Sunday, February 22, 2009

Why Blog?

Research shows that student blogs contribute to academic success in a variety of ways.

1. Skills Development

* Students improve writing skills with features they enjoy, like interactive publishing.
* Students are encouraged to explore, express, critique, collaborate, and share.
* Educators can track student participation and achievement.
* Administrators can broaden the set of tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data throughout the school district.

2. Collaborative Learning Anywhere, Anytime

* Students are enabled to learn outside of school hours.
* Teachers can post homework assignments and classroom activities that are accessible after school hours.
* Instructors can easily manage, present, and store information.
* Teachers can collaborate on professional development.

3. Parental Involvement

* Parents can offer new insights into classroom activities.
* Parents are able to view scheduled school events, and access showcased student work and presentations, including photos, videos, and podcasts.
* Parents can view and approve permission slips and consent forms online. (goal for this to happen more in the future)
* Parents are actively engaged in the educational process, which improves student learning.

What do you think? How would you like to see Blogs used?