Currently I teach grades 9-12. There are four courses I teach. They are Accounting, Keyboarding, Managing Your Personal Finances, and The ABC's of Investing. I have been thinking of how I could incorporate blogging in one of my classes. Here is an idea I have. Please let me know what you think of it. What problems do you foresee me encountering? How can my idea be improved upon? Here is my idea.
In Accounting, our textbook offers some materials where 'soft skills' of the business world are touched upon. There is usually a several paragraph article followed by several questions for student discussion. Being teenagers, my students are very hesitant to express any thoughts that appear to not follow the status quo. Frequently it is difficult to engage them in discussion, let alone higher-level thinking skills. Here is where I think blogging would work well. I would divide my class into groups of 5 students each. I have 25 students. Each student would be given a 'code' name. They would use this name in their posts. This would keep the post anonymous. In addition, it would encourage those quiet students, with so much to say, to do just that. The students would be given a scenario and would respond to it. They would also respond to at least two of their fellow teammates. I would read and approve all postings before being published. Following is an example of one of the prompts.
Scenario: You have a part-time job at a petting zoo. There's a strict do-not-feed-the-animals policy for visitors. You see a parent encouraging his kids to give some apples to a goat. You approach the parent and tell him about the policy. He says, "Oh, a couple of little apples aren't going to make a difference." How do you respond to the parent? What do you say? What else could you do?
This is just one example of helping students develop communication skills-one of the 'soft skills'. I think blogging would help them see a variety of ways to respond to situations. It would help them communicate their thoughts in a environment where they feel 'safe' from peer criticism. What's your suggestions?
Thanks for helping me on this!
5 comments:
Hello!
I really like your idea, and that you are encouraging a safe environment where your students can feel comfortable.
Do you plan on giving class time for them to respond, or would this be an at-home assignment? I would recommend it be at-home so students do not see other classmates' nicknames for the site.
Otherwise, great idea!
Hi,
I like your idea! I think that the scenarios are a great way to generate discussion and really get them thinking. You said that you would give the students code names so that their postings would be anonymous. What would stop the students from telling each other their code names?
I agree with you that a system like this would encourage students that are more shy to share their opinions. Would the groups of 5 be posting one response or would each student in the group have their own?
Marcella and Michelle you have both brought up important points. As to where the blogging would be done, I prefer using classtime, but will ask my students for their feelings on this. Most, but not all, have access to a computer and the Internet at school. I don't want to embarrass any that don't have the Internet. Also, many work, and work not completed at school, frequently doesn't get accomplished.
Yet thinking more about it, a blogging response from home might be more authentic. That is a good point.
In retrospect, I would let students submit their blogs, with their names on it for me to see. I would then edit out their names. This will help the students be more forthright in their comments.
Thanks for your suggestions
I like your idea very much. You are having them think about real world situations. I think that I would keep the psuedonyms. You are likely to get truer responses. Many people find it easier to write their ideas under different names. Just look at all of the authors who do not use their real names. You could put their blog names in your grade book next to their names. For those students who do not have access to a computer at home, do you have a computer lab in your school? Would the students be able to use the lab during free time, before class in the morning, or right after school? I look forward to reading how your students responded?
Michelle,
You brought up a good point. I was planning on breaking students into groups of five; with each student posting a response. I thought that if I have all 25 read and respond to the same blog; it may be overwhelming for them. They may not want to read through all 25 comments. The organization of this needs some more reflection. If I only have students read 4 other responses, it doesn't let them benefit from the comments of the other 20 in class. Hmmm!!! Five seems too small a number and 25 too large. Perhaps I can split the class into two groups. Each group would respond initially and also respond to their fellow students posts. I could have them respond to three other students' comments. No other teacher in my school has done anything like this. I wish I knew of someone who had, so I could learn from their past experiences.
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