Instructional Strategies and Web 2.0

It is no secret that blogs are a great tool to use in the classroom. However, I would believe they are more beneficial when certain instructional methods are used. This would include inquiry-based learning and a more constructivist styled approach. These strategies allow students to take an active role in their learning. Blogs could be incorporated in order to facilitate group and/or even class discussions, and serve as a tool for reflection. Blogs are most successful when used by a group of students. They are not necessarily a one person tool. Fortunately, these teaching methods are centered around collaboration.

For the more traditional teacher, that takes a "sage on the stage" approach, blogs would not be the most fitting. In these types of classrooms the teacher is often the facilitator and does the majority of the presenting. Students are to follow along in a more passive manner. It is possible that students could use blogs in this type of classroom as a reflection tool. They could publish a post on what they learned from a lesson, or post an answer to a problem. Yet, these methods do not utilize blogs to their fullest potential.

I can see blogs being used in my classroom in a few different ways. For science, students could create a blog about their science project and record their progress. Other students could comment on their ideas and give feedback along the way. Positive reinforcement by peers can have a huge impact on student success.

In math, my students have journals that they record daily practice problems or reflections. I would like to transfer that into a blog format and see how they do. The students could each have their own blog that they would post to. If they had questions on how to solve a problem they could comment on a peer's blog for help. I would ask that they comment on at least their math group member's blogs in order to provide feedback for each other.