Being that both my GAME Plans require the use of the Internet, I am going to need access to a computer lab so I can incorporate both the blog assignment and research endeavors. I will also need assistance from both Microsoft Word software and research databases.
Additional information needed for this assignment will be the most important aspect. I do not feel that I will need anything for the blog but the research paper will be tricky. As a science teacher, I have never really been instructed on how to properly teach the writing of a research paper. Although I feel that I am educated enough to do so, I will discuss the process with my English coworkers for guidance and resources. This will surely be a learning experience for both my students and I.
Steps I have already taken are having my students sign up for an account on Blogspot. Each student has an account now but I have not yet set up an assignment that deals with students’ use of the blog. I plan on starting a research paper on the atom at the end of my upcoming unit which will be in about a month or two.
Given my GAME Plans, if you can think of anything else that may be helpful or useful, please let me know. Our ability to communicate is what makes us human.
It is very exciting to see that other teachers are incorporating blogs into their classrooms.In having to create and use a blog for this course, I have seen the benefits in its user-friendliness as well as in the immediate interaction and feedback it can provide. How did you decide that blogspot.com was the best site for you to use with your students? I am still deciding on the best options for my class blog, so I am curious what your reasons were for choosing. One other blog question, how are you or will you deal with student access to the internet? Are you requiring blogging during class or at home?
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion for beginning blogging activities: you could have student start or practice with reflection posts where they post a summary, insight, question, or reflection about what they learned in class that day or week. This could be a brief assignment, but one that allows for a variety of conversation startes and practice with the content. It would also provide you with an informal way of assessing comprehension.
Finally, as an English teacher, I would highly recommend the Purdue Owl website (owl.purdue.com)for help with teaching the research writing. They have some wonderful resources for research guidlines and researching tips.
Good luck,
-Jen
Jen,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some very good points. To answer your first question, I chose blogspot.com because that I what I am using here. It is easy to sign up, easy to access, and very usable from my experiences so far in this course.
My school has recently adopted wht is called 5th block where students are given 40 minutes of the school day to contact teachers and have access to computers at our school to try to eliminate that problem at home. That said, I do not think I will run into a problem with Internet access at home because of 5th block.
I have been to the Purdue Owl website before but forgot all about it. Thanks for the tip!!!