The Grand Question: How will I use this blog?

Blogging has become a growing trend across the world. According to William Richardson in his book Blogs, Podcasts, and Wikis “blogs can enhance and deepen learning” (Richardson, 2010). With this being said, there are many possibilities as to how I can implement a blog into my own classroom. Being a second and third grade reading specialist, one way I can incorporate a blog into learning is by having the children use a blog as a means of reflection and comprehension. I think that it would be fun to have the children scribe what he or she learned in class each day. Children would be able to blog about a set of vocabulary words, a reading strategy, or be able to give a brief summary of the story that was read. This would also allow the children to review what was learne along with allowing parents to be informed on what hss or her children are learning in class.

Another way I would be able to incorporate a blog into the classroom would be to have the children complete a book review of a book that he or she has recently read. To ensure the children are compiling a good review, the children will have a template made in advance to allow him or her to keep the information organized. Depending on the number of children within the class would also depend on the number of posts being made throughout the week.

Lastly, I would be able to use this blog as a resource to parents. I could post ideas on how they can help their children become more fluent readers. Posting ideas on how to work on comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary would be a great benefit to parents striving to help his or her child at home. Blogging would serve as a great form of communication for parents.

Blogging has the possibility to enhance learning in any content area as it is applicable to any area of learning. As I continue to use this blog, I hope to receive encouragement and ideas from others in my learning community to make sure it is serving a meaningful purpose. Overall, the possibilities of using blogs within the classroom are endless. With a little creativity and dedication, blogging can serve as a terrific learning tool for our 21^st century learners.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.