Blogging in the classroom matters

Later this week, I will be presenting a conference paper at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on exploring Web 2.0 in classroom, specifically blogging. Over the past couple of months, I have read numerous books and blog posts, discussed blogging issues with friends and colleagues, and decided to take a hiatus from my own blog to think about the social and educational impact of blogging.

I have included below my proposal summary, and over the next few days, I'll probably share more of my proposal with my blog readership. Currently, I am thinking about possible ideas pertaining to blogging that I should make sure to address on my panel. Instead of thinking on my own, I thought I might pass on my concern to the blogosphere to see what type of feedback I can receive.

Here's the question: If you were going to present to a young group of professional educators on the issue of blogging in the classroom, what are some bulleted points you would make sure to mention?

Proposal Summary:

The age of the “Read” Web, where web pages were created by those who hoped to present information solely to be read by Internet surfers, has been over for a decade. Although teachers and students, alike, often maneuver the Internet as answer seekers, many remain unaccustomed to the burgeoning educational potential of the “Read/Write” Web. While teachers and parents are well aware that social networking applications and websites, including Facebook and MySpace, attract their students and children to engage with the Internet in ways unavailable to them years ago, the responsibility of deciding how to respond to the increasing number of teenagers who are creating content on the web falls upon adults. Blogging in the classroom, under close supervision and with adequate learning objectives, can transform the Internet into a matrix capable of producing multitudinous writing and reflecting opportunities for students to simultaneously demonstrate comprehension of material and enhance literacy proficiency.

-----

Image Citations

Devedi. (2006 July 14). Post of the day: Web 2.0 hell. Devedi's Photostream. Retrieved on March 9, 2008, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/83496054@N00/189392262/

The Catholic Sun. (2007 April 2). Technology in the classroom - 1.jpg. The Catholic Sun's Photostream. Retrieved on March 9, 2008, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/catholicsun/443767232/