Thing 3

As a Media Specialist, one of the immediate ways I thought about using a blog was to start a book club where students can share their opinions on what they're reading. In the past I had thought about making a database that students could access and write feedback which would be sorted by different genres and searchable by other students to help them choose a book recommended by one of their peers. A blog would be a much, much easier way to accomplish this task. In addition, students could narrate their feedback and include a copy of the cover of the book they are talking about. I also read on one of the blogs I was scanning through that students can use the online tool timetoast.com to create a timeline of events from a story they have read. I find that idea pretty interesting as well. I also thought about displaying student work on a blog. I also read about a really good idea of using a blog to display links to real and bogus websites. The blog that suggested this noted that students can comment on noted biases and link to online sources to prove/disprove validity/reliability of site. This would tie in nicely with my Internet unit where I teach how to evaluate a website. I know my students would love any blog assignment I would give them. They love technology and would especially love seeing their words displayed online for all to see. A concern I would have with students participating with blogs would be inappropriate comments written on the blog and also whether all my students have access to a computer either with my attempt to get time in the computer lab to complete such a task or if they have a computer at home with Internet access. Finally, I thought another potential idea for a blog would be to create a professional reflection blog on lessons that I teach listing strategies and techniques that worked well and allowing for feedback and ideas from my peers.