School Blogs

School Blogs

AP Calculus AB
Mr. Kuropatwa
http://apcalc06.blogspot.com/

Mr. Kuropatwa's example of a classroom blog is excellent. The students are clearly active and engaged participants, and the blog seems like a tool they use to enrich the classroom experience, not replace it. The blog serves multiple purposes. Some of these include: a record of class notes, a place where students reflect on each unit in writing, review exercises for exams, a place to find links to calculus and study tips, and a place where teacher and students build a different kind of camaraderie.

I have often heard math teachers complain that the phrase "writing across the curriculum" does not apply to them. This blog would be a great way to demonstrate that students can use writing in math to reflect on their learning in a way that is meaningful. Maybe it's because my background is in teaching English, but I was so impressed at the realizations students were coming to in each unit's reflection. In the AP Calculus AB blog, students also take turns being "scribes" for class notes and exercises. This puts students in the roles of both teacher and learner--what a great idea!

This blog was easy to navigate. There wasn't too much else "going on" on the page besides the daily posts. The applications and links that were added were done so deliberately--other math blogs, links to study tips, a visitor section, the blog archive.

Mighty Writers 2008-2009
Marc Alhness
http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=41233

The purpose of Alhness's blog seems to be to provide a journaling/writing exercise space for his third grade students. This blog is set up a little differently than the AP Calculus blog. Instead of having students' comments directly on Alhness's blog, each student has their own blog that links to the teacher's. From Alhness's blog, student see their writing assignments and then post from their own blogs. On the students' pages, there is an "About the blogger" but not on the teacher's page.

Commenting seems to occur on this blog, but not as much as the AP Calculus blog, which is authored by older students. Students seem to have a few comments on posts here and there, but commenting on other students' blogs/posts does not seem to be a component of this activity. Ahlness has links posted to other classes that blog and I notice that students from other classes have communicated with Alhness, complimenting them on their posts and inviting them to start a dialogue. This seems to be a writing tool that Alhness uses on a regular basis with his students.