Tuesday 16 September 2014

TEACHING POEMS WITH THE SUPPORT OF KARAOKE

INNOVATIVE TEACHING MANUAL



NAME OF THE TEACHER : ANANDALAKSHMI S. NAIR
NAME OF THE SCHOOL   :
SUBJECT                              : ENGLISH
UNIT                                     : VI, MIRRORING THE TIMES
SUB-UNIT                            : TELEVISION
ISSUE                                   : LACK OF COHESIVE UNIVERSAL VISION
SUB-ISSUE                          : ISSUE RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF VISUAL MEDIA
                                                                                                           IN INDIA
TYPE OF LESSON              :TEACHING PRACTICE

CONTENT ANALYSIS

 

     Idea

           "Television" is a caustic satire on the visual media culture which benumbs the young brains and thereby distances them from reading and books. The poet doesn't conceal his outright rage and protest against the idiotic thing. It is an ardent plea for throwing away the television set so that the old custom and culture of reading good books can be restored.

CURRICULAR OBJECTIVES

  • The learner reads and analyses poems
  • The learner identifies the theme of the poem
  • The learner enjoys the genre, poetry
  • The learner develops media literacy
  • The learner creates an awareness on media and their role in the society

PRE-REQUISITES

  • The learner has a knowledge about media
  • The learner has seen television programs
  • The learner knows the importance of television

LEARNING MATERIALS

  • Karaoke
  • Charts
  • Flash cards

REFERENCE MATERIALS

  • Course book
  • Handbook
  • Internet
  • Dictionary

PEDAGOGICAL PROCEDURE

                    Before every task, we have a special conversation : a warm-up activity in order to relax and begin functioning in English; teacher review some topics or clarify/introduce others for a short period of time.

                    The teacher invites the learners to listen to a song. She presents the vocal record of the famous number from the movie "Titanic" - 'Every time in my dreams...'.

                     We discuss the type of music, some background information on the Film and song, as well as other possible information that students possess that the teacher did not know about.

                      The teacher tells the learners that now they are going to try some new lyrics for the song they have heard.

                      Teacher introduces the author of the poem and the title of the same and writes them on the C.B.

                      The teacher sings the karaoke song first as many students are not confident enough during the first sessions to start up; once the teacher sings it, students are asked to sing it again sometimes all together and sometimes a sole volunteer might appear. Once we sing the song, we have the activities with the lyrics included; students often asks about unknown words or look them up in the dictionary by themselves. The activities include familiarization of the lyrics and some discussion items about parts of the lyrics.


SIGNIFICANCE OF THE METHOD


                     Karaoke is a great tool for any language teacher as it will help students to enjoy and take into mind the lines of various poems in their text. Singing can be a fun activity for that can bring joy and relaxation to a setting that normally has lots of pressure such as some English classes. Learning English Poems can be a great challenge for many students. Most of them consider poems to be more difficult than prose.

                     Karaoke seems to be a promising aid for attracting students, and to achieve the great goal of helping them learn poems while at the same time having a good experience.Songs are tools used in sustaining cultures, religions and even revolutions. That is why I believe in the importance of music and the use of karaoke to improve a skill in my students.

Monday 8 September 2014

MY PPT Presentation

English Assignment - "ENGLISH TEACHER'S BLOG"


INTRODUCTION

There are many teacher-related blogs on the internet where teachers can share information with one another. Teachers familiarize themselves with edublogs before implementing them with their students. Many teachers share materials and ideas to meet the diverse needs of all learners in their classrooms. Teachers can often rely on these sources to communicate with one another regarding any issues in education that they may be having, including classroom management techniques and policies. In this way, the blog often acts as a support system for teachers where they can access ideas, tools, and gain support and recognition from other professionals in their field. Weblogs can provide a forum for reading, writing and collaborating.

