Initiating and sustaining conversations: Assessment and evaluation in the age of networked learning.

http://k12online.wm.edu/kglogowskivideo.mp4
His Blog : http://www.teachandclearn.ca/com

Konrad Glogowski has used blogs in the classroom for 3 years. He has found that students have increased expressive conversations from before they started classroom blogging. He felt that it was necessary to have assessment of the students work be conversational that guide and engage. Themes should challenge students to extend their interests and develop new skills. The theme should awaken a sense of curiosity and there should be a forum where students can express ideas and ask questions.

Traditional rules of assessment cannot be used with blogging. Grades tend to disrupt the students flow and engagement. Once something is graded the student feels that the work has been done and that the task has been completed, thus stopping conversation. In a blogging classroom assessment and evaluation should encourage the student to continue their work and peruse further engagement of their topic or subject.

Students should have clear goals when blogging. Blogging is about a journey and being active in a community. Students should be able to share their ideas and use their time productive to complete a body of work. They should ask themselves what will set my blog apart from the rest of the blogs in the community. How can I support my peers? How will they support me? They need to become aware that they are not working alone. They are in a social community.

Feedback needs to be meaningful and immediate. Konrad would fill out a sheet on “How to grow a blog” that would provide feedback to students that was encouraging and positive. Students at the end of the unit would fill out a self-assessment sheet asking if they have provided enough information, performed enough research, what have I learned from what I have written and have they made a personal contribution as a research to the area they are writing about. Blogging should ask a student where am I now and where do I want to be?

This topic didn’t directly relate to my current job and what I am doing. But many people in the technology field do blog about current topics and what they are doing. I frequent other people’s blogs daily just to see what is new. I could see blogs in the classroom as being very engaging. Students can collaborate on each other’s work and strive to improve reading, writing, communication and research skills. I would definitely recommend that teachers take advantage of blogging whenever they can work it into their curriculum!