The February 2008 issue of T.H.E. Journal had an interesting article by Julie Sturgeon. After interviewing three experts she writes Five Don'ts of Classroom Blogging and makes these recommendations:
1. Don't just dive in, set up guidelines and objectives ( Monitoring all comments and posts for example)
2. Don't confuse blogging with social networking. A good education blog assists students in learning, not in socializing. Showcasing work, providing audience and constructive feedback are all desirable objectives.
3. Don't leap at Freebies - I don't know if we can follow this advice but I understand her point. You cannot control everything that happens on free apps. Ads, unwanted visitors, and links to inappropriate blogs, create problems that we don't want or need.
4. Don't force a sequential style - good point and one I struggle with on blogs. Their suggestion is to structure entries by topics rather than by times. Mapping out what you plan to teach on the blog makes a tremendous amount of sense.
5. Don't leave the blogging to the students . Since a blog has the potential of becoming an on line learning community it's important to have someone directing that process. Your posts and comments will impact the learning environment as surely as your presence does in your classroom .
Julie Sturgeon's article includes one DO, "Do recognize what blogging can do for your students". It provides them with a platform to create multimedia experiences and encourages them to write meaningful content for a real audience.
Modeling - I have just summarized an article of relevance and invite you to provide me with your thoughts and feedback on the subject. Would anyone like to volunteer to be our guest author next week?
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