Friday, February 17, 2006
Blogging and Podcasting Workshop part 1
It's all about communication. That's why we are looking at using blogging as a tool in the classroom. On http://www.techlearning.com/blog/main/archives/2006/02/oh_perfect_worl.html, I found the following quotes: "Simply put, the more ways we have to do what comes naturally, the more we do it." (Bonabeau, 2004). "One of the things that comes most naturally to humans is the desire to communicate; the internet amplifies our ability to do so" (Tyler, 2002).
Blogging is not an end unto itself; I don't believe that we should teach blogging for the sake of teaching blogging or even for the sake of creating bloggers. Rather, we want to help students communicate with each other - to learn how to express themselves - to learn how to evaluate the ideas of others and respond appropriately - to learn how to teach themselves, using the resources that they have available to them. We believe that students learn best when they discover things for themselves rather than when they absorb the things we try to pour into their heads.
So, as they communicate through blogging - as they think and express their own thoughts - as they reflect on the thoughts of others, they discover things for themselves. They learn.
Blogging is not an end unto itself; I don't believe that we should teach blogging for the sake of teaching blogging or even for the sake of creating bloggers. Rather, we want to help students communicate with each other - to learn how to express themselves - to learn how to evaluate the ideas of others and respond appropriately - to learn how to teach themselves, using the resources that they have available to them. We believe that students learn best when they discover things for themselves rather than when they absorb the things we try to pour into their heads.
So, as they communicate through blogging - as they think and express their own thoughts - as they reflect on the thoughts of others, they discover things for themselves. They learn.
