Why blog at all? I have to say that throughout my life journaling has always been something I have done in school and in my personal life. So when approaching blogging for the LRNT 502 MALAT program I had this sudden wave of fear move over me. I had to sit back and take a moment to think about it. What was so scary about this process? I then realized I was already doing this exercise of blogging, just not online, and that it is an essential part of academia to reflect and share ideas and have the necessary conversations with peers and faculty.
"Students who had maintained blogs for two or more years posted an average of 1.8 reflective entries, and students who had maintained blogs for more than four years posted an average of 1.94reflective entries. This information can be interpreted in different ways, but it does lead us to at least ask if the habit of blogging itself leads to more reflective writing." (Nackerud & Scaletta, 2008)
Blogging to me is just a natural exercise that I use to self-reflect and brainstorm ideas. When I read and experience my classmates' blogs I am overjoyed with the amount of awesome and critical information. It gets the wheels turning in my mind...
I then reflected on the fact that my daughter has had a blog documenting her progress from her very first day of pre-school/daycare. I mean this is something that I hold of high value as a parent, and allows me to connect with her teachers and the school, it is a great communication piece. I am going to miss this aspect of a peek into her daily life at school, as she is leaving pre-school and embarking upon Kindergarten this fall.Here is a sample of Katara's awesome blogs:
Katara enjoyed practicing writing letters in a tray with salt.
"Look teacher, I wrote my name in the salt"!
 |
Katara
and her friends started learning about farm vehicles the next week.
After talking about how hay comes from grass they decided to make some
of their own.
Katara got to touch feel and smell the grass the first day and then over the next few days she got to see how it changed!
As
Katara and her friends explored dirt outside they realized all the bugs
and worms coming out. They caught a few so we decided to start a dirt
farm!
Why aren't we implementing more blogging in the classroom from a very young age? The upcoming generation is engrossed at technology, and it is like second nature to them. Implementation of a digital portfolio would be such an asset for their learning experience. A digital domain or online journal is a place to document, reflect, connect and learn - no matter what your path may be.
"At the simplest level, a Domain of One’s Own helps students build their own digital portfolio. They can be used in a classroom setting in order for students to demonstrate their learning. These portfolios can contain text, images, video and audio recordings, giving students opportunities to express themselves in a variety of ways beyond the traditional pen-and-paper test or essay." (Watters, 2015)
For me that is precisely what this LRNT 502 blog has taught me, this is my digital academic journal and it is of great value in my journey through my Master's program.
References:
Nackerud, S., & Scaletta, K. (2008). Blogging in the academy. New Directions for Student Services (124), 71-87. DOI: 10.1002/ss.296
Watters, A. (2015). The Web We Need to Give Our Students. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/bright/the-web-we-need-to-give-students-311d97713713
Petrina! This post absolutely warms my heart and asks a really important question. First let me say that your daughter is gorgeous and what an amazing pre-school that introduces technology so early in her education journey! Stunning!!
ReplyDeleteSecond, the question of why we don't use blogging more as a means of sharing and expressing our learning. I have to admit that I struggle with meeting the criteria for posts. I wonder if it's because I write all day for a living that I am so weary of writing at the end of the day that I flounder. But I also hear you when you reflect on how journaling has been a part of your life--for me it's just making that transition from something personal and private (I used to have a little diary with a gold lock on it and a key I hid from my brothers!).
My youngest kids attend an art-centred learning school and technology is such a huge part of how they interact with each other and the curriculum. In fact they started running a pilot project last year where every grade 7 student got their own netbook to live blog thoughts and reflections, which takes their learning to an entirely different plane. It's just so cool to be able to see so clearly the difference between Katara and my kids, true digital natives, and us as digital immigrants!
Great post Petrina!
I really like the term "digital portfolio". For someone like me, who doesn't keep a journal or write very much (away from work that is), a digital portfolio suggests that it can be anything you want it to be (video, photos, etc.) and can be so creative. What a great way for Katara to learn about technology and education - she's very lucky to have had a great preschool experience.
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