Three Ways I Can Use Blogs In My Classroom

1.) Building a Classroom Portal:There is a huge trend towards making what was once given as a paper/handout into digital documents.  Why not use a blog to create a class portal?  In this sense, as a teacher, you can communicate information about your course to your students and their parents online.  Furthermore, you can archive all of your class materials: syllabus, classroom policies and procedures, homework assignments, rubrics, etc...  The blog then becomes a "powerful course management tool" (Richardson, 21).  It makes your job as a teacher that much easier.  You save time by not having to make and/or save duplicate copies of what was handed out to students.  Plus, there is no excuse for not having work completed because it will be posted on the blog.  Finally, it keeps other teachers within your school, administrators, and parents informed with what is going on in your classroom.    

2.) Student Collaboration: "One of the biggest potentials of Weblogs is the ability to create spaces where students can collaborate with others online" (Richardson, 23).  The blog-a-sphere opens up new possibilities for your students; whether it's learning from their peers or learning from other professionals.  I'm a firm believer that students can learn from one another in so many ways.  In some sense, a blog gives students the opportunity to be the "teacher", which they may not be fully aware of.  Nevertheless, learning happens in an online environment, in which students can work together and feed off of each others knowledge.

3.) Going Beyond the Classroom: As a Spanish teacher, having your students use the language and interact with it outside the classroom is essential and something you strive for.  A blog is a great way to take what was learned in the classroom, post it, and then expand upon it through interactive activities and links through the Internet.  The students can then use the blog as a resource to help further develop their Spanish skills, as well as, engage in fun games or review practices.  Especially with culture, I can see how a blog would open up a lot of possibilities.  Post links that allow you students to access videos, digital music files, photos, and websites that relate to what you may be focusing on in the classroom.  For example, I may be talking to my students about Running of the Bulls, and would have this link posted on my blog:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFKy6Ld9gU8 and then my students can watch an authentic video of the event.  As a Spanish teacher, with this blog, you are addressing one of the five "C"s (Culture) within the foreign language standards.  This opens the window of opportunity for your students, by allowing them to experience other cultures and develop a respect and appreciation for them.  

** Overall, use of a blog within the classroom supports the "C" of Communities, where learning experiences are "extended from the world language classroom to the home... emphasizing living in a global society" (National Standards for Foreign Language Education).  When you think about it, it's pretty amazing, and gives both yourself and your students a new perspective of the world and how learning happens within it.