So we managed to get all four of the Ed Tech Coast to Coast gang together on one Skype call just over a week ago and the result is now ready for consumption. The file is a bit large due to a change in the production process (Read: Steve took over for Tim W.), but hopefully that won’t be a deterrent. This week, we even have show notes! (Can you tell what we were talking about?) Wow!
As always, feedback appreciated.
Having just read your entry about how much the studnets love blogging, I have to wonder what the difference is in my class. I am a first year teacher and I have had all of my students blogging since day one – a way for them to journal on the books we are reading and to share ideas. However, I was surprised to find that most of them responded to the blogs with groans and sighs. They had never done it before, but after just a few weeks they lost all interest and grew frustrated with the technical issues. I made the blog extra credit because of their struggles with it, and even still they seem to hate it.
That said, another important issue has come up. The students are now telling me that the blogs provide them with a really easy way to cheat off of each other. I understand that what they are doing is reading their classmates’ responses to a text in lieu of reading the text themselves. Now, I don’t think that is such a terrible thing – because they still must be absorbing and sharing even though they are calling it “cheating,” but I worry about this. I had three students telling me that I should put an end to the blogging. I have had several students opt to hand in notebook journals instead of doing the blog. I don’t know what to do! I was so excited about incorporating blogs in the classroom in order to foster a learning environment outside of the classroom, but their lack of interest is disappointing. Any tips?