Edublogs can be used as instructional resources, in which teachers can post tips, explanations or samples to help students learn. The use of blogs in the classroom allows both the teacher and student the ability to edit and add content at any time. The ability for both the teacher and student to edit content allows for study to take place outside the classroom environment, since blogs can usually be accessed using the URL of the blog on any computer. Blogs increase exposure to other students from around the country or world, while improving writing and communication skills. Teachers are using blogs as a way to post important information such as homework, important dates, missed lessons, projects, discussion boards, and other useful classroom information that is accessible by all. As noted, students can access this information from home, or from any computer that is connected to the Internet.

Teachers and parents can also use blogs in order to communicate with one another. They can be used to post class announcements for parents or providing schedule reminders. Connecting to a teacher's blog is also a convenient way for parents to find out daily assignments so that they can monitor their children's progress and understand classroom expectations.

SOME EXAMPLES

 

This section lists those teacher or teaching blogs which we think merit reading. The blogs are all very different, but all interesting in one way or another. Some look at the day to day life of a teacher, others at teaching techniques, materials and methods. In any event, whatever their content or focus, we think they're all worth a read.

 
Joyful Collapse

 Mindy Keller is the writer of the teacher blog 'Joyful Collapse'. Mindy graduated summa cum laude from Florida Atlantic University and began teaching in 1998. Her career spans from teaching remedial to advanced courses in English as well as courses in theatre and debate within both traditional and virtual environments.

Through her blog 'Joyful Collapse', Mindy aims to help teachers - particularly high school English educators - in determining best practices for reaching today's adolescents. The website contains a blend of philosophy, practical advice, discussion, and discourse.

English Attack!

 The English Attack! Entertainment English Blog explains and discusses various approaches for improving effectiveness in teaching English to EFL and ESL learners, in particular teens and young adults.

The Blog covers aspects of teaching and learning based on principles of cognitive neuroscience or so-called "brain-based learning"; provides explanation of the pedagogical approaches used in the English Attack! online learning resource for consumers, schools and organizations; and gives the author's thoughts and impressions about industry events, IATEFL and TESOL conferences, and general trends in the industry.

English Attack! was selected as one of the finalists in the 2010 PLUGG pan-European competition for technology start-ups, and in the same years was a finalist in the Tech Crunch Paris, Seedcamp Paris (voted among the top five start-ups) and pan-European The Next Web start-up events.

EFL Training

 This blog is owned by Christina, an experienced ESL teacher and teacher trainer, currently working in Italy for a large teaching organisation. The blog is written for teachers and trainee teachers who are passionate about teaching and interested in lifelong learning.

The blog includes a wide range of sections covering topics such as CELTA, Teacher Development, learning terminology, technology, dyslexia and more besides. In addition there are sections and posts relating to resources you might find useful in your classrooms. An interesting site, worth a visit!

Reflections of a Teacher and Learner

 Dave Dodgson has been working as an EFL teacher in Turkey since 2000 and has also taught in Spain, where he did his teacher training. His blog, Reflections of a Teacher and Learner, is about the reflections of a teacher and learner! He reflects on his teaching, shares lesson ideas, talks about his MA studies, conferences, posts general thoughts on education or whatever's on his mind.

One of the most recent posts, for example, was 'How NOT to Teach a Great Lesson (or How to Increase Student Creativity)' and subtitled 'How NOT to Teach a Great Lesson - in Ten Easy Steps' which every EFL-ESL teacher should read.

If you're an English teacher, this blog, once voted British Council Teaching English Blog of the Month (February 2012), is certainly worth a visit.

 

KELTA

Kerala English Language Teachers’ Association is an avenue to in-depth analysis on emerging trends and challenges in Teaching English

KUETEF

Kerala University English Teacher Educator’s Forum has everything a student teacher of English is looking for. This is an exclusive blog for teacher trainees of English optional under Kerala University. The site is interactive and informative.

 

CONCLUSION

 

There are several uses of edublogs. Some bloggers use their blogs as a learning journal or a knowledge log to gather relevant information and ideas, and communicate with other people. Some teachers use blogs to keep in contact with students' parents. Some bloggers use blogs to record their own personal life, and express emotions or feelings. Some instructors use blogs as an instructional and assessment tool, and blogs can be used as a task management tool. Blogs are used to teach individuals about writing for an audience as they can be made public, and blogging software makes it easier to create content for the Web without knowing much HTML.

