Workshop Blog

Welcome - this blog served as a "testing" area for a group of teachers looking at blogging for the first time. Posts are mostly related to the Blogging WebQuest they did as part of the workshop. Feel free to comment on any of the posts.

Students' input

It is a good a idea to have the students' input on a specific topic that we might be covering in class. The students can give new ideas of what the like or dislike about the topic within limits.
I think, I will be able to use blog in the classrrrom. I need to learn how to set up for the students to be able to use it.

Great use of blogs!

Over all I liked the creative use of blogs. Some were more intersting than others. The one that stands out the most in my mind is the physics blog. It's clear to see that the teacher spent a lot of time putting it together, keeping it updated, etc.

Journal writing

It seems that many of the blogs were used for journal writing... for the teacher as well as the students.

A couple did not seem much different than web pages--- the teacher had specific questions on a topic... or specific assignments listed. There were no place for student entries/writing. How is that different from a web page?

I would like to create a blog showing student artwork and places for student critiques of each other's work; a web gallery with commenting open to students within the classes.

Blogging in Social Science

I am convinced that blogs can be highly utilized to make the exploring of our past and the past of other countries fun. This is our main criticism by students and adults today. Why can't learning history be fun? So why not find a way to make it fun, inventive, and help people to create historical accounts from the information that is fed to them from lectures and textbooks.
After reviewing "Immigrant Experience Journal" and "Mr. Fisher's Web site," blogs can be utilized in such a way that students can create memorable historical experiences, receive invaluable instruction and obtain skills that we as high school students would have been envious of.The technology that can be learned and obtained has immeasurable in value to our students that will go on to take advantage of college and other avenues of higher education.

using blogs

Loved the blog that collected and posted questions for an author and she answered - a lengthy answer! There seem to be lots of ways to use this with literature. Same basic idea of discussing literature but in a different format.

Confession: I skim through others comments and spend more time on my own comments. Is this another way for everyone to talk and few to listen?

Multi-uses

Post questions and have students comment, have students post comments about a chapter to be read, peer-editing and discussion of concepts.

Teacher Blogs

I am feeling pretty humble right now aftwer seeing some of the great things other teachers are doing. Still ...there was one blog where the teacher had posted a comment and there were "zero" responses. I guess that was reassurring.

Uses for Blogs

There would be many educational uses for blogs! The most exciting commonality of the blogs that we looked at was that they were so interactive! Some of the blogs that I viewed were used in the following ways: they expressed editorials in school newspapers, they posted senior's bequests, teachers used them to post class assignments, and readers guides were created.
How would I use them in an educational setting? The most obvious answer would be that I could get all of my assignments online and interact with parents who had follow-up questions (without submitting myself to parental telephone victimization!)

What I found

I found many teacher posted blogs. Most of them posted assignments and then had comments by the students. There were also some student blogs--for their newspaper and comments on their experiences in school. The ones that were the most interesting ahd visuals such as powerpoints, videos and photos in the site. As an art teacher. I am having a hard time figuring out how to use this in my classroom--if I had enough computers. Possibly taking a specific piece of art and doing a discussion about its history, composition, and how it relates to other art of today.

Thoughts about ways to use blogs for teaching.

After the various blogs, it showed that there are a variety of subjects and purposes for using blogs in the classroom. Some used it for staff development so that other teachers could post how they were using it after attending a class on blogging. Others used it to review a specific topic from a variety of class settings, such as English, Art and Social Studies. Some used to for a final question at the end of the class such as "Thanking people and willing things to past friends and teachers".

Art teachers could post a specific picture and have the students critique it according to the four steps of criticism and then compare it to another picture of their choice. Included in this discussion would be the time period and the specific artistic style.

R. Hoffman's was best

It established a controlled learning environment. The Coffee blog gave some kids a forum to cast aspersions upon their teachers. Others left the reader trying to decipher the purpose of the blog. Just seemed like people chatting.

Blogs in the classroom

The blogs that I read showed instructors using blogs in science, social studies, Math, and in Science. The blogs required students to contribute to the blogs and many of them allowed interact comments.

I can see using some of these techniques , particularly the one used in Geography, for Special Education students.

physics blog

We like how Rich Therrn's Physics Class blog can be used in the classroom.

More comments

Very interesting blogs. There were few of the them written by the students, which were more personal. The others were more formal those were written by the teachers. The one that I feel I can use in the classroom is the Immigrant Experience. I can see using this format for a assignment that I can do with my Native Spanish speakers students.
I can use it also with my Spanish students to create a virtual trip to a country that they would like to visit and the reasons why. I can see using video, music, picutres, etc.

Tanya and Reuben - Educational Blogs

The types of blogs that we have identified are student news, teacher or student collaboration, teacher web site (student response to questions), teacher web site (posted assignments), and student project.

We have determined that we would like to attempt to use blogs as part of our curriculum.
1. Student collaboration on reading guide.
2. Teacher web site
3. Project responses

Teacher blogs

Using blogs to give students information (homework, videos etc.) and having them comment on subject matter seems to be a great way to have student interact with information rather than just get info from teachers. It also gives them an excuse to use the computer at home :)

my spanish class

Assuming that my students have adequate target language in their cerebro. I could pose a cultural question for comment which would allow them to interact with each other. Any other ideas for a language class would be appreciated.

