I came up with the title to this entry pretty quick. It just exemplifies my feelings right now. There are so many thoughts and ideas popping into my head and everything seems a little "foggy" right now and I yearn to get a clearer picture.
I could see myself using blogs to communicate with parents. I already do this on an email listserv, but this may be easier as parents would not have to log into their email.
I could also see connecting student blogs to this main page- so parents could read student blogs on learning and I could have an easy access to grade and comment. Perhaps having a monthly "blog" question that students would have to research the answer for; provide links and post by a certain time each month. I worry about what to do with those students who do not access to this type of thing at home. I work with only 2 computers in my classroom so I have not figured out how to work this into my classroom structure . Still thinking/problem-solving.
Perhaps I should think smaller- take baby steps this 1st year. Assign students different weeks to post to the classroom blog. Have a certain set of requirements that they would have to do. Provide time at lunch or after school if they do not have home access.
I tried doing a type of assignment online before where students had to post an answer to a question I provided. What I found that it was an absolute nightmare- It was a nightmare in terms of verifying who posted; in terms of dealing with students with no access at home; and with students who said they "posted" but there was nothing there. Too many parent notes and things. This has left a bad taste in my mouth for doing online work like this with large groups of students. I think I may follow my own advice above and start small....
Concerns? They are a-many!
-Time
-Resources (2 computer classroom; many students do not have online at home)
-Organization (for me so I do not go nuts!)
-Support
However, the concerns I have do not diminish my enthusiasm for wanting to try something new. I am always one to try new things- and to rethink what didn't work and try again. I am the type of teacher who likes to get my kids active and excited and getting dirty.... and so all of this is just a matter of problem-solving and being prepared!
I really love your idea of creating a blog so that parents and students can stay connected without having to login to school supported site. So many kids and parents lose passwords and then never attempt to re-connect. This may circumvent that issue completely. Now, about staying caught-up that will be the dilemma. How will this overcome that whole "Facebook" thing? All my students have Facebook accounts-which of course they are blocked from during school. However, they spend so much time in these accounts! I have so many staff members with accounts that have students as "friends". I am a bit uncomfortable with the casual premise of it, and I suppose, I really don't want access to such shared information. I guess "no-news is good news". That feeling comes from a mom whose kids are now out of school and I am still suffering a bit from shell-shock.
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