Recently, I have been looking into how to use blogs in my classroom. Through my master’s class at Walden University I have been introduced to several great resources to help get those creative juices flowing. At first, it sounds great to just jump into the computer lab and have students start blogging. However, Kathy Martin (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010), makes an excellent case for scaffolding the blogging process before jumping directly into the collaborative process. She discusses how students may seem familiar with “collaboration” through sites like Facebook, but how that is more of a journaling process. It takes practice to get students to realize the difference between “OMG ur post wz awesum,” and the formal language we expect in a classroom setting.
Taking this into consideration I believe blogging would be a great platform for a jigsaw activity. In my high school biology classroom, especially my honors group, I try to maintain relevance by using current articles and research related to the content we are covering. In a traditional jigsaw, students are placed in groups of usually four to six students. From here they break up into assigned groups to read and discuss a specific article, topic, or research project. After mastering understanding they return to their original group to summarize, respond, and teach what they have learned. Each student becomes a key piece of the puzzle. In theory jigsaw sounds great, however factors such as time, shyness, and lack of discussion are always an issue in getting the most out of the activity.
I believe that using blogs would be a great way to overcome many of the issues associated with jigsaws and help take students to a higher level of learning. You could set up the activity in the same manner as before, except it would be easier to do since you can simply link the resources rather than print copies. A blog group could be set up specifically for this assignment, or student blogs previously set up could be used. If the latter is the case students would need the names and links of the individuals in the group. It would work best to require an initial post to establish understanding of the content we are learning, for example natural selection. From here students would decide who is going to take on each piece and work individually read and research accordingly. Their second post would include a summary of their research and how it applies to the content we are covering.
Already, students will have breached many of the problems associated with standard peer-to-peer interaction. As an example, Richardson (2010) discusses how: “A blog gives them the opportunity to share in writing the ideas they may be too shy to speak” (p. 27). Students will also be able to re-read a summary if clarification is needed. However, the real power of using a blog comes in with the responses to these initial posts. Students will be asked to respond to their group member’s posts, adding in their thoughts about how that fits (or does not) to what we are studying. They will also be asked to make connections between what they studied and what their group members studied. Blogging will not only help them get over certain social obstacles, but allow for deeper connections and understanding in a way that would be difficult to reproduce offline. Finally, there is the hope of outside input. Even though students are working in set groups, their thoughts and summaries are online for anyone else to read and respond to.
I look forward to further thoughts, ideas, and questions.
Resources:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Blogging in the classroom [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Although in my discussion post, I've ranted about the problem with anonymity in the online world, I can see how this could help certain types of learners. One major problem I see in incorporating tech tools, and currently in classrooms honestly, is the lack of motivation. I don't know about your kids, but my kids wait until the last minute to get their assignments done. I think the convenience of online learning and assignments might make most kids put off what they are supposed to do until the last second, thus eliminating careful thought. Another aspect of blogging -- or project-based learning -- I've come to realize is that if tight deadlines and check-off steps are implemented in the classroom, this allows for more successful students. Unfortunately, we as teachers will have to manage more than teach, I'm afraid. But, then again, what's new?
ReplyDeleteMr. C
ReplyDeleteI agree, I feel the jigsaw activity you describe will work well on the blog. Do you plan on starting this activity soon so we can view? My eighth grade classes do something similar in the classroom. My next group of students would have this activity around the second week of February. I would like to see how it goes with your high school students and hear any comments or advise when performing this activity on the blog before I try it on my blog with an eighth grade middle school class.
Joe Kuziak
Unfortunately I am living in a hypothetical world right now. Playing stay at home dad this year with my 19 month old daughter. So as much as I would like to try it out for you, it will have to wait until next year. If you try it please let me know!
DeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteI think that you are on to something, here. A jigsaw blog is a great way to get them to work in groups without them thinking that they are working in groups. I think your lesson idea falls under both “doing things differently” and “doing different things” (Thornburg, 2004).
As an aside, do you think that they will still do it? The reason that I ask is that my school district recently decided that all homework in high school be worth only 5% of their total grade. Some of my less active students see this as a sign of not needing to work hard.
My school is very heavy on safety nets and that is my the “5% Homework Policy” is in place.
How would you go about motivating your less enthusiastic students to participating in the blog?
I believe that students will do anything if you set up the right expectations in your classroom. This means that you must instill the belief that there is more to learning than just a grade, a difficult thing to get across. I also feel like an assignment like this, where students depend on each other, motivates students more than individual work as they are held accountable to more people than just the teacher.
ReplyDelete