How Blogging Will Work For Us!

It is no secret that today's society is a fast paced one! Most of our students come from homes where both parents work.  Many of us work long hours (myself included) and the hours we can spend with our children are limited.  Much as we might want to be a more frequent presence in our children's schools, that's not always possible.  

As a working mom myself I understand the desire to be a part of your child's education even when you can't physically be there! This blog is a way for us to share a little of what we do each day with you!

I myself am new to blogging so we'll learn the process together! In the past I've always thought of blogging as a way to share your thoughts and ideas about any given topic.  That in itself is a wonderful idea for education and yet a simple, easily accomplished one which I had simply never thought of before! I am looking forward to sharing with you my favorite parts of our days, as well as pictures of some of our activities and products!

The possibilities beyond that, however, are endless! As outlined in Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, the use of blogging goes far beyond the traditional "journal" type approach.  Within this blog we can communicate in regards to upcoming events and activities, homework, upcoming tests, and strategies you can use at home. 

Beyond that even is the ability to build our student's technology knowledge and skill levels by allowing them to partake in the blogging.   This blog provides us with an easy way for our students to both share their work with you, as well as to collaborate on projects and interact with students from all across the country and even different areas of the world!

I always tell my students and my own children that you'll never get better at something if you're not willing to try! I am looking forward to learning alongside you and your children this year as we navigate the world of blogging and online collaboration and make technology more of an integral part of our day!

Please look for the permission slips coming home with your students to allow me to post their pictures and/or work here as well as to allow them to participate in our online projects.  All internet usage will be monitored and comments will be reviewed before posting. 

Until next time!
~Mrs. Dugan 

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed., pp. 17-39). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.