Thoughts on Classroom Blogs

This week's resources include some great examples of how blogging can be used in life science classrooms to share information with students and have them respond by answering a survey or commenting with additional information of their own after researching the topic (Chad Devoe's blog and Ms. Baker's Extreme Biology.) Blogging seems like a useful tool to incorporate 21st century literacy skills, such as writing for diverse audiences, into science classes (Saavedra and Opfer, 2012). Blogging can help learners gain many important skills - as illustrated in this graphic by Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, from her Langwitches blog, licensed by Creative Commons - while also learning science content.

In addition to a classroom blog written by the teacher and commented on by students, I would also like to try a group classroom blog (or individual student blogs for a small class or older or more advanced learners) for students to share lab reports or hypotheses tested and results and conclusions drawn from classroom experiments. This would let students reflect on what they are learning, discuss and defend their conclusions with their peers, and create a digital portfolio and a positive digital footprint (Couros, 2013). I would also like to find a science classroom in another state or country to share blogs with as a way to help my students get to know biology - and biology learners - in a different part of the world (Lucca, 2011).

References:

Devoe, Chad. This is your life. You might as well understand it http://grotonsciencegeek.blogspot.com/ Teacher with focus on biology and life science.

Ms. Baker's Extreme Biology Blog http://extremebiology.net

Couros, George (2013). 5 reasons your students should blog. The Principal of Change: Stories of learning and leading, http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/3721 

Lucca, Jenny (August 26, 2011). 5 Reasons Why Our Students Are Writing Blogs and Creating ePortfolios http://plpnetwork.com/2011/08/26/5-reasons-why-our-students-are-writing-blogs-and-creating-eportfolios/

Saavedra, Anna Rosefsky, and Opfer, V. Darleen (April 2012) Teaching and Learning 21^st Century Skills: Lessons from the Learning Sciences. Rand Corporation, http://asiasociety.org/files/rand-0512report.pdf

Image from Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano, Langwitches blog (http://langwitches.org/blog/2010/08/28/what-does-it-mean-to-be-literate/)