Blogging in Elementary School
According to the journal article, Blogging As A Means of Crafting Writing, by Jan Lacina and Robert Griffith, “integrating blogging into classroom writing instruction can engage students and motivate them to participate more fully in the writing process” (2013, p. 317). This article also provides recommendations to assist teachers in integrating a blog into their classroom: “take baby steps, don’t compose online in the beginning-model and guide your students first, make expectations for the blog clear to your students, and promote choice in topics when creating a blog” (Lacina, Griffith, 2013, p. 319). Finally, this journal article includes references to other research conducted on the subject. For example, Lacina and Block (2012) conclude “whether you are teaching writing in a traditional classroom or within the context of a blog, the development of a community of writers is essential. Teachers need the opportunity to model and share their writing with their students to show they are also writers and also struggle with writing” (as cited in Lacina, Griffith, 2013, p. 319). I found the research provided in the article fascinating. I was amazed at how much research has been done on blogging and the positive impact it can have in the elementary classroom with students.
I also expanded my search for information on blogging in the classroom to other educational articles on the internet. Interestingly enough, I found two blogs that identified the critical information I was looking for. The first blog article, Introducing Social Media to Elementary Students, identifies three ways in which social media, such as blogs, can positively impact and “transform a student’s learning experience” (Holland, 2013). According to the examples provided by Holland (2013), “social media can extend the classroom, create connected and empowered learners, and help students develop a voice.”
I really enjoyed reading through Holland’s post and clicking on her linked examples to further my education in social media. As I was clicking on the embedded links on her website, I came across another blog post that I really connected with. Mrs. Wideen’s Blog contains a post titled How my Learning Environment Has Evolved. I loved reading though her personal experience with blogging in the Kindergarten classroom. I really connected with her because, until now, I was also afraid to implement blogging in the classroom. Wideen (2013) shares about her experience with her students “by giving them the choice on what they learn about, they are intellectually engaged” (para. 5).
Reading how blogs and other technology has changed Wideen’s classroom practice, along with the other sources of information I have viewed on this topic, has completely changed my perspective on using blogging in my first grade classroom. I hope to get my first classroom blog up and running soon!
References:
Holland, B. (2013, June 18). Introducing social media to elementary students. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/introducing-social-media-lower-elementary-beth-holland
Lacina, J., & Griffith, R. (2013). Blogging as a means of crafting writing. Reading Teacher, 66(4), 316-320. Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login? auth=shibb&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ986552&site=eds-live&scope=site;http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/10.1002/TRTR.01128
Wideen, K. (2013, April 13). How my learning environment has evolved. [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.mrswideen.com/2013/04/how-my-learning-environment-has-evolved.html
**I came up with the idea for my blog post this week using bubbl.us. Here is a picture of my concept map: