Using Blogs in the Classroom

At first glance of Mr. Harbeck's blog, I was overwhelmed with the amount of content. However, after further evaluation, I began to realize what an amazing tool blogs can be for communicating with students as well as teaching students through practical application how to use technology appropriately and respectfully.

In the article "Don't Feed the Trolls" the author asks, "How do we use it to help students understand that push-button publishing of any kind-discussion forums, chat rooms, blogs-requires constant reflection and self-restraint?" One way that Mr. Harbeck addresses this very issue is by having students provide feedback on their peers writing. In addition, he highlights a good example of appropriate feedback. In effect, Mr. Harbeck is teaching not only content, but also civil discourse.

In my future classroom, provided all students have access to the internet, I would like to use blogs to at a minimum, communicate a review of the material covered in class as well as homework assignments. I especially like how Mr. Harbeck involves the students in posting a summary of the material covered and daily homework. I believe that by delegating this to students, he has created a community of learning both online and in the classroom.

Introduction

My name is Michelle Keizer and I am a first year MAT student at Concordia University. In addition, I am also a wife, mother, and full-time employee of Intel Corp. Once I've completed the MAT program, I plan to teach high school math and business classes.

As part of this first blog, we have been asked to identify our favorite animal and why. I don't have one particular favorite animal, but I do really like our pet cat, Snowball. She was a stray that we rescued just before Christmas four years ago. As you may have guessed from her name, she is all white and has the most beautiful gold eyes. What I like most about Snowball and cats in general is their sense of independence. Cats are who they are and don't seem to be affected by what anyone else thinks. I admire that about them. Here is a picture of Snowball perched in a Japanese Maple.