Justified Response

I've struggled lately with this whole mess that has started 20 days ago in the Middle East. The greatest question many have been asking or at least demanding an anwer to is, is Israel going too far with its use of the military?
Is Israels' response to Hezbollah's attacks appropriate or are they guilty of excessive force?
The media shows us various sides of this story. The first being of a woman losing her husband 20 yards from their safety bunker. The way in which she found out was very sad. She attempted to contact him on his cell phone after an attack was over. It just so happened that an unidentifiable body (which sustained a direct hit by a missile from Hezbollah) close to the bunker had a cell phone ring. It was the woman's husband unfortunately. Another story just last night showed 65 people in Lebanon having been killed by Israeli airstrikes, it was reported that more than 35 of the people killed were children. Is this a justified response? Are both sides targeting innocent people on purpose just to eliminate each others people.
In a blog written by Gideon Levy entitled, "Days of Darkness," these atrocities may not have happened at least not in Israel had it's own people known of the attack on the Lebanese. It is here that I learned that many Israeli's don't know about the virosity of the attacks, because their own news networks are not reporting the military's actions. Instead they must watch the BBC to get news on what is happening in their own country and the country that borders their own. He then goes into the grief of loved ones having been killed, their need for vengence and thirst to kill the "enemy."

Shawn, you just need to focus. And, by the way, do not use this forum for personal messages.

How was your summer?

The CNN and Union articles have little emotion and are not personal.
The other new reports and blogs are very emotional... It is really sad what is going on in Lebanon and Israel...
It is tough for a reader to sort the information, especailly for our students. We need to be able to recognize where the news is coming from.

The cnn stories give me facts and background. The blogs give me the emotional stuff. Reading the blogs forces me to see the complexities and makes it harder for me to see things in black and white. But it also overwhelms me with the impossibility of "knowing". I still find it hard to navigate on blogs and feel like I know who's "talking".

I'm curious to hear more discussion on how to help students use this. I wonder about the Pandora's Box effect. To what extent am I responsible for opening up unfiltered sources to students who may or may not have learned to discern... I'm not even sure I know how to really figure out how to evaluate these sources!

A Challenge

I taught World History during summer school and the last two days we looked at newspapers. We focused on international news stories. I had a hard time getting students to buy into international news. I received the classic statement "What does this have to do with me?" I feel that partly this comment comes from living in a sheltered community where anything over the 52 summit is foreign, but also students find it hard to identify with people or events from news stories. I think blogs could actually help them put a face to a place, country, event, etc.
Now the challenge is finding the appropriate blogs.

What I believe

I agree with Laura (although I did not read what she said it looked long and she is very smart)

First Blog

Blogs seem to be a way to travel through space and get to the source of the news. I was impressed at the ability to get information from individuals in the site where the news is actually taking place. I could feel what they were feeling and see, through photos, what the people of the area were going through. As in the real world, not everyone has the same opinion as I do about certain subjects. Each of us needs to decide where we stand on the issues. Blogs help to get an overview of what the population thinks. I think that this would help us with a class discussion and also give me a background to help lead the discussion.

personal perspectives

1. My overall impression of the blogs as compared to the mainstream news is that the blogs are generally close up, personal, and full of personal bias.
2. This exercise reveals that the traditional and current dispersion of news is not only too slow in today's technological world, but that the MSN very frequently leaves out the humanity of a situation.
3. The "blog vs. MSN" activity demonstrates very clearly that if students want fresh, personal perspectives on what is happening in the world, they need to be checking the blogs transmitted from the areas in question.

Comments

The situation still the same in the Middle East. We are very lucky not to be in this situation as they are living everyday. I'll be very worry having to wakeup to the sound of bombs everyday. This kind of situation make reflect and be greatful for all I have today and look at every day as my best day ever.

Can't commit

I just feel like I can't commit the emotional (nor intellectual) resources to this issue right now. It's exhausting trying to comprehend what's going on.

Blogging is pretty cool, though...

Both sides of the issue

You can choose either side of the issue depending on what you read. The authors of the current Israel/Hezbollah (Lebanon) blogs have very strong opinions about what is happening in the Middle East region. Some are in favor of Israel's actions against Hezbollah, while others portray Israeli's a war mongurs and agressors.

Whatever side you choose, the bottom line is that what goes on in a war of any size is ugly. Furthermore, it is the innocent who always get the worst of it (Israeli/Leboneese). Wouldn't it be great if the nations of the world would create an island in the middle of the ocean and call it War Island.

A disinterested third party could be in charge of running War Island. This third party could schedule conflicts between waring parties of any nationality, political affiliation, ethnicity, etc. Then on their schedule dates the two combatants would arrive at War Island with their fighters, equipment, logistiical supplies, etc. and the fighting would begin.

After a "winner" emerges then both parties would agree that the "winner" of the war would take the spoils.

I know this is a highly simplistic and maybe even childlike solution to war, but think about it--if we did it this way then tons of innocent civilians would be spared, cities would not be destroyed, a part of human nature would be satisfied, and we could keep all of the misery in one place.

