Parental Involvement
As a future teacher, I am aware of some of the possible effects of parental involvement (or the lack thereof). The concepts taught and learned in class should be reinforced beyond the classroom walls. Blogs enable parents/guardians to be involved in their childs educational experience even if they never step foot into the actual classroom. Some parents arent able to visit the classroom regularly, but a classroom blog can keep parents abreast to classroom activities and events. I visited a very impressive classroom blog called "4K Class blog". If I were a parent I'd prefer such a resource. There are pictures of the classroom, examples of the students work, upcoming school events, and many other resources. I felt as though I was familiar with this classroom in Whitefish, WI, and I've never even been there.
Student Achievement
Blogs are useful as well for students. Sometimes students forget their homework assignments (sometimes even adults forget it too). Blogs help students to exercise their computer knowledge, as well as keep tabs on their schoolwork. They can also compare their progress from the beginning of the school year as well as see other students work. There's a blog I visited called Mrs. Cassidy's blog, and this blog is ideal for the this I mentioned above. Students are able to do many things including seeing video clips of themselves busy at work in the classroom. I love it!!!
Considering the digital divide
I once read an article about the "digital divide", and I was somewhat embarrassed that I hadn't thought about the fact that some technological privileges aren't granted to all people, either they can't or they may not know how. Some people, for various reasons, will probably never be able to visit a classroom blog. How would I keep these parents well informed? As a teacher, my goal is to set up a dynamic classroom blog, and for those who may not have internet access or computer literacy I would personally call them or send them update letters. For the students and parents who do have internet access and computer literacy, everything will be available on our blog. If I form a partnership with the parents, I feel that it works out for the ultimate benefit of the children.
Considering the digital divide
I once read an article about the "digital divide", and I was somewhat embarrassed that I hadn't thought about the fact that some technological privileges aren't granted to all people, either they can't or they may not know how. Some people, for various reasons, will probably never be able to visit a classroom blog. How would I keep these parents well informed? As a teacher, my goal is to set up a dynamic classroom blog, and for those who may not have internet access or computer literacy I would personally call them or send them update letters. For the students and parents who do have internet access and computer literacy, everything will be available on our blog. If I form a partnership with the parents, I feel that it works out for the ultimate benefit of the children.
3 comments:
It's hard to imagine people not having access to a computer or the internet, but it happens more often than we think. You brought up a really great point that we as teachers need to be able to provide alternative forms of communication for those without internet access. Thanks for the reminder!
The post you made about Mrs. Cassidy's blog was really interesting. I hadn't realized that you could post videos on blogs until I clicked on your link to her blog. I agree that it is really cool not only for parents but the children as well. I think kids really enjoy being recognized for their hard work and it makes them more apt to want to continue working hard, even when they don't realize that they are learning along the way.
In response to your post about the "digital divide" I wonder what you would think about possibly having students who don't have access to a computer, pairing up with those who do... It could become a partner or group project. Do you think this would work well? Because I have also often thought about children who don't have access to the internet and wondered what ways they could get involved so as not to be left out. I think the solutions you provide, especially the newsletter are great, but I think those students still need to learn how to use technology--though this could potentially come from a computer class in school.
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