Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Using the blog as a classroom tool
The way that I can potentially see myself using the blog website as a tool in my classroom is a way to post videos of my students signing and of adults signing. I teach students in kindergarten through 2nd grade, and all of my students use sign language as their primary mode of communication. Since most of my families do not know sign language, I think that my blog site could be a place where they could go and learn it for free and where my students could go and see other people signing and practice their skills. I think it would be awesome for the students to take turns recording themselves signing a the short stories that we are currently working on in reading groups so that when they went home they could practice reading the story. If they forgot a sign then they could watch the video on the blog spot for help. Parents could also watch the video as well and read the story. I could post videos of me signing more difficult books, spelling lists, and making lessons for people who want to learn sign. I think that the students would be excited about learning how to use the equipment and recording themselves and watching themselves on-line. I believe the blog being used this way would be very valuable to my students and their families to improve their sign language skills but for the students to go to and get help in sign language, which they can't get at home.
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That is a great way to use blogs in your classroom. What a great way to encourage parent involvement! Parents can get on the computer and see what their children are learning as well as learning something themselves that will help their own children.
ReplyDeleteIt also provides students with a place that they can go to review what they learned during the day. This is something that will definitely excite your students and encourage them to want to learn.
Do you already have the resources available for students to record themselves or this something you would need to purchase for your students? I know that many times schools encourage technology but do not have the funds to provide the necessary resources. If this is something you would need to provide, a great website that can help is www.donorschoose.org. You write up what materials you need and how they would be used. Once you get the materials they ask that you take pictures of your students using the material.
I wish you the best of luck!
That is so funny that you mentioned donorschoose.org. This year I wrote a grant for them and got a color printer and a digital camera. I currently have another one on there trying to get video ipods for the kids so I can record lessons onto the ipods and the kids can take them home and this way they don't need a dvd player or the internet. Lucky for me though, I personally own a great hand held video camera and I get special education money, so I can buy a web camera so the kids can do it themselves. I am hoping over summer break it get it up and running. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI also have used donorschoose to get dictionaries for my students. I never thought of requesting digital cameras or color printers, I think that's a great idea!
ReplyDeleteDo you have any concerns about students not having internet access at home?
I know that there are several of my students who do not have internet access at home and it would be wonderful for them to get iPods that have material on them that they can use to review at home without neededing internet access.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that you have had a wonderful experience with donorschoose.org. A friend in the school did it this year and got some great science materials. I am in the process of setting up an account so I can use it to get some technology materials that the schools is unable to provide. I would like to get some digital cameras for students and color printers. Thanks for the ideas!
I think you really took a lot of time to think about a new and inventive way to use blogging to meet the needs of your students. Not only would the videos help the students, but they would also teach them valuable technology tools. I realize that you are working with younger students so you would be assisting them, but the exposure alone is so beneficial. I have also found that this age group loves to see themselves in pictures and videos and they would get a big kick out of sharing things through videos.
ReplyDeleteMy thought about getting around students that don't have internet is to go ahead and burn the videos on DVDs and send them home as well. If students do not have the internet or a DVD player then I guess they can go to a family members house or the library.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the idea that you are able to use the technology to help your students learn to sign. I am certainly not a proficient user of sign language but I did learn a bit as a child (due to my mother being a speech pathologist, she had various books) and I would think it would be much more interesting for them to learn from the video versus looking at a picture in a book. I think you have thought it through and I think the video Ipods would be a great help for you and your students.
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