 

REFERENCE



3.       http://www.english4keralasyllabus.com

4.       http://keltakerala.blogspot.in

5.       http://kuetef.blogspot.in

English Assignment - "KERALA CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK-2007"


INTRODUCTION

As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults. A curriculum is prescriptive, and is based on a more general syllabus which merely specifies what topics must be understood and to what level to achieve a particular grade or standard. In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses and their content offered at a school or university.

A curriculum framework is an organized plan or set of standards or learning outcomes that defines the content to be learned in terms of clear, definable standards of what the student should know and be able to do.

KERALA CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

 

‘What we have left out of consideration so far, or perhaps not considered sufficiently seriously, is the problem of what subjects should be included in a curriculum that takes into account 'the times, the location and the nature of the society' it is rooted in and what benefits are expected from the subjects that are so included. It would not be true to say that this problem had not been considered from the beginning.  When the educational experts who were the spokesmen of colonialism laid out a curriculum, they had some considerations in mind.  It is as though those considerations have not been questioned since then.  We have only attached bits and pieces to what was laid down then.  In short, we have not tried to bring about a fundamental change in the matter.’

- Prof. Joseph Mundasseri - the first Minister for Education, Govt. of Kerala)

Kerala’s effort to develop a curriculum framework is a turning point in the history of the state. It is for the first time that the state is making such an exercise and it is rooted on the ideas articulated in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) -2005. Whenever curriculum reforms were taken up at the national level, the state responded to them in the past.

After the formation of NCERT in 1961, Kerala has been following all the curriculum reform efforts initiated at the national level. For instance, the state initiated the process for reforming its curriculum following the National Curriculum Framework -1975.  The state also took steps to implement NPE- 1986 and the Programme of Action (1992). It was in 1997, that an effort for the formulation of a comprehensive curriculum focusing on the process of teaching and learning was attempted in Kerala.  Rooted in the emerging methodology and strategies, an integrated method of learning, a process- oriented-activity-based approach, viewing learner as a constructor of knowledge, recognising the role of society in knowledge construction and the idea of continuous and comprehensive evaluation came into effect. However, the state’s curriculum reform effort gained further impetus with the formulation of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) -2005. NCF-2005 and the position papers provided grounds for introspection and formulation of the Kerala Curriculum Framework (KCF)-2007.

 

 

 

KERALA CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK 2007

 

The curriculum revision programme in Kerala was conceptualised on the basis of the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework (N.C.F-2005). The curriculum revision initiated in 1996 in Kerala had a strong influence in the formation of National Curriculum Framework. Kerala could display the active working model of a learning process that has its foundation in the principles of Constructivism and a learner-centred, activity-based and process-oriented pedagogy. Therefore, we must now envision educational reforms that go beyond the National Curriculum Framework, making it a springboard for further research.

Based on the National Curriculum Framework 2005, efforts to revise the Kerala School Curriculum began in August, 2006.  The first phase of the revision process is culminated by the publication of the Kerala Curriculum Framework 2007. It has been made a reality through the process detailed below.

• The plan of action for curriculum revision was prepared and was subject to the consideration of the NCERT and the Kerala State Government.

• The Malayalam version of National Curriculum Framework 2005 was printed and distributed.

• A two-day workshop comprising curriculum committee members, experts in the field of education, representatives of the state advisory committee for education and SCERT faculty was conducted to form the plan of action. 14 subject areas were fixed and 14 subject groups were formed.  A 30-member core group and 14 focus groups with 230 members were proposed to be formed.

• The first meeting of the core group that was formed by the Kerala Government was held at SCERT.  A combined workshop for all the 14 focus groups was planned. The curriculum revision process was sanctioned.

• A three-day workshop was conducted, including the focus group members and the core group members.  The participants could familiarize themselves with NCF 2005, collect observations, fix the educational needs of Kerala, decide the mode of operation of the focus groups and analyze the curriculum.  Dr. M. A. Khadar, the head of the curriculum group of the NCERT, Dr. Anita Rampal, from the curriculum division of Delhi University and Dr. Manjula Rao from the evaluation department of the Regional Institute of Education attended the workshop.

• The activities of the focus group were centred on the DIETs of all the fourteen districts. In order to discuss the curriculum revision programme, DIET principals, DDEs, representatives from local self-government bodies, representatives of SSAs, SCERT faculty and DPI held meetings and seminars to form opinions at the district level.

• 14 district level seminars were organized by DIETs and local self-government bodies.

• A three-day workshop was organized to form a general approach for curriculum revision.

• A three-day seminar was organized for a detailed study of the problems in different fields.

• A meeting of DIET principals was held to unify the district level activities.

• A web portal titled www.kerala.gov.in was formed to facilitate interaction with the public.

• The focus group conducted a detailed study for two months in all the 14 districts under the leadership of the DIETs.  14 position papers were formed after school visits and surveys to evaluate different textbooks and learning materials.

• An interim evaluation of the activities of the focus groups was conducted.

• The position papers were brought for discussion in a three-day workshop attended by curriculum committee members and the members of the core group.

• Based on the suggestions in the position papers, the Kerala Curriculum Framework was formed.

• This Framework was presented for discussion and approval before the Kerala society.  As a part of this, the main suggestions therein were presented at the district, panchayat, municipality and school levels.  The suggestions made in these discussions have been consolidated at the district and state levels. On the basis of these suggestions as well the curriculum framework was prepared.  We have to now take up the framing of the syllabus up to the 12th standard, the preparation of learning materials, try-out, preparing teachers to use the new materials and make structural reforms.

Thus the curriculum revision programme in Kerala was launched as part of an endeavour to strengthen the Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary school education in Kerala. We have already won laurels in matters like rate of literacy and enrolment of students in school. In order to advance further in this direction, we should ensure quality education to all children without any form of discrimination. Such an endeavour should also serve the needs of the future society.

The curriculum that has been designed, along with the learning materials prepared, has much to claim on the grounds of quality. But it also serves to bring about changes in the academic environment that usually tends to stick to worn-out practices. A new trend can be established only with the active participation of the civil society. And this is the reason which made the curriculum popular and acceptable.

CONCLUSION

 

Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may also be autodidactic. Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. Education is commonly divided into stages such as preschool, primary school, secondary school and then college, university or apprenticeship.

Therefore there is a general demand to explain the social aims of a curriculum. A student who completes his/her school education is expected to be able to face any real life situation boldly and should be equipped to get employed at the time of completion of his course. This is the purpose of general education and not a mere internalization of academic subjects.

 

REFERENCE

1.       www.scert.kerala.gov.in

2.       teachereducationindia.blogspot.com



 

English Seminar Paper - "CRITICAL PEDAGOGY"


INTRODUCTION

 

Pedagogy (/ˈpɛdəɡɒdʒi/ or /ˈpɛdəɡoʊdʒi/) is the science and art of education. Its aims range from the full development of the human being to skills acquisition. For example, Paulo Freire referred to his method of teaching people as "critical pedagogy".

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of Critical Pedagogy to the classroom teacher - the person who literally spends his or her life and energies in direct interactions and relationship with the students in the public schools - and to offer examples of Critical Pedagogy itself as implemented in the classroom.

 

CRITICAL PEDAGOGY

 

Critical pedagogy is a teaching approach inspired by Marxist critical theory and other radical philosophies, which attempts to help students question and challenge posited "domination," and to undermine the beliefs and practices that are alleged to dominate. In other words, it is a theory and practice of helping students achieve "critical consciousness."

Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of education and social movement that combines education with critical theory. First described by Paulo Freire, it has since been developed by Henry Giroux and others as a praxis-oriented (Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practiced, embodied, or realized) "educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive action." Among its leading figures are Michael Apple, bell hooks, Joe L. Kincheloe, Peter McLaren, Henry Giroux, and Patti Lather.

Critical pedagogy includes relationships between teaching and learning. Its proponents claim that it is a continuous process of what they call "unlearning", "learning", and "relearning", "reflection", "evaluation", and the impact that these actions have on the students, in particular students whom they believe have been historically and continue to be disenfranchised by what they call "traditional schooling".

Ira Shor identifies principal goals of Critical Pedagogy: “when pedagogy and curricular policy reflect egalitarian goals, they do what education can do:

 

I.                    Oppose socialization with de-socialization

II.                  Choose critical consciousness over commercial consciousness

III.                Transformation of society over reproduction of inequality

IV.                Promote democracy by practicing it and by studying authoritarianism

V.                  Challenge student withdrawal through participatory courses

VI.                Illuminate the myths supporting the elite hierarchy of society

VII.              Interfere with the scholastic disabling of students through a critical literacy program

VIII.            Raise awareness about the thought and language expressed in daily life

IX.                Distribute research skills and censored information useful for investigating power and policy in society

X.                  Invite students to reflect socially on their conditions, to consider overcoming limits. . . .

 

               Critical pedagogy considers how education can provide individuals with the tools to better themselves and strengthen democracy, to create a more egalitarian and just society, and thus to deploy education in a process of progressive social change.  Media literacy involves teaching the skills that will empower citizens and students to become sensitive to the politics of representations of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and other cultural differences in order to foster critical thinking and enhance democratization.  Critical media literacy aims to make viewers and readers more critical and discriminating readers and producers of texts.

Critical media pedagogy provides students and citizens with the tools to analyze critically how texts are constructed and in turn construct and position viewers and readers.  It provides tools so that individuals can dissect the instruments of cultural domination; transform themselves from objects to subjects, from passive to active.  Thus critical media literacy is empowering, enabling students to become critical producers of meanings and texts, able to resist manipulation and domination.

CRITICISMS OF CRITICAL PEDAGOGY

Criticisms:

 

1. Ignores Virtues of Dominant Culture - Critical Pedagogy disregards the values implicit within social structures. For example, in its criticism of American Imperialism, critical pedagogy ignores the virtues of America. They miss the fact that our foreign intervention has liberated people and stopped genocide, even if it has also killed civilians and created totalitarian governments.

2. Critical Pedagogy Indoctrinates – Because they do not believe that education can be neutral, there is a subtle temptation to indoctrinate students. Critical theorists point out that the current system already indoctrinates and that critical theory at least allows students to develop their own convictions. However, critics of Critical Pedagogy feel that this undermines the work of parents, churches, family and other social institutions in instilling values among their children.

3. Limited in Scope – Critical theory makes sense in language arts and in social sciences. However, it is difficult to see how it can apply to math or science. Though there is some validity there, critical pedagogy could be applied in certain circumstances to math and science. For example, critical pedagogy encourages students to challenge assumptions, create hypothesis and test it with action.

 

CONCLUSION

 

                                Simply put, to remain a teacher who relies on schooling is the despair that we all can fall into. School structures - be they time, bureaucracy, hierarchy, curriculum - have a way of deskilling the teacher and robbing her/him of the enthusiasm to proceed with their job creatively. One point I tell prospective and in-service teachers. To begin the "critical" project is to simultaneously be reflective on how one is personally schooling themselves and their clientele, while also attempting to move out of the schooling mentality, both theoretically and practically. Therein lies the hope for teachers in the trenches. We can indeed educate our students if we choose when and where it is appropriate to resist schooling structures. Hope lies in asking and answering this following question, and then, subsequently, taking action. To what end do I teach? When I can truly answer that question, the critical pedagogue will realize that teaching is more than about transmitting the basics of schooling, but really about the vitality of educating for citizenship, democracy and the hope that this can be passed on to future generations. Clearly, teachers, there is a lot of work to be done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFERENCE

 






 

 

 

English Seminar Paper - "BLOG"


INTRODUCTION

 

A blog (a truncation of the expression web log) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first). Until 2009 blogs were usually the work of a single individual, occasionally of a small group, and often covered a single subject. More recently "multi-author blogs" (MABs) have developed, with posts written by large numbers of authors and professionally edited.

The term "weblog" was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. The short form, "blog", was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or May 1999. Shortly thereafter, Evan Williams at Pyra Labs used "blog" as both a noun and verb ("to blog", meaning "to edit one's weblog or to post to one's weblog") and devised the term "blogger" in connection with Pyra Labs' Blogger product, leading to the popularization of the terms.

ORIGINS

 

The modern blog evolved from the online diary, where people would keep a running account of their personal lives. Most such writers called themselves diarists, journalists, or journalers. Justin Hall, who began personal blogging in 1994 while a student at Swarthmore College, is generally recognized as one of the earlier bloggers, as is Jerry Pournelle.

Early blogs were simply manually updated components of common Web sites. However, the evolution of tools to facilitate the production and maintenance of Web articles posted in reverse chronological order made the publishing process feasible to a much larger, less technical, population. Ultimately, this resulted in the distinct class of online publishing that produces blogs we recognize today.

TYPES

There are many different types of blogs, differing not only in the type of content, but also in the way that content is delivered or written.

         i.            Personal blogs

The personal blog is an ongoing diary or commentary written by an individual.

       ii.            Microblogging

Microblogging is the practice of posting small pieces of digital content—which could be text, pictures, links, short videos, or other media—on the Internet. Microblogging offers a portable communication mode that feels organic and spontaneous to many and has captured the public imagination. Friends use it to keep in touch, business associates use it to coordinate meetings or share useful resources, and celebrities and politicians (or their publicists) microblog about concert dates, lectures, book releases, or tour schedules. A wide and growing range of add-on tools enables sophisticated updates and interaction with other applications, and the resulting profusion of functionality is helping to define new possibilities for this type of communication.Examples of these include Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and by far the largest WeiBo.

      iii.            Corporate and organizational blogs

A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business purposes. Blogs used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or public relations purposes are called corporate blogs. Similar blogs for clubs and societies are called club blogs, group blogs, or by similar names; typical use is to inform members and other interested parties of club and member activities.

     iv.            By genre

Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs, health blogs, travel blogs (also known as travelogs), gardening blogs, house blogs,fashion blogs, project blogs, education blogs, niche blogs, classical music blogs, quizzing blogs and legal blogs (often referred to as a blawgs) or dreamlogs. How To/Tutorial blogs are becoming increasing popular. Two common types of genre blogs are art blogs and music blogs. A blog featuring discussions especially about home and family is not uncommonly called a mom blog and one made popular is by Erica Diamond who created Womenonthefence.com which is syndicated to over two million readers monthly. While not a legitimate type of blog, one used for the sole purpose of spamming is known as a Splog.

       v.            By media type

A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog. Blogs with shorter posts and mixed media types are called tumblelogs. Blogs that are written on typewriters and then scanned are called typecast or typecast blogs; see typecasting (blogging).

A rare type of blog hosted on the Gopher Protocol is known as a Phlog.

     vi.            By device

Blogs can also be defined by which type of device is used to compose it. A blog written by a mobile device like a mobile phone or PDA could be called a moblog. One early blog was Wearable Wireless Webcam, an online shared diary of a person's personal life combining text, video, and pictures transmitted live from a wearable computer and EyeTap device to a web site. This practice of semi-automated blogging with live video together with text was referred to as sousveillance. Such journals have been used as evidence in legal matters.

    vii.            Reverse blog

A Reverse Blog is composed by its users rather than a single blogger. This system has the characteristics of a blog, and the writing of several authors. These can be written by several contributing authors on a topic, or opened up for anyone to write. There is typically some limit to the number of entries to keep it from operating like a Web Forum.

BLOGGING AND EDUCATION

 

As the Internet becomes an increasingly pervasive and persistent influence in people's lives, the phenomenon of the blog stands out as a fine example of the way in which the Web enables individual participation in the marketplace of ideas.Teachers have picked up on the creative use of this Internet technology and put the blog to work in the classroom. The education blog can be a powerful and effective technology tool for students and teachers alike.

Blogs work well for students because they can be worked on at virtually any time, in any place with an Internet-enabled computer. Hence, they can be used by computer savvy teachers to create a classroom that extends beyond the boundaries of the school yard.

User-Friendly Technology
Fortunately for teachers, blogs are surprisingly easy to use. They require minimum technical knowledge and are quickly and easily created and maintained. Unlike many traditional Web sites, they are flexible in design and can be changed relatively easily. Best of all, students will find them convenient and accessible via home or library computers.

Educational Benefits of Blogs
In addition to providing teachers with an excellent tool for communicating with students, there are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are:

  • Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms.
  • Excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
  • Effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
  • Powerful tools to enable scaffolded learning or mentoring to occur.

Using the Blog in the Classroom
As an educational tool, blogs may be integrated in a multi-faceted manner to accommodate all learners. Blogs can serve at least four basic functions.

  1. Classroom Management
    Class blogs can serve as a portal to foster a community of learners. As they are easy to create and update efficiently, they can be used to inform students of class requirements, post handouts, notices, and homework assignments, or act as a question and answer board.
  2. Collaboration
    Blogs provide a space where teachers and students can work to further develop writing or other skills with the advantage of an instant audience. Teachers can offer instructional tips, and students can practice and benefit from peer review. They also make online mentoring possible. For example, a class of older students can help a class of younger students develop more confidence in their writing skills. Students can also participate in cooperative learning activities that require them to relay research findings, ideas, or suggestions.
  3. Discussions
    A class blog opens the opportunity for students to discuss topics outside of the classroom. With a blog, every person has an equal opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Students have time to be reactive to one another and reflective. Teachers can also bring together a group of knowledgeable individuals for a given unit of study for students to network and conference with on a blog.

Student Portfolios
Blogs present, organize, and protect student work as digital portfolios. As older entries are archived, developing skills and progress may be analyzed more conveniently. Additionally, as students realize their efforts will be published, they are typically more motivated to produce better writing. Teachers and peers may conference with a student individually on a developing work, and expert or peer mentoring advice can be easily kept for future reference.

Blog Risks to Consider
School districts have guidelines and acceptable use policies (AUP) regarding the use of school and division-wide computer networks and the Internet. These terms and conditions identify acceptable online behavior and access privileges. Policies regarding the displaying of any student work must be adhered to strictly. Take the necessary steps to secure parental permission before using the blog in a participatory manner.

Blogs may be viewed publicly, as any other Web site. Students must be trained on issues regarding access, privacy, security, and free expression. As blogs have no publisher, producer, or editor, students must carefully consider the content of postings to avoid anything defamatory, libelous, or an infringement upon the rights of others.

Blogs are created by individuals for various and assorted purposes. Content should be recognized as the opinion of the blogger, and, therefore, may not necessarily be factual.

Preparing Students for Blogging

  • Determine that all students' AUPs are in place and up to date.
  • Inform parents of procedures and secure parental permission.
  • Teach students safe, acceptable, and sensible behavior as online authors and readers.
  • Review policies and guidelines pertaining to student access.
  • Teach the non-posting rules of no complete names, e-mail accounts, or references to reveal location.
  • Set clear expectations regarding tone, respect, and consequences.

Steps for Getting Started on Blogs
There are a number of free blogging tools available.

  1. Go to one of the available free blogging sites (Blogger at www.blogger.com is a very popular one).
  2. Provide the necessary information requested. (user name, password)
  3. Create a title for your blog.
  4. Accept terms and select a template.
  5. Publish!

CONCLUSION

 

The impact of certain “stories” gave greater credibility to blogs as a medium of news dissemination. Though often seen as partisan gossips, bloggers sometimes lead the way in bringing key information to public light, with mainstream media having to follow their lead. More often, however, news blogs tend to react to material already published by the mainstream media. Meanwhile, an increase in number of experts’ blogged, make blogs a source of in-depth analysis.

Blogs are digital platforms that provide students with a medium for sharing knowledge and experiences that go beyond the traditional means of reading and writing in classrooms. Teachers and students from different states, countries, and continents are able to collaborate on different projects and ideas. Thus the use of blogs in education gives students a global perspective.

REFERENCE

1.       http://en.wikipedia.org

2.       Blood, Rebecca (September 7, 2000). "Weblogs: A History And Perspective".

3.       http://glencoe.com

4.       Michael Gorman. "Revenge of the Blog People!". Library Journal.