If we asked you if you had an idea of what a blog was, would you be able to say yes? Could you answer yes if we asked if you had ever been to a blog online? Could you answer yes if you have ever written a blog?
How many of your students could answer yes to these questions. Probably most of them.
This is an example of how the Blog could work for you as a tool of 21st Century learning in your classroom. Blogs are increasing in popularity and are not involved not only as social networking sites, but also used in media (i.e. news), politics, music, movies, dozens of different ways.
Blogs are just one example of incorporating technology into your Project Based Learning. Our students would be working in expert jigsaw-styled groups exploring a range of different areas on the topic of oil spills.
This Blog is one way for them to keep in touch with their team members, their classrooms and publish their information on the web.
We decided we would use the Blog as an assessment tool. Having periodic deadlines are useful ways of making sure the students are on task and the work is not overwhelming them. Posting updates on their blog periodically for the duration of the class is one way of being able to assess the progress of the individual teams and the class as a whole.
Ideas on using the Blog are endless. It can be pared with Facebook Groups, Twitter accounts, pictures and videos can be uploaded. The teams can follow each other's progress, the school can follow the progress of the whole class. If you wanted to work with school in another district or even country, a Blog is a great way to keep in contact.
The Blog is a great way to challenge your students and have them working with the tools of the future.
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