Blogging

 Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my first blog, which will reflect upon the ICT workshops each week. The first workshop has introduced me to the world of blogging. Whilst I am aware of what blogging is, I have never really been involved in any kind of blog (until now!), and I didn’t even consider how blogs could be used within a primary school environment. 

When I was at school these types of technology did not exist, but technology is rapidly changing and advancing, and now children are growing up surrounded by all kinds of various technology and it seems important that we use this technology that is available to support learning in the classroom.  I believe that as a teacher I should be aware of all the various technologies and use them to produce creative lessons, support for learning and enjoyment and involvement for pupils.

 It is apparent that blogging is an amazing way to connect with others around the world, and to express feelings and emotions like a diary entry or journal. It allows people to develop their own voice and opinions. It is important to let pupil's convey their thoughts in a medium such as a blog which can be fun and creative.

 However one of the main issues that arise from children blogging is safety on the internet. It is so important that children are fully informed and aware of safety issues online and are taught how to use it in a safe and responsible way, knowing what is suitable to post online and what isn't. One of the main rules would be to never post personal details of home addresses, phone numbers, photos or full names.

Providing safety rules are adhered to, blogging can be an excellent tool to use within the classroom. By using technology, children can engage with their work and be in control of their learning. The use of ICT and blogging can benefit all pupils in various ways. For instance, whether pupils are visual learners, kinesthetic learners or auditory learners, they can all use ICT to assist them. On a blog you can upload and watch videos, look at images, listen to audio material and actively participate in their learning through ICT. Pupils with SEN can also really benefit from blogging. It can be a way of developing communication skills, increasing self-esteem and providing alternative methods to simply working out of a book. 'Technology can be used to overcome barriers to learning for all learners, but particularly those with disabilities' (Florian & Hegarty, 2004). Therefore, it is important to utilize the technology available to us wherever possible to support all learners. 

http://hopeblog.ethink.org.uk/ Here is an example of a school's blog!

This blog is not an individual one but instead a whole school one which can give parents and others interested the opportunity to keep up to date with school news, events and what their children have been doing.  Class blogs are popular too where you can upload materials relating to a class topic and the children can therefore engage with learning at home as well as in the classroom. This can help to consolidate their learning.

Overall, from the ICT session on blogging, I have decided a class blog would be an excellent way of incorporating ICT across the curriculum and supporting children’s learning in various ways. Before this workshop I had never even considered blogging as having a place in the classroom, but now I would definitely use blogging as I believe they really can have a very positive impact.

 Bye for now!