Do you blog?

I just LOVE this:

And yet, according to a Pew Charitable Trust study, an overwhelming majority of the middle and high school students who use the Internet say their schools don’t create assignments that take advantage of resources online – resources they can find on their own. They’re “far ahead of their teachers and principals in taking advantage of online educational resources” – such as weblogs – the report concludes. (Emphasis mine.)

And then this:

Some colleges, however, are beginning to use class blogs as a way to share assignments and get feedback. Paul Grabowicz, new media professor at the University of California at Berkeley’s school of journalism, teaches a course where students run a class blog…Through postings students can share their thoughts in a more comfortable medium – and hone their writing skills. (Hmmm…and high school and elementary teachers are doing what???)

I’m not so sure my students are so far out front when it comes to Web logs before they get to my class. But they’re definitely out front when it comes to getting some experience with what is without a doubt a tool that improves instruction and teaching. And I think more and more people around here are starting to figure that out.

Just some highlights from the last couple of days here:

I’m meeting with the Social Studies articulation committee next week to talk about Web logs as a way to create “Learning Object Repositories” for the sending districts. In talking to the department chair here yesterday, we were both shaking our heads with the posssiblities. (The Science chair just now told me he was interested in this too.)

A half a dozen English teachers have included implementing Web logs as one of their PIPs.

An English teacher here who just got done using Web logs for literature discussion told me that in her kids loved the opportunity to use them and she wants to meet with me to start planning for next year already.

I may have the opportunity to present at the New Jersey Writing Alliance Conference next year.

Asbury Park High School, who I did a workshop with last week, wants more training this summer and wants to start talking about some collaborations.

SO…do YOU blog?
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