Mideast Problem for US.

The New York Times reported the problems created by Ms. Rice when she first visited Israel and seemed to be supporting Israel's determination to diminish the Hizbellah before they would agree to a cease fire. This seemed to be creating a public relations disaster for the US. She was then reported to have returned to the US to get the UN involved and it did appear that a tentative ceasefire was set in place.
It was interesting to read all the differing viewpoints from people actually in Lebanon and Israel versus just reading reported news events.

Differences in two media sources.

The blogs appear much more personal and gives the reader a feeling for the writer's surroundings and their struggles. The mass media publication give an overview of the facts and reported in a much more inpersonal fashion.

Both Sides

The personal stories from those families in the war zone are so emotional- from what they are going throught to the hatred they feel for each other... how frightening!

MSM vs. Blogs

MSM vs Blogs

Both are helpful in reaching a educated view.
MSM allows you a summarization of what has occured.
Blogs help a person to see the new story or event from a variety of points of view. First person, second hand, middle, right, left views. All of this information forces you to really think and analyze.

Anyone can comment and anyone not just the controlers of MSM have a voice. Revolutionary!

The impact on our students is incredible. All that I hear all day is MySpace, MySpace, MySpace. Why don't you have a MySpace Mr. Hoffman? Technology and information makes the world instant. Students are bored by the industrial era teaching that continues to dominate our education system. We are not giving them what they need for a future out of high school. We must update and change with the times.

Good job Dan!

Brad's Responses

1. What are your overall impressions of the blogs in contrast the MSM news articles?

I doubt the veracity and quality in many of the blogs. It seemed in a few of the blogs there were obvious typos, etc. that made me question the content. Still, the do provide a much more personal "person on the street" quality that mainstram sources cannot grasp.

2. What does this tell us about the current state of information dispersion?

It's mind "bloggling" man! Dude! There is some much stuff out there...it's like there is a web , or something connecting us all together.


3. How does this impact YOUR students? YOUR teaching?

It is huge for my students and me. Unfortuantely at times in the classrom I find myself dealing with many "old school" basics such as reading, writing skills, rather than being able to get my students to think critically and participate in the global community. Still, maybe this is the answer to the paradox...The students will see the importance of the basics by being "out here" in the blogosphere. Do they trust somebody's opinion when they see obvious typos, etc. ? Can they see the relevance of being able to expand their vocabulary? As for my teaching, it seems the more I do teach, the more I see more role as a guide, coach, and less "stand and deliver".

What does all this mean to me?

These postings make the news reports a lot more personal and human. You can understand the frustration as each side asserts its self-interest in this life-and-death struggle. We, as Americans, seem to find it so hard to understand why they can't just learn to live together. We don't understand why it's "either-or", "them-or-us". Is it the connection to the land? Is it the thousands of years of ancestral "ownership"? Is it the twisted sense of religious superiority? Or something else we, as Americans, can't truly understand?

blogs vs. MSN news articles

1. What are your overall impressions of the blogs in contrast the MSM news articles? MSM news articles are factual, unbiased, basic information vs. the blogs, which are more personal and opinionated, but also much more graphic and detailed.
   
2. What does this tell us about the current state of information dispersion? Information can come from many sources. First-hand accounts of events, as found in blogs, are much more realistic, but emotions are also involved. News articles give the available facts of events, but may miss important details while trying to leave out opinions and feelings.
   
3. How does this impact YOUR students? YOUR teaching? Teachers and students need to know how to gather information from a variety of news sources and make sure those sources are reliable and fact-based. At the same time, it is also important to undrstand the impact of events on those involved, which can easily be found in blogs.
   

To address Dan's first question . . . the msm news articles seem to only discuss what is happening from a non emotional point of view. It seems to only give information based on what our government is doing. The blogs give you more of an idea of the feelings that people have, what is actually happening on the ground and the rationale behind the actions that have taken place.
The current state of the information presented seems to be one sided - U.S side. The informatiom we are receiving is from what our government is trying to do not from what is actually happening to the people and the feelings and thoughts behind the actions.
Students may not be receiving the kind of information they need to make educated opinions on the current state of the middle east. If they are only receiving news from these news stories they may not be able to see the whole reason for the war and see the each sides perspective. Students need to learn how to take in the news that they receive and be able to recognize bias.

Beirut Blogs

In reading a few of these sites what strikes me first of all is that the writing on most is pretty good. I'm used to seeing student communication that uses altered spelling, no punctuation, etc. I am also impressed with the eloquence of everyday people and their insights. This is a rare opportunity to be able to be in the middle of history and to get primary source information.

I especially liked the blog that described the ongoing nightclub scene in Lebanon. It described how the rich club owners had moved their operations away from the bombing sites and into the mountain communities. The blogger wanted to take photos of the people at the resort, and many objected, claiming he was trying to make them feel guilty for having a good time.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts Summer Institute. This blog will serve as a discussion board for the day. You will be posting your contributions throughout the day here.

The main workshop wiki can be found at http://guhsd2006.pbwiki.com.