MAKING WAVE FINAL REFLECTION

As I reflect on the blogging exercise assigned for the last couple of weeks,although it was consuming it was a learning experience for me.
I personally would never participate in this type of activity because of the time one must spend online and I don’t like online socializing. After a few posting, I realized the potential this assignment could have in the classroom.

As I began to look deeper into the process I realized blogging is a social tool and it connects people together to discuss a topic, which produces a form of communication.
Blogging can be used in the curriculum in several ways,and I would implement this tool in my classroom because of its a literacy aspects. One of its biggest benefits, in my opinion, is that every student in the class has an equal playing level to participate in the discussions and lead them. The passive students can participate in the privacy of their home without feeling intimidated or shy. Every student has the opportunity to participate in a discussion and it is powerful to expose students to others’ ideas.

Blogging can also be used to keep in touch with parents, or for parents to look at what their child is learning. Students who are absent can still participate and follow discussions going on in a blog. Teachers can use blogging to provoke deep questions and students respond by communicating their ideas in a written form.
In order to make this a successful experience for students, I would do the following:
- Have each student be a facilitator
- Frequently change the topic of discussion.
- Be sure to develop an assortment of interest topics.
- To assure parents the blog would not be a worldwide audience but will only be for our class.
- The entire class would put forth ideas and summaries in a rotation manner.

Blogging is a form of communication that incorporates collaboration and responds writing and I strongly believe in its benefits.