be an instructional asset to both the classroom teacher and library media teacher.

Teachers in the classroom can use the blog to daily update information concerning assignments, class activities, and public relations pieces. To use a gardening metaphor, the classroom webpage is like the hardscape (planters, foundation plants); the webpage holds information links that remain constant for longer periods of time, provides structure and long-term links (databases, Library of Congress, OPAC). Within the hardscape a link to the classroom blog provides access to the current and changing dialogue of classroom assignments, clarifications, and specific links to informational sites, research and video. The blog is the perennial of the garden. Web 2.0 tools (blogs, rss, etc.) are the blooms of information. S. Summerford’s site Web 2.0 for the Classroom Teacher is Roger’s Gardens on MiracleGro with all the directions for planting! A classroom teacher (with access and equipment) could integrate video, images, virtual tours, and presentations into their instruction and then make them available within the classroom blog. The teacher/student information cycle would continuously evolve.

The Library Media Teacher (LMT) could utilize a blog in the same manner as the classroom teacher. Since the LMT is responsible for the entire student body they would potentially utilize more than one blog. As I would be the one to maintain and update these blogs, my initial enthusiasm is tempered by time constraints. I do think there should be two sets of blogs; one for staff and one for students. I see grade level (K-8) blogs being a source of collaboration and professional development. Sharing sources and information to use within Open Court themes and other curricular content would encourage us all to better our instructional practice. The question comes to mind, should students have access to that blog? I need to research that thought, right now I think no, however, resources posted to the teacher’s blog would likely be posted to the student’s blog. My gut feeling tells me the student does not need to be privy to our instructional internal dialogue. Would there be a blog for each grade level of student? Or one all-encompassing blog for library activities, contest, promotions, “on this day…” etc. for our students? The Summerford site blew me away. I am the only limit to the possibilities. I see the blog as being a much simpler means to update content provided to students on a regular basis. In the Pew report it states that half the teens surveyed have their own blog or download images and music; if the library is going to be a vital component of their education we need to utilize the technologies they readily use. Seeing first hand what technology utilization is expected in college coursework it is imperative we incorporate these tools into our instructional daily lives now.