Encountering E-Learning Education

Download Video: Posted by rachelboyd at TeacherTube.com.

This blog page is a response to a video presentation created by a teacher in New Zealand, Rachel Boyd entitled “Why let our students Blog?”It is a brief presentation which describes the advantages of educational blogging. Boyd is an innovative, competent and proficient teacher who has considerable experience in integrating ICTs into the classroom. She is particularly passionate about student weblogs as evident in my blog posting “A blog is…”

In this video “Why let our students Blog?” Boyd highlights some of the motivating factors for teachers in employing weblogs as an online educational tool. Boyd visually represents the many motivating factors for web blogging including communication, literacy, ownership, sharing learning, collaboration, discussion, empowerment, interaction, motivation, participation, engagement, excitement, conversation, creativity, reflection, extension of classroom walls as well as giving students a “voice” and an audience”. Additionally weblogs provide students with a rich learning environment which is accessible outside of formal classroom hours. Through using web blogs students also develop skills which are essential in providing for and supporting their “digital futures” (Boyd, 2007).

Her final declaration on the video is as follows:

“Write to learn. Blog to learn.”

This is a perceptive and discerning statement which illustrates how effective online blogging is as an interactive and worthwhile teaching tool. It provides students with a genuine forum for expression and reflection. This makes students’ learning deeply profound as students have the power to voice their thoughts, discoveries, innovations and ideas on the Internet. Students’ work can also be viewed and celebrated by a known audience of family and friends. Furthermore students’ educational experiences can be commemorated and observed by a global audience making blogs a very powerful educational mechanism.

Boyd has created a number of videos promoting web blogs as an incredibly useful online teaching tool. One of these videos “Learning, Sharing & Connecting Online with 6 & 7 Year Olds” can be viewed below:

Download Video: Posted by rachelboyd at TeacherTube.com.

I found this video particularly interesting in listening to students explain how they use blogs to depict what they have being “thinking and learning” about in the classroom. Boyd explains how her class blog is a “showcase” of their learning for parents, the wider community and friends students have made online from around the world. She states “these students may be young, but they’re connected world wide”. A student commented “blogs allow us to put our own stories on the Internet and people can look at it and also people can make comments about your story”. Another student stated that “anyone in the universe” can leave comments on their class blogspot.

Additionally Boyd uses the class’ blogspot for classroom activities. Through providing the class with links to Del.icio.us students’ can easily access useful educational websites at school and at home. Students have also uploaded podcasts onto their class blog. One student considered the class as being famous as “lots of viewers that look at us around the world every day”. Other online learning tools which Boyd embraces on the class blogspot include Wikis and Flickr.

I found these two videos particularly useful in conveying innovative and creative ways the Internet can be used across the curriculum in primary classrooms. Blogs are a powerful and useful teaching medium which facilitate integrated and continuous learning. Boyd uses weblogs with her students to overcome traditional learning boundaries. Students are no longer restricted by the classroom walls or school hours but are always able to easily access a vast array of online learning experiences. Boyds video demonstrated to me the immense benefits and advantages of weblogs for primary education. I will certainly attempt to integrate this pioneering online technology into my teaching program in the future.

Reference:

Boyd, R (Producer and Presenter). (2007). Why Let Students Blog? TeacherTube. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from: http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=79778e9f140b78621d7f

Boyd, R. (Producer and Presenter). (2007). “Learning, Sharing & Connecting Online with 6 & 7 Year Olds”.TeacherTube. Retreived March 3, 2008, from: http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3fb6a6eebd0f6146aa70 

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