Web 2.0 in the Classroom

Trista Beshara
Febrary 23,2010

Black, J. (2008). Retrieved February 23, 2010 from http://web20intheclassroom.blogspot.com/2008/10/ways-to-use-blogs-in-your-classroom-and.html.

This article listed 33 ways that teachers can use blogs in the classroom. The three I found most interesting and maybe most helpful are: creating a blog with the daily lesson plans and assignments, creating a blog with audio clips of students reading their favorite stories and drawing pictures to go with it, and creating a blog where students can post news of "good" things that happen in their community.

First of all I think that creating a blog with daily lesson plans and daily homework assignment would be very helpful and useful. It would be the most help to students that are absent. They can see what the class did that day and try to get the assignment done before they come to class. Another way this is good is because then the teacher does not have to explain to 20 kids what the class did the day they were absent. The student can go on the blog and find out for themselves.

Second, creating a blog with audio clips of students reading their favorite stories and having drawings of them would be so cool. Let's face it. Some kids do not like to read and will hardly ever pick up a book. This way it can get the student motivated to read the book because they can draw pictures of their interpretation of the book or they can be motivated to read the book out loud so they can have their "15 minutes of fame" on the Internet.

Thirdly I think creating a blog with only "good" news of the community would be a great way to encourage kids to stay out of trouble and do the right thing. Everything on the news is just bad. People are dying, are getting robbed, etc. There is hardly ever stories of people going out of their way to help others. This way if students post blogs about the good they see in their community it may encourage others to do good also.